SEScoops

Author: Eric Lynch

  • WWE Monday Night RAW Results (8/8)

    WWE Monday Night RAW Results (8/8)

    This week’s episode of WWE RAW aired live from Anaheim, California at the Honda Center.

    – Enzo and Cass come out to open up the show and cut their usual promo on the ramp. Enzo says Sasha Banks was smitten by him last week, then cuts a promo on Jericho. Jericho comes out and says he has backup, and this brings out Kevin Owens. They come down to the ring and say they are Canadian brothers, and Jericho calls Cass a stupid idiot. Enzo gets in Jericho’s face and we have a match.

    – Chris Jericho def. Enzo Amore via DQ: Jericho controls the match until Enzo throws him to the outside. Enzo goes to follow up but Owens pulls Jericho to safety and Cass gets in Owens’ face. Back in the ring, Jericho continues controlling the match until Enzo hits a tornado DDT off the middle rope. Enzo follows up with some right hands and a cross body. He hits a facebuster and a running forearm for a near-fall. Enzo hits a cross body off the top rope for another 2 count, then Jericho rolls to the outside where Enzo hits a suicide dive. Owens grabs Enzo behind the referee’s back which leads to Jericho hitting the Codebreaker. Big Cass retaliates by booting Jericho in the face in front of the ref for the DQ.

    – After the match, Cass challenges Owens and Jericho to a tag match at SummerSlam and they accept.

    – Mick Foley is in the back talking to Stephanie on the phone. Sasha Banks approaches Foley, and he books her in a match against Dana Brooke tonight. If Sasha wins Dana will be banned from ringside at SummerSlam, and if Dana wins she can be in Sasha’s match against Charlotte.

    – Braun Strowman def. Jorel Nelson: Strowman knocks Nelson to the outside early on, then throws him back in the ring for a running clothesline. Strowman hits the reverse chokeslam for the win in a short squash match.

    – Mick Foley is in the back talking to P Diddy, who gives Foley concert tickets. The New Day comes in and raps to Diddy. P Diddy asks how Big E’s nuts are, which prompts Kofi and Xavier to start rapping to Diddy.

    – Darren Young def. Titus O’Neil: As soon as the bell rings Darren slaps Titus across the face and they start brawling all over the ring and ringside. Back in the ring, Titus takes control of the match. Titus goes for a running powerslam but Young gets out and quickly rolls up Titus for the win.

    – Seth Rollins comes out and cuts a promo on Finn Balor. Rollins says Finn Balor isn’t even his real name, and makes fun of his stage name. Rollins says he’s the man, and he’s going to beat Balor at SummerSlam. His music hits and he leaves the ring.

    – Cesaro def. Sheamus: They lock up at the bell and go back and forth in the opening moments. Sheamus crotches Cesaro on the top turnbuckle and takes him off for a rolling Senton. Sheamus hits a shoulder tackle off the top for a near-fall. Cesaro comes back with a cross body off the top for a near-fall of his own. Sheamus goes for the White Noise but Cesaro gets out. Sheamus reverses a Neutralizer and hits the Irish Curse backbreaker for 2. After a dropkick and a series of European uppercuts, there’s a ref bump that leads to Cesaro rolling up Sheamus from behind for the win.

    – We get a video highlighting the history between Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar.

    – Sin Cara and Neville def. The Dudley Boyz: Bubba starts off against Sin Cara and drops him to the mat with a big boot right off the bell. D-Von gets the tag and continues working on Sin Cara. Neville gets the hot tag and clears the ring. D-Von accidentally clotheslines Bubba and Neville capitalizes with a kick to the head of D-Von and a suicide dive on Bubba to the outside. Back in the ring, Neville hits a missile dropkick on D-Von and follows up with the corkscrew shooting star press for the win.

    – Daniel Bryan is shown arriving at the arena.

    – Rusev is out next to cut a promo about his marriage to Lana. The ring is done up with a red carpet and wedding cake. They show pictures from their weddding and the crowd chants “boring.” They say they’re going re-create their wedding in the ring, but Roman Reigns comes out to interrupt. Reigns says be noticed Rusev didn’t have a best man at his wedding, so he’s volunteering. Rusev declines, so Reigns tells him to accept his challenge for the U.S. Title at SummerSlam, which Rusev also declines. Reigns calls Lana a mail order bride, and Rusev lays into him with right hands. Reigns comes back with a headbutt and pushes Rusev into Lana, who falls into a cake. She starts screaming and Reigns leaves.

    – Backstage, Rusev complains to Mick Foley about what just happened in the ring. Foley books him in a match against Reigns at SummerSlam.

    – Sasha Banks def. Dana Brooke: Sasha starts off with a hip toss and a running knee to the face for a two-count early on. Dana comes back by dropping Sasha into the turnbuckle, but Sasha quickly comes back with a series of clotheslines and a dropkick. Charlotte tries to hit Sasha from ringside but accidentally hits Dana instead. Sasha hits a double stomp on Dana off the top for the win.

    – Finn Balor is in a black room with a fog machine cutting a promo on Seth Rollins. He brings up giants and mythical creatures who inspire him.

    – Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows are in the back dressed up like doctors cutting a promo on Big E. They show clips of them crotching him on the ring post. Anderson holds up a jar with two hard boiled eggs in it, and Gallows say something about being “a bit testy.”

    – Luke Gallows def. Kofi Kingston: Xavier and Anderson are at ringside for this one. Kofi takes things to the outside and hits a suicide dive over the top rope onto Gallows on the floor early on. Back in the ring, Kofi gets distracted by Anderson laying out Xavier at ringside. Gallows takes advantage of the distraction and gets the win on Kingston. They go to crotch Xavier on the ring post after the match, but Xavier makes the save with a steel chair.

    – Goldust and R-Truth have a segment in the parking lot with someone in a Scooby Doo costume.

    – Mick Foley comes out to the ring to have a word with Daniel Bryan. Foley and Bryan compliment each other on their work on their opposing shows. They talk trash to each other about Lesnar and Orton showing up on the opposing shows. Rusev comes out to interrupt and says he’ll crush Daniel Bryan, but Cesaro comes out to interrupt. He says he wants his shot at Rusev’s U.S. Title, so Foley gives him one, right now.

    – Rusev def. Cesaro: Rusev’s U.S. Title is on the line in this one. Cesaro starts off with a series of uppercuts. Rusev rolls outside and Cesaro hits a splash off the apron, then a cross body off the top back in the ring for 2. Cesaro misses another cross body off the middle rope, and Rusev takes control of the match. Cesaro comes back with a powerslam and a stomp with both feet for 2. Cesaro hits some uppercuts in the corner, then a tornado DDT off the middle rope. Rusev gets Cesaro in the Accolade, but Cesaro fights out of it and drops him. They trade right hands until Cesaro lays him out with a springboard corkscrew uppercut. Cesaro swings Rusev, then puts him in the Sharpshooter. Sheamus hits the ring and distracts Cesaro. Cesaro turns around into a big boot from Rusev for a 2 count. Cesaro pushes Rusev into Sheamus and the ref gets bumped in the process. He hits the Neutralizer on Rusev but the ref is still down. Rusev pokes him in the eye, then Sheamus big boots him behind the ref’s back. Rusev pins Cesaro for the win.

    – Roman Reigns comes down to ringside and spears Rusev after the match to close out the show.

  • Jesse Ventura To The Rock: “Don’t Waste Your Talent In The Political Arena”

    Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been hinting that he has political aspirations, but former Minnesota governor Jesse “The Body” Ventura says he shouldn’t bother. In a recent interview with The Atlantic, Ventura offered some advice to the fellow WWE Hall of Famer about politics: “Don’t bother with it.”

    “You have a phenomenal career in Hollywood. Why would you want to go into politics? Ride the Hollywood horse until it falls,” Ventura said of The Rock’s political dreams. “Are you kidding me? Politics, he can’t earn near the money he’s making. Unless he just truly wants to make a difference I guess. But, Dwayne’s a very talented man, no doubt about it. And I would encourage him not to waste it in the political arena.”

    In addition to several hints on social media, The Rock told Time Magazine earlier this year that the thought of being governor or president is “very alluring” to him. Johnson was a registered Republican as of 2014 and spoke at the party’s National Convention back in 2000. Ventura became the governor of Minnesota back in November ’98 when he ran as an independent to narrowly and unexpectedly defeat two major-party candidates.

    Ventura also talked about current U.S. Presidential candidate and former WrestleMania headliner Donald Trump. Ventura recalls meeting him at the early WrestleMania events held at Trump’s venues and Trump supporting him during his run for Minnesota governor. Ventura says that even though Trump is running as a Republican, he doesn’t believe he actually is one.

    “Donald Trump is not a Republican. Donald Trump has been an Independent truly his whole life,” Ventura said. “He just chose to go after the nomination with the Republican party, just like Bernie Sanders did with the Democrats. Like I initially stated when they [ran], I said I was ecstatic over it because they were destroying the two parties and I thought that was wonderful. As you know I despise these parties; I think they’re the problem, they’re not the solution. And I believe we should ban political parties, and the forefathers agree with me.”

    You can read Ventura’s entire interview here.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BIT1S2fDCGG/

  • Ricky Steamboat Talks About WWE Refusing To Let Him Turn Heel & Working With Flair

    Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat recently did an interview where he opened up about never turning heel throughout his in-ring career. In an interview with the Post and Courier, the Hall of Famer said he requested to turn heel back in the early 90’s, but then-WWF creative guru Pat Patterson shut the idea down.

    “Pat [Patterson] simply told me that it would probably ruin my career,” Steamboard recalled. “I just wanted to experience what it felt like on the other side of the fence. As we all know, the heels have the most fun out there in the ring.

    “When you are a face for a long time and you turn heel, your stock value immediately goes up, especially if you’re able to pull it off in the ring and on the mic,” he said.

    Steamboat’s most famous in-ring rival during his legendary career was Ric Flair. Steamboat says he learned a lot from “just listening” to Flair, and from repetition.

    “I think one of the biggest attributes that helped me and other guys, too, during that era was the fact that we wrestled nearly every night back then,” he said. “Monday night we’d be in Greenville and the next night we’d be in Columbia, so it’s only 90 miles.”

    You can read the entire promotional interview for the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Fanfest with Steamboat here.

  • Jim Ross Hosting One-Man Show In Orlando On April 1st & 2nd

    Jim Ross Hosting One-Man Show In Orlando On April 1st & 2nd

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

    Jim Ross will be hosting his own one-man show in Orlando on April 1st and 2nd next year as part of MLW’s WaleMania 3 weekend in Orlando.

    The former WWE executive and Hall of Fame announcer will share his best road stories with fans and will field questions during each show. Ross will be joined by some of his friends from the industry on stage. Each show will run approximately 100 minutes. Ross held three similar sold-out events earlier this year at the House of Blues Dallas.

    WaleMania is an annual event put on by rapper Wale and MLW creator Court Bauer.

    Tickets for J.R’s one man show go on sale August 22nd, the day after SummerSlam, at TicketFly.com.

  • Conor McGregor Trashes WWE Superstars As “Messed Up P*ssies”

    Conor McGregor Trashes WWE Superstars As “Messed Up P*ssies”

    UFC fighter Connor McGregor says most WWE Superstars are messed up p*ssies.

    During Friday’s UFC 202 conference call, McGregor was asked about the pro wrestling empire, and he didn’t have much nice to say. McGregor also expressed a lack of respect for Brock Lesnar over his failed drug test after UFC 200.

    “For the most part those WWE guys are p*ssies. They’re messed up p*ssies, if you ask me,” McGregor said.

    When asked about Brock Lesnar, McGregor said he’s “juiced up to his eyeballs” and questioned, “How can I respect that?”

    McGregor said The McMahons, Triple H, and The Rock are “dons” but “the rest of them are f*cking pu**ies.”

  • Report: WWE Making Low-Ball Offers To Former Stars To Return For Brand Split

    WWE is looking to bring back notable stars who were released in recent years to beef up the RAW & SmackDown rosters, but it’s reportedly not going as quickly as expected.

    According to a report in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, a lot of the talent who’ve been contacted by WWE about returning declined the offer. Numerous former WWE superstars reportedly felt the money wasn’t good enough to return to go back on the road with the company.

    One name speculated to be among that group is MVP. According to the Observer, the two sides are still open to talks, but it doesn’t sound like MVP will be taking WWE up on their offer for him to return to their programming. MVP hasn’t worked with WWE since 2010.

    A former star who did take WWE up on their offer is Shelton Benjamin, who was also released by the company in 2010. It was announced last month that Benjamin will be returning to the SmackDown brand shortly.

  • Update On Ric Flair’s WWE Status, November PPV Sold Out, Stephanie Speaking In NY

    Update On Ric Flair’s WWE Status, November PPV Sold Out, Stephanie Speaking In NY

    – Ric Flair was backstage at RAW in Atlanta this week, but the WWE Hall of Famer no longer has any contractual affiliation with the company. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Flair’s previous WWE contract has expired. Flair was backstage with Scott Hall, as both live in the area. He was originally expected to return as part of Charlotte’s storyline.

    – WWE Survivor Series takes place on November 20th in Toronto and has already sold out. This is the first Survivor Series in Canada since 1997, and marks WWE’s 30th annual pay-per-view under the banner.

    – Stephanie McMahon is one of the top speakers advertised for a conference in Brooklyn, NY next week. Stephanie will be speaking at the Beyond Sports United 2016 event at the Barclays Center, which is backed by the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, and other organizations. The event is described as exploring the sports industry’s unique power and role.

  • Report: Backstage Heat On Paige

    This week Paige was pulled from WWE’s upcoming overseas tour due to an injury, and sources say that’s not the only behind-the-scenes issue she’s having.

    According to a report by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, company insiders were very “worried” about her future in WWE as recent as a few weeks ago. As previously reported, there are said to be “other, significant” issues with Paige and company management.

    Meltzer didn’t get into specifics, but there’s speculation that the backstage heat may stem from her relationship with Alberto Del Rio. The two were drafted to separate brands during last month’s roster split.

    Her mother tried to kill rumors on Twitter this week, writing “no melt down, babies, sackings or any other bullsh*t your might read.”

    Paige is expected to be back in the ring in 2 weeks at the soonest.

  • Bret Hart Shoots On WWE Creative, Praises Cody Rhodes, Calls Rollins Unsafe Again

    Bret Hart Shoots On WWE Creative, Praises Cody Rhodes, Calls Rollins Unsafe Again

    In the second part of his Forbes interview, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart criticized WWE creative and Seth Rollins’ “unsafe” style of work.

    When asked about the current WWE product, Hart criticized the creative direction behind their current programming. One thing he specifically took issue with: Too much talking.

    “If you watch wrestling, like I do, there’s so much talking,” Hart said. “There’s some twit back there with a pencil behind his ear writing down all these things for wrestlers to say. It all starts to sound the same. There was a difference back in my time, where we all had to make up our own verbiage. So when you watch those interviews, a certain part of you comes out, and that’s what makes those characters so great.”

    Hart also said the wrestlers don’t have much time to memorize the scripts they’re given, and says their lines are frequently changed by writers moments before going live.

    On the subject of the in-ring talent, Hart credited now-former WWE star Cody Rhodes with being in the same category of “excellence of execution” as him. He didn’t have such high praises for Seth Rollins, who Hart has previously called out for injuring John Cena.

    “Every move [Cody Rhodes] does is safe and perfectly executed,” Hart said. “You watch Seth Rollins who they’ve pushed as this huge mega, mega push. I watched him a few months ago, and you can watch it back on YouTube, but he knees John Cena in the face. Just knees him in the face so hard, so recklessly, so dangerously, you can easily kill somebody with a knee like that in the face.”

    You can read the second part of Hart’s Forbes interview here.

  • Eric Bischoff Says His Ideas Still Influence WWE Programming

    Eric Bischoff Says His Ideas Still Influence WWE Programming

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DJaK2uHFj0

    Former WCW President Eric Bischoff feels his ideas from Monday Nitro still influence what we see on WWE television today.

    In an interview with Sports Illustrated this week, Bischoff talked about the impact of what he did on some of WWE’s current ideas. He says WWE only embraced more of a “realty-based” approach to wrestling years after he did it. Bischoff says even though WWE may have done it better, he knows where it came from. Bischoff also took credit for RAW still airing live on Mondays.

    “The fact there is a live show on Monday is a direct result of what I established and what I did to overcome them in the ratings,” Bischoff said. “They reluctantly brought in the cruiserweights they brought in the Rey Mysterios, the Chris Jerichos, the Dean Malenkos–that had that style of wrestling even though they didn’t brand them the way I did.”

    Bischoff expanded on his point about the cruiserweights, explaining that he hired them to kick off the second hour of Nitro with some excitement. He also noted that he was the first one in wrestling to call them “cruiserweights,” because he thought it sounded cooler than “junior heavyweights” or “light heavyweights.”

    “At that time, I had a three hour show from 8pm-11pm. It was easy to kick off the show hot, because we weren’t against the competition at that time, but to sustain a three hour show without a lot of diversity in our presentation was a real challenge. That’s why I wanted my cruiserweights to be live on television at exactly nine o’clock. We formatted our shows so that, at nine o’clock, we were in the heat of hard-hitting, fast-paced cruiserweight action, and it was so different from the WWE that it worked.”

    You can read Bischoff’s entire interview here.

  • Why Paige Was Pulled From Overseas Tour, Paige’s Mother Lashes Out At Online Rumors

    WWE superstar Paige’s mother, Saraya Knight, has confirmed that Paige is in fact injured.

    On Wednesday Paige was pulled from WWE’s tour of Australia and New Zealand, and fans on the web had speculated why. Saraya took to Twitter to dispel rumors that Paige was either fired or pregnant. Saraya didn’t specify what injury Paige has, or when she sustained it.

    “My daughter has an injury,” she said. “No melt down, babies, sackings or any other bullshit your might read.”

    Paige was originally scheduled to team with Sasha Banks in a series of tag matches against Charlotte and Dana Brooke across Australia and NZ. The match is now a 2-on-1 handicap match.

    There’s no word yet on when she’s expected back in action.

  • WWE SmackDown Results & Discussion (8/2)

    WWE SmackDown Results & Discussion (8/2)

    This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown aired live on the USA Network from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN.

    – SmackDown opens up with Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan, and Randy Orton watching footage of Orton attacking Brock Lesnar on RAW last night. Shane lectures Orton and says there will be repercussions. Shane sends security to accompany Orton. The Miz and Maryse approach Shane and Daniel to complain about how they’re being treated, and Daniel Bryan announces that tonight we’ll find out who the #1 contender for The Miz’s Intercontinental Title is for SummerSlam. Bryan and McMahon run into Ambrose, and he’s out next to address the #1 contender.

    – Dean Ambrose comes out to the ring to cut a promo on Dolph Ziggler, and is quickly interrupted by Ziggler himself. Ambrose says he scratched and clawed to get where he is. Ziggler says Ambrose started off with Rollins and Reigns, while he started off as a male cheerleader in The Spirit Squad, so he had a bigger struggle than Ambrose. Ambrose trashes Ziggler for being a show-off and wasting his time. Ambrose says Ziggler may “steal the show,” but he’ll lose. Ziggler freaks out and says he’s going to beat Ambrose’s ass at SummerSlam because he’s that damn good. Ambrose says he’s not that good, and walks away.

    – The lights go out and Bray Wyatt is in the ring laying out Dolph Ziggler with the Sister Abigail. Wyatt cuts a promo on the unconscious Ziggler. Wyatt says Ziggler should face him tonight to prove he’s worth of being the #1 contender, and if Wyatt wins he wants to take his place at SummerSlam.

    – Backstage, Ziggler demands that Shane and Daniel make the match against Wyatt later tonight. Shane agrees.

    – Apollo Crews def. Baron Corbin vs. Kalisto: After some back and forth action in the opening moments, Corbin seems to take control. Kalisto springboards off the back of Crews to hit a hurricanrana on Corbin. Crews hits a powerbomb on Kalisto for a 2 count, then Corbin hits the Deep Six on Crews for another near-fall. Kalisto goes for a hurricanrana off the top on Corbin, but Corbin catches him, and Crews dropkicks them to the outside. Kalisto rolls back in and Crews quickly rolls him up for the win. Corbin attacks Kalisto after the bell until Crews comes back for the save. The Miz runs in and hits the Skull Crushing Finale on Crews, then Corbin hits the End Of Days on The Miz.

    – Becky Lynch vs. Eva Marie – No Contest: Before the match starts, Eva Marie complains to the referee. The referee instructs an announcer to tell the crowd that the match will not take place because Eva Marie is unable to complete. A trainer escorts Eva to the back.

    – American Alpha def. The Vaudevillains: Gable controls Simon Gotch for the majority of the opening moments. Jordan gets the tag and they hit a pair of dropkicks to send the Vaudevillains to the outside. The Vaudevillains mount a brief comeback but Jason Jordan takes them out with a series of suplexes, then tags in Gable for a double-team suplex for the win.

    – AJ Styles comes out to address John Cena. Before Styles can finish his first sentence, Cena’s music hits and he comes out to the ring. AJ says before Cena came out and rudely interrupted him, he was about to say he figured out what his problem is with Cena. AJ says he doesn’t want Cena here, and he doesn’t belong in the same ring as AJ. AJ says weak-minded people are Cena fans, and “Nashville are the weakest, believe me I know.” He says the kids and their parents who like Cena are all delusional. AJ says he’s going to prove that Cena is a fraud. Cena cuts a promo about how his fans believe in something, and says he’ll never leave WWE. AJ says if Cena never backs down from a challenge, how about a match at SummerSlam? Cena says he’s going to teach him a lesson at SummerSlam. AJ says on the next Tuesday after SummerSlam, Cena has to come out and say AJ is better than him. AJ says if Cena doesn’t admit it after SummerSlam he’s a liar, and if he does admit it he’s a loser.

    – Randy Orton vs. Fandango – No Contest: There is extra security around the ring in case Brock Lesnar shows up. Orton control the opening moments of the match until Tyler Breeze distracts him from ringside and Fandango lays him out with a dropkick. Orton hits a spinning powerslam, then Breeze runs in and gets a spinning powerslam too. Orton DDT’s Fandango off the middle rope, then calls for the RKO. Brock Lesnar appears in the crowd. Orton hits the RKO on Fandango, then Lesnar hits the ring and hits the F-5 on Orton. Security surrounds the ring and Shane McMahon comes down and escorts Lesnar to the back and kicks him out of the arena.

    – Daniel Bryan is in the back talking to Heath Slater. Slater says he’s the hottest free agent in sports entertainment, and Bryan gives him a match next week and if he wins he gets a SmackDown contract. Before Bryan can say, Rhino comes in and Gores Slater. Bryan says Rhino will be Slater’s opponent next week.

    – Randy Orton declines an interview in the back about his condition after being attacked by Lesnar.

    – Carmella comes out and introduces herself on the mic. Natalya attacks her from behind and suplexes her on the floor at ringside before putting her in the Sharpshooter.

    – Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan approach Ziggler in the back and ask him not to go through with tonight’s match as he has nothing to win. Ziggler tells them to screw off for not believing in him and walks away.

    – Dolph Ziggler def. Bray Wyatt: Dean Ambrose is on commentary for this one. Ziggler starts with a dropkick and a Fameasser right off the bell, but Wyatt kicks out from the pin and rolls to the outside. Wyatt comes back with a clothesline on Zigger and beats him down around ringside. Bray appeared to hurt his ankle during a roll-up, but the match continued and Bray hits a superplex on Ziggler off the top rope. Ziggler comes back with a splash in the corner, a neckbreaker and an elbow drop for a near-fall. Bray hits a vertical suplex and a Senton splash for a near-fall of his own. Ziggler hits the Zig-Zag for another 2 count, then rips the turnbuckle padding off the corner. Bray comes back with a Rock Bottom for another 2. Dolph slams Bray into the exposed turnbuckle then superkicks him for the win.

    – After the match, Eric Rowan attacks Ziggler from behind. Ambrose runs in for the save but Rowan and Wyatt get the better of him, then Wyatt hits the Sister Abigail on Ziggler.

  • Preview For Tonight’s Live Episode Of WWE SmackDown (8/2)

    Preview For Tonight’s Live Episode Of WWE SmackDown (8/2)

    Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown airs live on the USA Network from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. We’ll have live play-by-play results and discussion here later tonight at 8PM ET. Here’s what WWE is promoting for tonight’s show:

    – The fallout from SmackDown star Randy Orton attacking Brock Lesnar on RAW.

    – AJ Styles has a message for John Cena.

    – More matches are expected to be set up for this month’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.

    – American Alpha makes their WWE main roster debut.

    There’s a six-man tag match being advertised for the dark main event. After the cameras stop rolling, the team of John Cena, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose will take on the team of Seth Rollins, AJ Styles and Bray Wyatt.

  • CM Punk Documentary Airing On FOX Sports 1 (8/15)

    CM Punk Documentary Airing On FOX Sports 1 (8/15)

    FOX Sports 1 will be airing a special documentary on former WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk later this month.

    CM Punk’s first MMA fight will be against Mickey Gall (2-0) at UFC 203 next month and the documentary, titled Evolution Of Punk, will follow Punk’s journey to his octagon debut. Little is known about the documentary right now, but it appears to be more candid than normal for the usually-private CM Punk.

    Punk signed with the UFC back in 2014. His debut with the company has been delayed multiple times due to injuries, but it appears that it’ll finally happen on September 10th at UFC 203.

    Evolution of Punk airs on August 15th on FOX Sports 1.

  • WWE Monday Night RAW Results & Discussion (8/1)

    WWE Monday Night RAW Results & Discussion (8/1)

    The August 1st, 2016 edition of WWE RAW aired live from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA.

    – Sasha Banks comes out to the ring to open up RAW. Banks says her reign is just getting started, and she’ll successfully defend her Women’s Title against Charlotte at SummerSlam. This brings out Charlotte to interrupt, without Dana Brooke. Charlotte says she’s going to beat Banks all by herself at SummerSlam. We hear Chris Jericho off-screen saying “quiet” over and over. Jericho makes his way down to the ring, continuing his instruction for everyone to be quiet. Jericho defends Charlotte and calls Sasha a disrespectful punk. Jericho says Charlotte has accomplished more than her father ever did, asking “Who did Flair ever beat?” Enzo Amore interrupts and cuts a promo on Jericho. Jericho starts freaking out until Mick Foley’s music hits and he comes out to the stage. Foley says there’s going to be a mixed-gender tag team match featuring Jericho & Charlotte vs. Enzo and Sasha.

    – Chris Jericho & Charlotte def. Enzo Amore & Sasha Banks: Kevin Owens is on commentary for this one. Jericho and Amore start off with back and forth action. Jericho eventually retreats from Enzo and tags in Charlotte. Sasha gets the tag and goes on the offensive. Enzo and Sasha hit suicide dives in tandem to the outside on Jericho and Charlotte. Back in the ring, Enzo hits a cross body splash and a neckbreaker for a near-fall. Jericho comes back with the Walls of Jericho, but Enzo grabs the ropes. Enzo comes off the top rope but Jericho catches him with a dropkick. The women get the tags and Banks hits a series of dropkicks and knees for a near-fall. Jericho wanders in the ring and Sasha slaps him in the face. Charlotte takes the opportunity to lay out Sasha and hit the Natural Selection for the win. After the bell, Jericho hits the Codebreaker on Enzo. Big Cass comes out for the save and Jericho retreats up the ramp.

    – Braun Strowman def. Evan Anderholm: Before the match, Byron interviews Evan who says he’s doing the match because he gets $1000 if he loses and $5000 if he wins. Strowman hits the reverse chokeslam for the win in a very short squash match.

    – Mark Henry approaches Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley in the back and says he has another run in him. Foley books him in a U.S. Title match against Rusev later tonight, which pleases Henry.

    – Shining Stars def. Golden Truth: R-Truth and Goldust play Pokemon Go on their walk down to the ring. The Shining Stars get some double team moves in on Goldust early on as R-Truth seems distracted with his phone. The finish comes after R-Truth being distracted by Pokemon Go leads to Primo rolling up Goldust for the win.

    – Michael Cole is in the ring to interview Finn Balor. Before Balor can finish his second sentence, Seth Rollins comes out to interrupt. Rollins tells Cole to take a hike and that he’ll be interviewing Balor now. Rollins says everything Balor has done, Rollins did first and did it better. Balor says Rollins has an annoying laugh, and that he’s going to beat him at SummerSlam. Rollins goes to attack Balor but Balor gets the better of him and Rollins retreats to the back.

    – Gallows and Anderson have requested that the third member of The New Day is banned from ringside during their tag match later tonight.

    – Rusev (c) def. Mark Henry: The U.S. Title is on the line in this one. Henry starts off in control, throwing Rusev across the ring and hitting a powerslam before headbutting Rusev to the outside. Rusev gets back in the game and mounts a brief comeback, but Henry drops him with a clothesline and follows up with a leg drop. Rusev gets Henry down but has trouble locking in the Accolade. Henry fights his way up and hits a series of clotheslines, but Rusev comes back with a spinning heel kick. Rusev hits a superkick to the back of the head, then follows up with the Accolade for the win.

    – Rusev cuts a promo after the match saying the only reason America wins at the Olympics because they’re rigged. Roman Reigns interrupts and hits the ring. He gets in Rusev’s face and Rusev starts laying into Reigns with right hands. Roman comes back with a Superman punch, then goes for another one but Rusev rolls to the outside. Reigns rolls out and jumps off the ring steps with another Superman punch on Rusev. Rusev retreats up the ramp while Reigns looks on from ringside.

    – Titus O’Neil def. Darren Young: Titus starts off in control after a shoulder block and a slam in the corner. Young comes off the middle rope but Titus catches him and drops him with a backbreaker. He follows up with a splash in the corner for a 2-count on Young. Titus continues the offense and keeps Young grounded for the majority of the match. Titus escapes a Gut Check attempt and rolls up Young for the win, but he was grabbing Young’s trunks. After the match, Backlund complains to the ref about Titus grabbing Young’s tights on the pin.

    – Sheamus and Cesaro approach Stephanie and Foley and say they each deserve a shot at the U.S. Title. Foley books a match between the two, and the winner gets a shot at Rusev’s U.S. Title.

    – Nia Jax def. Ariel Monroe: Nia gets the win with a Death Valley Driver-type move after a very short squash match.

    – Sami Zayn cuts a promo in the back about Seth Rollins and says he has something to prove tonight.

    – In the back, The New Day decides that Xavier will be banned from ringside. They’re out to the ring next.

    – Big E & Kofi Kingston def. Anderson & Gallows: Anderson and Big E start things off, and Big E hits a belly to belly suplex early on. Gallows pulls Kofi off the apron outside and high-fives Anderson. Big E rolls up Anderson quickly from behind for the win. Gallows and Anderson beat down all of the New Day members after the match. They hit the Boot of Doom twice on Big E, then beat down Xavier at ringside some more. They start to leave, but change their minds and beat down Big E some more.

    – Cesaro def. Sheamus: They go back and forth with strikes and holds in the opening moments. Cesaro hits a series of European uppercuts that sends Sheamus rolling outside. Cesaro follows up with a cannonball off the apron onto Sheamus on the floor. Sheamus comes back with a series of clubs to the chest and a shoulderblock off the top rope for a near-fall. Cesaro hits a vertical suplex, but Sheamus comes back with a rolling Senton. Sheamus goes for a backbreaker but Cesaro reverses it into the Neutralizer for the win.

    – Heath Slater comes out to cut a promo about wanting RAW to sign him. He’s with Jinder Mahal. Foley interrupts and says they can wrestle each other right now and the winner gets a spot on RAW. Slater says Foley can’t “break up the band,” but Mahal drops him with a big boot for the win. Foley welcomes Mahal to RAW.

    – Jericho is in the back cutting a promo on Enzo. Jericho says he does not look like Bon Jovi, and his scarf cost $750. He says Cass is Enzo’s “big dumb giant moron puppet,” then mocks Enzo’s dancing. Jericho says he has someone to watch his back tonight, but makes a name up. Kevin Owens volunteers to watch Jericho’s back tonight.

    – Seth Rollins def. Sami Zayn: Rollins starts off in control and stomps a mudhole in Zayn in the corner. Zayn comes back with a spinning heel kick and some chops. Rollins rolls to the outside and they brawl around ringside. Rollins controls the majority of the match, but Zayn comes back with a clothsline, a piledriver, and a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near-fall. Rollins comes back with a superkick and attempts a Pedigree, but Zayn gets out and hits a tornado DDT off the top. Rolls rolls outside and Zayn hits a suicide dive over the top rope. Zayn misses a big boot in the corner and turns around into a Pedigree form Rollins. Rollins gets the pinfall victory.

    – Paul Heyman is in the back leaving Brock Lesnar’s locker room.

    – Back from commercial, Heyman is in the ring to introduce Lesnar. Lesnar comes out to the ring and Heyman continues talking about how great he is. Heyman says at SummerSlam his client Brock Lesnar will entertain you. Heyman starts cutting a promo on Randy Orton and makes fun of his entrance music. He says these voices in Orton’s head should be telling him that Lesnar is going to kick his ass at SummerSlam. Heyman says Orton’s only chance is the RKO, but that he’ll never hit an RKO on Lesnar. And on that note, Randy Orton hits the ring and hits an RKO on Lesnar out of nowhere. Orton makes his way out through the crowd. Orton stands in the crowd and stares down Lesnar who is in the ring to end the show.

  • Michaels Recalls Partying With Flair In The 80’s, Calling Him “Old Yeller” During Retirement Feud

    Fellow WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels recently sat down together to record the latest edition of Flair’s podcast and did some serious reminiscing.

    Michaels and Flair went all the way back to when they first met in 1985, while working for Central States Wrestling in Kansas City. Michaels said he met Flair at a very small bar when he was 19, and Flair bought him drinks the rest of the night. Michaels recalls taking the opportunity to tell Flair what he meant to him as a pro wrestler after having watched him for years before that night.

    Later on, they faced off in the ring in December of ’91 for six minutes in what Michaels calls the biggest match of his career at that point.

    “I think everybody knew that I just was such a huge fan of Ric’s, so just to give me the opportunity to be in there with him, I think, is probably somebody, a booker, or a producer, or somebody, an agent, that knew that and said, ‘Shawn would get a kick out of that opportunity, so let him do it,’” Michaels recalled. “Yeah, we had six minutes. There was very little time. You just do the best you can.” Michaels recalled his mindset at the time, “heck, I don’t know the future, so for me, this is a huge opportunity. You’re in there with the guy that you always dreamed about being in there with. It’s a huge opportunity and then, gosh, it was the fastest six minutes you ever have.”

    Fast-forwarding to Flair’s retirement match against Michaels at WrestleMania 24, The Nature Boy took issue with repeatedly being called “Old Yeller” during the build-up to the match. Michaels explained the Old Yeller references, saying it wasn’t about age as much as it was having to kill a beloved character.

    “For me, all the Old Yeller stuff was more about love.” Michaels explained, “it was about someone being put into a position that they did not envy and they were going to have to do something and put an end to something that they didn’t want to put an end to. And the reason they didn’t want to put an end to it was because that person, that everything about that meant so much. And again, that’s the conflict that ‘HBK’ and the character were going through in the whole storyline with Ric. And that’s what made it so, for me, enjoyable to do.”

    You can listen to Michaels’ entire appearance on The Ric Flair Show here.

  • Report: Ring Of Honor Star Heading To WWE Soon

    Report: Ring Of Honor Star Heading To WWE Soon

    It sounds like Roderick Strong is on his way to WWE in the near future.

    The former Ring of Honor World Champion is most likely WWE bound, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. Strong has been doing a ‘farewell tour’ of sorts, wrapping up with ROH and PWG.

    Strong made his debut in 2000, and worked with ROH from 2003 until this year. He’s held world titles in ROH, Full Impact Pro, and PWG.

  • Rollins In Sharknado 4 On SyFy Tonight (Video), Cena-Backlash Update, Scooby-Doo & WWE

    Rollins In Sharknado 4 On SyFy Tonight (Video), Cena-Backlash Update, Scooby-Doo & WWE

    – Seth Rollins stars in Sharknado 4 which premiers on the SyFy channel tonight. WWE posted the following behind-the-scenes footage today of Rollins fighting a shark.

    – It was reported this week that John Cena is not currently advertised for Backlash. WWE recently announced Backlash as a Smackdown-only pay-per-view on September 11th in Richmond, VA. Cena is booked for WWE’s tour of China in September, including a live event the day before the pay-per-view.

    In WWE’s latest promotional Tweet for Backlash, they emphasize that the “whole” SmackDown roster will be at Backlash. There’s speculation that this may be in response to the reports of Cena’s potential absence from the PPV.

    – In WWE-related birthdays today, John Laurinaitis turns 51 years old and ECW Original and former ECW star Kid Kash turns 47.

    – Below is a preview for WWE Studios’ new Scooby-Doo movie featuring The Undertaker. The animated film is titled Scooby-Doo and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon and will be available on DVD & Blu-Ray on August 9th.

  • Mauro Ranallo On What Vince McMahon Is Really Like, Being Compared To J.R.

    Mauro Ranallo On What Vince McMahon Is Really Like, Being Compared To J.R.

    Mauro Ranallo recently took part in an ‘Ask Me Anything’ on Reddit to promote SmackDown Live where he spoke on being compared to Jim Ross, what it’s like working with Vince McMahon, and more.

    When asked about the above video where MMA legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic pranked him, Ranallo said even that wasn’t as intimidating as working with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

    “Oh man, with all due respect to Cro Cop, Vince McMahon is an intimidating individual because of the amount of respect he commands because of what he’s done for entertainment, turning the business into a billion dollar success story,” Ranallo answered. “He rarely sleeps, he’s a workaholic, he’s passionate, he loves what he does. Every week I’m inspired by what he puts into his business. From the moment I arrive at the arena, it’s go time. It brings out the best in you because it comes from the top. But in terms of intimidating, Vince McMahon takes the cake for sure.”

    Mauro says he’s flattered by comparisons to Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross, and that he considers J.R. and Gordon Solely to be the best in the business. He says the best announcers are ones who are “committed to the art of communication,” and says he used to volunteer to work for free at radio stations just to get his foot in the door.

    Ranallo says what he likes about pro wrestling announcing over other sports is that he can show more of his personality.

    “I love the entertainment business, I love sports, I think it allows me to show off more of my character and have fun knowing it’s entertainment as much as athletics,” said of announcing for WWE. “For me it’s the fun and the hype, when it’s done right there’s nothing like it because it takes you on a rollercoaster ride.”

    You can read his entire Q&A on Reddit here.

  • Lashley Pulled From Indy Appearances After TNA Raises His Appearance Fee

    TNA has taken control of Bobby Lashley’s independent bookings, and it may have resulted in at least one cancellation.

    Lashley has reportedly been pulled from an upcoming tournament promoted by Lucha Libre Elite in Mexico. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that TNA’s new deal with Lashley gives them control of his bookings, and they’ve raised his price. TNA is reportedly now charging $6,000 USD to book Lashley, which is a lot higher than what Lashley was charging before.

    Lashley still gets paid the full amount in his TNA contract whether his appearances are cancelled or not. He’s reportedly lost at least two more bookings since TNA took over the duties and raised his fee.

    TNA’s business model here is to offer talent a higher dollar amount on their contracts, then make it back by booking the talent out to independent promotions. In the case of new TNA signee Moose for example, TNA is expected to book him for 110 non-TNA dates over the next year.

  • Trish Stratus Compares NXT Stars Joining RAW & SmackDown To WCW Stars Joining WWE

    The brand split is bringing back old memories for WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, who says the separation was a “good move.”

    In a recent interview with Total Wrestling Magazine, Trish says WWE’s roster is deep enough with talent to pull off the brand split effectively. She says splitting the roster across RAW and SmackDown gives WWE the opportunity to spend more time developing each character.

    “You can only highlight so many characters on one show and with so many NXT talent coming in, which is somewhat of a parallel to back in my day when we had the WCW talent come in, this gives the audience two separate platforms for storylines to unfold,” Trish said “Having new talent come in is obviously a plus, new faces is always good to keep the product fresh. It’s especially good, the fact that the audience is familiar with the current crop coming in, as opposed to a brand new persona they need to develop.”

    Trish also gave her thoughts on SmackDown going live, saying that when it was taped it was missing the element of surprise. She feels that the show going live on Tuesday nights was a good move and that it forces talent to stay on their toes.

    “When I was around you were always glad you were on Raw excited to be on a live telecast,” Trish continued, “also, it was a great challenge and a good learning tool to have the pressure to have to perform live with no editing to help your performance – or audience reaction, you had to earn it.”

    Stratus was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.

  • Pat Patterson Talks Fighting With Vince, Says Ziggler Has Most Potential On Current Roster

    Pat Patterson Talks Fighting With Vince, Says Ziggler Has Most Potential On Current Roster

    Hall of Famer Pat Patterson recently shed some light on his behind-the-scenes dealings in the WWE. In an interview with The Rack podcast, Patterson talked about working with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

    “I have good ideas and they listen,” Patterson said. “When you work with Vince McMahon for so many years you have to be creative, you have to come up with ideas and sometimes Vince and I would sometimes go and argue and debate on a certain subject. I wasn’t there to be a yes man, I gave my point of view and I stood on it.”

    One of Patterson’s ideas was the Royal Rumble, which he said Vince McMahon wasn’t a fan of when he first pitched it.

    “When I came up with the Royal Rumble, Vince (McMahon) thought it was a stupid idea,” Patterson revealed. “I said it’s not, it’s going to work, oh my god give me a break, he didn’t want to do it. It is now one of our the best pay per views we have every year. It is fun and the talent likes it.”

    Patterson says he’s had to fight Vince on several issues over the years. Among them were bringing back talents who Vince had thought he was done with in the past, like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Patterson had fought for those two talents years prior when Vince didn’t want to do the 60-minute Iron Man match between the two at WrestleMania 12. Patterson says he had to really convince Vince to go through with the match, and he says what Michaels and Hart did that night is something he will never forget.

    As far as WWE’s current roster goes, Patterson feels that Dolph Ziggler has the biggest potential of anyone.

    “I see it big time. He has come a long way, this kid,” Patterson said of Ziggler. “My point of view is if you got guys like Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and all of these characters that are bigger than life, but those little guys, people love them. They are talented. That what makes feel that these can do nice things too.”

    Pat’s book, Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE hits shelves on August 9th. For more information about the book visit ECWPress.com. You can listen to his entire interview with The Rack here.

  • Santino Marella Speaks On His WWE Departure, His Comedy Gimmick & Relationship With Vince

    Santino Marella recently shed some light on his release from WWE back in May. In an interview with the Jordan Garber NOW Podcast, Marella revealed the circumstances of his departure from the company.

    “The contract just ran out, and they just opted not to renew it,” he said. Santino says the split wasn’t negative at all, and his experience was “amazing.”

    The former Intercontinental Champion also sang the praises of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Marella says he “loves” Vince, and that the second-generation promoter was a mentor to him.

    “Vince is the man, he doesn’t even know how much of a mentor he is to me,” he said. “When I watch him work and the hustles he has it’s unparalleled it’s amazing. He’s just the man”

    Santino also talked about getting his comedy gimmick as a result of the WWE creative team losing faith in his original gimmick. He says when they turned him heel, more personality came out of him and Vince “loved it.”

    You can listen to the entire podcast with Santino here.

  • FOX Renews John Cena’s American Grit For Second Season

    FOX Renews John Cena’s American Grit For Second Season

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7tigjUTLNc

    American Grit starring John Cena has been renewed for a second season on FOX.

    The first season didn’t draw stellar ratings. The season premiered with 2,430,000 viewers, and the finale drew 2,160,000 viewers. Deadline.com reports that while there’s no premier date for the second season, FOX has confirmed that they’ve renewed the reality series and casting for season two has begun.

    The second season of American Grit will be the first project under Cena’s new deal Leftfield Entertainment to help them produce unscripted shows.

    It’s unknown whether Cena will take time off from WWE for production of the second season. He’s not currently advertised for WWE’s SmackDown-branded Backlash pay-per-view on September 11th.

  • Kane Speaks On Possibly Running For Political Office

    Glenn “Kane” Jacobs says he’s still eyeing a possible career in politics.

    Back in May, Jacobs said he was “seriously considering” running as a Republican for the Knox County mayoral seat in 2018, now he says he think the country may be ready for him. In a new interview with Rare.us, Jacobs says being an outsider may be an advantage.

    “I’d always hesitated before because I never thought the timing was right for someone like me, because I am an outsider,” he said. “Now, I think the country is so ready for a change at this point that being an outsider actually plays to my or anyone else in my position’s advantage. There are a lot of people in Washington, D.C., who have a lot of experience, and because of that, we’re 20 trillion dollars in debt.

    “Maybe we need fresh blood and new perspective,” he theorized. “I think that’s maybe what people are looking for.”

    Jacobs says politics divides people into tribes, and that he thinks people with opposing views should communicate better with each other.

    “To me, the American dream is the ability to create the life that you want. If we can get back to that, that the American dream is the opportunity, the ability to create the life that you want so long as you’re not hurting anyone else, to live that life…if someone could come along with that message, it’d be awesome.”

    More than one group attempted to recruit Jacobs to run for Tennessee senator in 2014 against Lamar Alexander.

    Jacobs is currently on the road with WWE and recently starred in the WWE Studios film Countdown, released in April.