WWE’s weekly three-hour installment of RAW airs live tonight from the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. We’ll have live play-by-play results & discussion all night starting at 7:30 PM ET. Here’s what WWE is promoting for tonight’s show:
Appearances by all three McMahons: Vince, Stephanie and Shane. The Joe Louis Arena is where Shane made his WWE return earlier this year.
The latest in the saga between The New Day and The Wyatt Family.
There will be a Battle Royal with contestants to-be-announced to decide the number one contender for the Intercontinental Title.
Zack Ryder will challenge Rusev for his United States Title.
Sasha Banks will face off against Dana Brooke in a singles match.
Other stars advertised to appear include Seth Rollins, John Cena, AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Kane, and The Big Show.
TNA is reportedly close to reaching an agreement on the sale of the company. Dave Meltzer reported on Monday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that the TNA situation “is coming to a head.”
Billy Corgan and Aroluxe Marketing have both put money into TNA in recent months and became minority shareholders. TNA has been signing talent to exclusive deals as leverage for sale negotiations. Finances in TNA have reportedly been so tight that production staff went months without being paid, and the company’s June 14th Slammiversary pay-per-view almost didn’t happen if it weren’t for some last-minute funding.
As of press time, there’s no word on who TNA’s buyer is. Three previously-reported potential buyers include an unnamed cable TV company, a company that specializes in troubled assets, and Aroluxe marketing, who are already handling TNA’s production and doing business as “TNA” on paper.
Earlier this year, Dixie Carter went to TNA’s international partners Sony Six in India and Challenge TV in the UK to offer them 10 percent of the company for funding, but they were not interested.
Jim Ross says he isn’t worried about Randy Orton re-injuring his shoulder when he meets Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2016. In his latest blog entry on JRsBarBQ.com, Ross talks about Lesnar’s first scheduled WWE match following his victory over Mark Hunt at UFC 200. A lot of Lesnar’s offense has his opponents landing on their shoulders, but Ross believes WWE will book the match in a way to protect Orton from re-injury.
“Orton’s shoulder issues have been addressed, but many feel that this is a challenging booking for RKO due to the dependence of Lesnar’s vaunted “Suplex City” offense,” Ross wrote. “This is not a concern to me, and I feel that this bout can be special while keeping in mind that there are multiples ways to execute this match effectively.”
Meanwhile in TNA, their flagship show Impact Wrestling will be switching nights from Tuesdays to Thursdays on Pop TV. Ross suggests that TNA could have stayed on Tuesday nights, but bump their start time back to avoid conflicts with SmackDown’s new timeslot on Tuesdays.
“It makes sense by and large, but once again the TV audience will have to ‘find’ the show on the new night which will slow down the growth of the audience without question,” J.R. wrote. “I might have considered changing the air time of the show and keep in on Tuesday night so as to make this transition a bit more doable but hopefully this move to Thursdays will extend the shelf life of the battling brand who had one of their best ratings weeks in some time thanks to The Final Deletion storyline featuring Matt and Jeff Hardy.”
You can read Ross’ entire blog entry here, where he also talks more about SummerSlam 2016 and Bret Hart.
WWE announced on Friday night that Vince McMahon will make his return to WWE television next week. The WWE Chairman is now being advertised for Monday’s RAW.
The official preview for the episode on WWE.com teases that Vince McMahon is on the verge of making his decision regarding who will run RAW and SmackDown. Monday’s episode takes place at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI, which is the same arena where Shane made his return earlier this year.
Shane and Stephanie McMahon are also advertised for the show, but in the past that hasn’t always meant they end up appearing on TV.
Also announced for Monday’s RAW is Rusev vs. Zack Ryder in a U.S. Title Match, and Sasha Banks vs. Dana Brooke. There will be a battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Title, but no participants have been announced yet.
Jim Ross recently updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com, and took the opportunity to comment on TNA’s “Final Deletion” program with Matt and Jeff Hardy. J.R. said the pre-taped match was a unique approach to wrestling television, but he doesn’t necessarily hope for more of it.
“The 18 minute, pre taped vignette was certainly unique, novel approach to what we are accustomed to seeing on contemporary, pro wresting TV,” Ross wrote. “Hopefully this presentation will not lead to every wrestling company in the land attempting to do similar, copy cat productions which will take the product farther away from a fundamentally sound in ring product than it already is.”
The former WWE head of talent relations gave credit to Matt Hardy for his “Broken Matt Hardy” character, and praised Jeff Hardy’s abilities inside the ring.
“At the end of the day I remain proud of Matt Hardy for hatching this concept and the TNA TV crew for capturing it and the editing which I thought was compelling,” he wrote. “Loved the on going music bed throughout the vignette plus Jeff Hardy is still one of the most unique athletes in the entire business and the handle of “The Unique Enigma” that I hung on Jeff years ago still is applicable.”
You can read Ross’ entire blog entry, where he also talks about Brock Lesnar’s fight against Mark Hunt on Saturday, here.
Impact Wrestling’s “Final Deletion” angle between Jeff Hardy and Broken Matt Hardy drew 410,000 viewers, and according to PWInsider.com, TNA officials were ecstatic about that number. Up from last week’s 322,000 viewers, this week’s show was their most-viewed since joining Pop TV.
According to PWInsider, TNA creative came up with the concept for the segment because Dixie Carter wanted there to be spoiler-free content on Impact. The segment was filmed at Jeff and Matt’s actual properties in North Carolina. Jeremy Borash drove in from Nashville to direct and edit the segments. There was more material that was filmed but not used.
All of the props for the segment were already at Matt’s house, including the birthday party setup for his son. Referee Kevin Keenan was used at Matt’s request because he liked him from their time together in WWE. Senor Benjamin will likely be on TV again as a part of Matt’s storylines.
WWE announced on SmackDown that Brock Lensar’s opponent at SummerSlam will be none other than Randy Orton. It will be the first encounter between the two legends in nearly 14 years.
Orton has been out of action since undergoing shoulder surgery earlier this year. Having battled chronic neck and shoulder injuries in recent years, Orton will have his hands full when he squares off against The Conqueror. Lesnar of course must first go through UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt at Saturday night’s blockbuster UFC 200 pay-per-view.
WWE SummerSlam 2016 takes place on Sunday, August 21st at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Once again, SEScoops will be on site for SummerSlam and we’ll have exclusive coverage all weekend long.
Visit our partner site MMANews.com for full coverage of UFC 200, including the Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt Main event.
On Thursday it was announced that several WWE stars will be appearing at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con later this month. AJ Styles, The New Day, Becky Lynch, and Corey Graves are all scheduled to appear at the event.
An infamous name from the past will also be joining the current WWE stars: The Shockmaster. Mattel is releasing a Shockmaster action figure later this year as a part of their Elite Flashback Series which they will reveal at the convention.
Here’s the full schedule for WWE-related appearances at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con:
Thursday, July 21st:
1:00 PM: Styles, New Day, and Becky interactive panel hosted by Graves joining with Mattel to reveal action figures.
2:30 PM: New Day autograph signings at the Mattel booth
Friday, July 22nd:
11:00 AM: Styles, Becky, and Shockmaster autograph signings at the Mattel booth
If anyone is attending the interactive panels and would like to send a recap, you can do so to sescoops@gmail.com.
Despite Stephanie McMahon publicly claiming WWE does not support Brock Lesnar’s return to the octagon, the official WWE YouTube channel has begun promoting Lesnar’s fight at UFC 200.
WWE uploaded the above video on Thursday about Lesnar’s upcoming return to “combat sports” on Saturday. The video focuses on what lead to Lesnar linking back up with Dana White and making the fight happen. The video also features Lesnar’s opponent, Mark Hunt, including footage from his K1 kickboxing days. His bout against Hunt on Saturday will be Lesnar’s first MMA fight since his 2011 loss to Alistair Overeem.
UFC 200 takes place this weekend on July 9th at the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, with live coverage all night on MMANews.com.
WWE Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Ross says the upcoming brand split is a good time for the company to reevaluate it’s commentary teams for RAW and SmackDown. On his Ross Report podcast, J.R. made it clear he feels Jerry Lawler is still an asset to WWE programming as an announcer.
“When you’re getting ready to switch up brands, it’s not a bad time to reevaluate all your announce teams and how do you want to configure your announce teams for these brands,” Ross said. “I have a hard time seeing WWE without some presence of Jerry Lawler on their air for the foreseeable future.”
The former head of WWE talent relations also talked about Brock Lesnar’s fight this Saturday against Mark Hunt at UFC 200. J.R. says he’s heard that Brock Lesnar is contractually obligated to appear at WrestleMania 33 & 34, and if that’s true, WWE would likely bank on him to be a big part of the success of those shows. Ross feels that if Lesnar were to lose his fight on Saturday it likely wouldn’t affect his future drawing power in WWE.
“It’s almost a blessing to know that probably when that [WWE] deal ends, he’s probably going to want to hang it up. He’ll be north of 40. He [has] got young kids, young boys. He [has] got a farm. He [has] got land. He likes to hunt. He’s a blue collar guy. He’s a different breed of cat. That’s why he’s so damn great. So I think that, win or lose, he’s going to be a made man in WWE for as long as he wants to be there because there’s nobody vying for his role,” Ross said of Lesnar. “There’s nobody that compares to him.”
You can listen to J.R.’s entire podcast here. UFC 200 takes place on Saturday night in Las Vegas, NV with live coverage all evening on MMANews.com.
It sounds like there may be another change on the horizon for TNA’s weekly Impact Wrestling broadcast. Dave Meltzer reported on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio that there’s serious talk between TNA and Pop TV about moving Impact Wrestling to Thursday nights. Nothing is official as of press time, but Meltzer feels that the move to Thursdays is probable.
Impact Wrestling currently airs on Tuesdays, and starting July 19th, so will WWE Smackdown. Impact would have one hour of unopposed programming after SmackDown ends if they were to stay on Tuesday nights.
Impact Wrestling aired on Friday nights on Destination America starting in January of last year, then switched to Wednesday nights in June. The show has been airing on Tuesday nights since the company’s January 5th, 2016 premiere on Pop TV.
Following TNA’s “final deletion” angle between Matt and Jeff Hardy on Tuesday night’s Impact, Lucha Underground executive producer Eric Van Wagenen took to Twitter to voice his opinion on the angle. Van Wagenen wasn’t a fan, and had this to say shortly after Impact Wrestling went off the air:
WWE taped this week’s SmackDown & Main Event at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.
WWE Main Event taping:
– Cesaro def. Curtis Axel: Cesaro won with the Sharpshooter in what was described as a good, lengthy match.
– Apollo Crews cuts a promo in the back about Rusev.
– Baron Corbin def. Sin Cara: Corbin gets the win with the End of Days.
– Goldust and R-Truth def. The Ascension: Tyler Breeze and Fandango were on commentary for this one.
– Rusev def. Apollo Crews: Rusev gets the win after a back-and-forth match with the Accolade. Dolph Ziggler was on commentary for this one.
WWE SmackDown taping:
– Jerry Lawler is back on SmackDown commentary.
– Dean Ambrose comes out with his World Title to kick off the show. He joins the commentary team for the first match-up of the night, which will feature Seth Rollins taking on Jey Uso.
– Seth Rollins def. Jey Uso: Ambrose distracted Rollins at ringside throughout the match. This was described as a decent-length match which Rollins won with the Pedigree. Ambrose rushed the ring after the match, but Rollins retreated up the ramp.
– Zack Ryder def. Sheamus: Ryder got the pinfall victory after a diving elbow drop. After the match, Ryder cuts a promo on the ramp and says he wants to challenge Rusev for the U.S. Title.
– Rusev cuts a promo in the back dismissing Ryder as a legitimate challenger. He says he will defend the U.S. Title on Monday’s RAW.
– Becky Lynch is on her way out for a match when Natalya attacks her from behind. Natalya beats her down at ringside and puts her in the Sharpshooter until referees haul her off.
– Xavier Woods does a sit-down interview in the back talking about his fear of the Wyatt Family. He says he will accompany The New Day to the Wyatt compound.
– Enzo and Big Cass come out and talk about saving John Cena on RAW, and say they’re going to stop The Club any time they try to gang up on someone. AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson come out and cut a heel promo about Cena not showing up to SmackDown, and threaten to beat up Enzo and Cass. They call Cass a “butt nugget,” and we have a match.
– AJ Styles def. Enzo Amore: Styles won what was described as a good match with the Styles Clash. A local sports anchor tweeted that Enzo took a “horrible fall” after catching himself on the ropes on a suicide dive.
– Chris Jericho is backstage looking for his scarf, when Kevin Owens walks on screen wearing it. They exchange words in a brief comedy segment.
– Kalisto takes credit for throwing potato salad on Maryse during the food fight on RAW, and this sets up a match between him and The Miz.
– The Miz def. Kalisto: The Miz won with the Skull Crushing Finale after what was described as a decent match.
– The same clip of Bob Backlund & Darren Young from RAW airs once again. Backlund tells Young he can use his patented Crossface Chicken Wing maneuver.
– Sasha Banks does an interview backstage and gets interrupted by Dana Brooke and Charlotte. Sasha vs. Dana is set up for RAW.
– Sami Zayn def. Chris Jericho: Kevin Owens was on commentary or this one. Owens gets involved at ringside when he threw a drink at Sami, then Sami threw Jericho into Owens. Sami fought off a distraction from Owens and rolled up Jericho for the win. After the match, Jericho lays out Zayn with a Codebreaker, then Owens beats Zayn down and hits a pop-up powerbomb to close out the show
WWE tapes this week’s episode of SmackDown at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio. WWE will announce Brock Lesnar’s opponent for SummerSlam 2016 on this week’s show.
Aside from the fallout from Monday’s RAW and at least one more match being added to BattleGround, no other segments have been announced for this week’s show. The dark match main event being advertised locally is a six-man tag battle featuring Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and The Miz. Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt are both advertised to appear.
As always, we’ll have live play-by-play spoiler results and photos from tonight’s SmackDown taping.
Two new matches were confirmed for WWE BattleGround on this week’s episode of RAW. John Cena, Big Cass and Enzo Amore will be taking on AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows in six-man tag action, and Natalya will face off against Becky Lynch.
Here’s the updated card as it stands after the July 4th edition of RAW:
Triple Threat Match For The WWE World Heavyweight Title
– Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns
Six-Man Tag Team Match
– John Cena, Big Cass, and Enzo Amore vs. AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows
– Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
– Natalya vs. Becky Lynch
BattleGround airs live on pay-per-view and the WWE Network on July 24th from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. This will be WWE’s first PPV after their upcoming brand split.
The July 4th edition of WWE Monday Night RAW aired live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
– Members of the WWE roster are in the back having a 4th of July party when The Miz and Maryse take over. Eventually someone throws food at them, then an all-out food fight breaks out. The Big Show hits Kane with a chicken wing when gets them at each other’s throats, but then instead turn their attention to Heath Slater and give him a double chokeslam through a table. Kevin Owens comes out from the table he was hiding under at the end and says “This would never happen on Canada Day.”
– Rusev def. Titus O’Neil: The U.S. Title is on the line in this one. Rusev dominates the opening moments both in the ring and at ringside. Titus mounts a comeback and starts trading right hands with Rusev, and Titus gets the upper hand with a series of shoulder blocks. Titus hits a splash in the corner and a spinning powerslam, then follows up with the Clash Of the Titans for a 2 count. Rusev comes back with a couple kicks to the head, then locks him in the Accolade for the win. Rusev grabs a mic after the match and cuts an anti-USA promo.
– The Social Outcasts come out dressed as American settlers, which brings out Enzo & Cass who cut a promo on them, and we have a match.
– Enzo & Cass def. Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel: Enzo starts things off and the Outcasts members use frequent tags to get the upper hand. Big Cass gets the hot tag and he lays out Dallas with a big boot. Cass slaps Enzo in and they hit the Rocket Launcher for the win.
– Charlotte comes out with Dana Brooke to cut a promo about other women being jealous of her. She starts talking about Sasha Banks, which brings out the Boss. Sasha comes out to the ring and calls Charlotte a knock-off of her dad. Sasha lays them both out but Charlotte comes back with a boot to the face. Sasha gets back up and hits the backstabber and the Banks Statement until Dana breaks it up.
– Dean Ambrose def. The Miz: This is a non-title match. After some back-and-forth action in the opening minutes, Ambrose throws Miz to the outside and follows up with a suicide plancha. Back in the ring, The Miz gets the upper hand and works on Ambrose’s knee. The Miz goes for a neckbreaker but Ambrose gets out and hits a series of clotheslines. Ambrose sends The Miz to the outside again and hits a suicide dive before taking things back in the squared circle. The Miz comes back with a big boot, but Ambrose is able to hit the Dirty Deeds shortly after for the win.
– As Ambrose is walking to the back, he gets confronted by Seth Rollins. They end up just walking past each other as Rollins makes his way to the ring for his match next. Ambrose eventually changes his mind and heads back to ringside to join the commentary team.
– Seth Rollins def. Dolph Ziggler: Rollins takes control of the match early on and tries to keep Ziggler grounded, although he keeps getting distracted by Ambrose at ringside. Ziggler hits a big dropkick, but misses the follow-up superkick as Rollins rolls outside to recover. Back in the ring, Ziggler hits a bulldog off the top rope for 2. Rollins attempts a powerbomb but Dolph gets out and hits a series of clotheslines. Ziggler hits a neckbreaker and an elbow drop for another 2 count. Rollins hits a superkick for a 2 count of his own. Ziggler reverses a Pedigree into a fireman’s carry and follows up with another superkick for a near-fall. Ziggler hits a tornado DDT but misses the Zig-Zag attempt and Rollins comes back with the Pedigree for the win.
– After the match, Rollins stands on the commentary table and says Roman Reigns should be taken out of the match at Battleground because of his drug suspension. Rollins says the fans are just like Reigns. Ambrose gets up and brawls with Rollins around ringside, then plants him on the Spanish announce table with the Dirty Deeds.
– Vickie Guerrero comes out and says she wants to run SmackDown again. Security guards come out to haul off Vickie as she’s screaming about wanting to be the COO.
– The Big Show gives a pep talk to the other members of ‘Team USA’ in the back for their upcoming 16-man tag match against a team of international wrestlers.
– We see Vickie being hauled off by security in the back when they run into Dolph Ziggler, who says she’s never seen her in his entire life.
– Goldust & R-Truth def. The Vaudevillains: Tyler Breeze & Fandango are at ringside for this one. Lots of tags in the opening moments of this one, then Goldust and R-Truth hit the Solid Gold for the win in a very short match.
– In the latest Make Darren Young Great Again segment, Backlund says he needs to make his problems submit to his will. Backlund tells Young he needs a submission hold, and Young says he doesn’t have one. Backlund tells Young he needs to be a master of the Cross-Face Chicken Wing, and tells him he’s giving him the move to use.
– John Cena hits the ring to address AJ Styles and The Club. Cena tells The Club: You want some, come get some. They come out and AJ talks about how fans relate more to them than Cena. The Club says they’re going to keep beating up John Cena whenever they want, including today on America’s birthday. And with that, they hit the ring. They all jump Cena 3 on 1 until Enzo and Cass come out for the save. They lay out The Club and the heels retreat up the ramp.
– Becky Lynch def. Summer Rae: Natalya is in the back watching on a monitor. Summer Rae gets in some offense in the opening moments including a spinning heel kick for a 2 count. They botch a vertical suplex when Becky appears to jump too soon and Summer goes with it. Becky comes back with a flying forearm in the corner and a t-bone suplex for a near-fall. Becky locks Summer in the Disarm-her for the win.
– Jericho is giving a pep talk to the team of international wrestlers in the back who will be facing Team USA later. Jericho wishes then a late Happy Canada Day, then starts bickering with Del Rio in Spanish. Owens stands up and says he’s ready to beat the hell out of some “stupid idiot Americans,” which Jericho points out is his line.
– Enzo and Cass cut a promo about Sonic fast food in the back.
– The New Day is out to the ring to address their feud with the Wyatt Family. They get interrupted by the members of the Wyatt family on the big screen cutting a promo on them. Bray invites them to his compound, and asks if they are men or cowards. Kofi and Big E accept the invite and continue trash-talking the Wyatt Family while Xavier looks disturbed. Xavier tells his teammates the Wyatt Family is dangerous, and thinks they shouldn’t go to the Wyatts’ compound. Xavier leaves the ring by himself and walks up the ramp with Big E and Kofi looking on.
– Team USA def. Team International in a 16-man elimination tag match: Owens and Ryder start off, but D-Von and Sin Cara quickly get the tags. Sin Cara hits a series of high-flying offensive moves on D-Von, but Bubba tags himself in and they hit the 3D on Sin Cara for the elimination. Sheamus eliminates Bubba with the Brogue Kick and we go to commercial. Cesaro swings D-Von then submits him with the Sharpshooter for the elimination. Jericho tags himself in which prompts a “stupid idiots” chant from the crowd, then hits the Codebreaker on Swagger for the elimination. Mark Henry eliminates Kalisto with the World’s Strongest Slam, then Owens eliminates Henry with the pop-up powerbomb. Owens starts fighting with his teammate Sami Zayn, which leads to Owens hitting Zayn with a chair and getting himself eliminated via DQ. Owens lays out Kane with the chair for good measure, then Kane hits him back with a chair and is also eliminated via DQ for hitting the already-eliminated Owens. Apollo Crews hits a standing moonsault on Sami Zayn for the elimination, then Sheamus eliminates Crews with the Brogue Kick. The remaining members of Team International start fighting each other. Cesaro clears the ring, but then gets rolled up by Ryder for the elimination. Big Show punches Jericho for the elimination, then chokeslams Del Rio to eliminate him. Big Show chops Sheamus in the chest a few times, then tags in Ryder. Ryder hits the Rough Ryder to eliminate Sheamus and secure the win for Team USA.
– Tonight’s edition of WWE RAW airs live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. Stephanie and Shane McMahon are both advertised for the show. Matches scheduled for tonight’s episode include Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz in a non-title match, Titus O’Neil vs. Rusev for the U.S. Title, and a Team USA vs. Team International elimination tag match. WWE’s official preview for the show also teases that Cena may get payback against The Club.
– In the latest episode of WWE Network’s Swerved prank show, Vince McMahon goes under disguise to fool his employees. You can see how it went in the video below:
– WWE Hall of Famer appeared in front of the crowd at WWE’s live event on Sunday night in Huntington, WV. He was in Darren Young’s corner when Young defeated The Miz via disqualification in a singles match. Backlund has yet to appear in front of the crowd on RAW or SmackDown since starting the “Make Darren Young Great Again” campaign.
– It sounds like WWE tried something new with Sheamus this past weekend. Sheamus reportedly worked as a babyface at Sunday night’s live event in Huntington, WV, where he lost in a United States Title match against Rusev. Sheamus has been working as a heel on WWE TV since early 2015.
– Stevie Richards will be working a guest trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando this month. As previously reported, Richards is in the running to be a full-time coach for WWE.
– Noelle Foley recently appeared on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast to promote her new WWE Network show with her father, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley. She revealed that despite her father wishing she wasn’t interested in men, she did have a crush on former WWE Champion Randy Orton, and says Orton smells “fruity.”
“We were backstage, probably five years ago and Randy Orton drops his shirt,” she recalled, “and I’m like, ‘dad, Randy [has] just dropped his shirt’ and he calls back. He’s like, ‘Randy, you dropped your shirt’ and Randy’s like, ‘oh, you can have it’, like pointing to me. First thing I do is smell the shirt because that’s me. And it was fruity! Randy Orton smells fruity.”
Jim Ross is looking forward to seeing Jerry Lawler back on WWE television. In a new update on JRsBarBQ.com, the WWE Hall of Famer talks about his former broadcast partner being reinstated by WWE following his suspension for a domestic disturbance arrest.
“Happy that Jerry Lawler has been reinstated by WWE and I look forward to seeing Jerry back on WWE TV at some point in the future,” Ross wrote. “I knew all along in my heart that The King was not a domestic violence participant and that alcohol was the culprit in this unfortunate and embarrassing matter.”
Ross also talked about Brock Lesnar’s upcoming return to the octagon at UFC 200 against Mark Hunt. Ross says UFC 200 is the biggest event in company history, and he supports Brock in his efforts to have a successful return.
“I’m of the belief that Brock’s fight versus hard punching Mark Hunt won’t make it out of the first round as one of the two heavyweights likely won’t survive past the first five minutes,” Ross wrote. “Brock getting Hunt to the ground and demonstrating superior striking defense are two, major keys to this fight.”
J.R. also talked about the upcoming WWE brand split, and says he thinks we won’t get a true sense of the company’s new direction until WrestleMania 33. Ross says he thinks the brand split can be one of WWE’s more significant business maneuvers in years.
A man shot and arrested by Orlando police outside of the WWE Performance Center in 2015 has been ordered to stand trial.
Armando Montalvo has been found competent to stand trial for an incident last August. Montalvo was reportedly showing up at the Performance Center repeatedly and was “fixated” on a female performer. WWE had called police to help them with the Montalvo on occasions prior to that incident.
On August 21st, a staffer at the performance center called police nad said Montalvo was acting “deranged” and was seen holding what looked like a knife. Two detectives responded to the scene, and Montalvo was seen charging at one of them after being instructed to stop. The suspect reportedly followed the deputy up to 75-100 feet in the parking lot before he was shot once.
Click Orlando reports that a doctor evaluated Montalvo and the judge ruled that he’s competent. The doctor diagnosed Montalvo’s behavior as being consistent with a personality disorder. Montalvo’s family members say he suffers from bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses.
The pre-trial hearing is scheduled for this coming August 31st.
Chris Jericho is teaming up with America’s largest podcast network to take his podcasting game to the next level.
On Wednesday it was announced that Jericho will be teaming up with Podcast One to launch The Jericho Network. The deal was formulated due to the success of his Talk Is Jericho podcast. PodcastOne will handle Jericho’s production, distribution, and product marketing. The first host on the network will be former WCW star Konnan, who will have his own recurring podcast.
According to PodcastOne founder Norm Pattiz, Talk Is Jericho is one of the most popular podcasts on his company’s lineup. All podcasts on the new Jericho Network will be available exclusively on PodcastOne.com and their mobile app.
In an official statement released on Wednesday, Jericho said he’s stoked to bring some of the most talented, interesting, and “hilariously ridiculous” hosts to PodcastOne via his new network.
“My overall plan is for TJN to be an extension of the diverse array of subjects and guests I already feature on Talk Is Jericho twice a week,” Jericho said. “Get ready to be amazed, amused and entertained by ALL of the hosts and programs that will be added to TJN over the upcoming months…and don’t forget to wear a helmet!”
In a new interview with Kayfabe Commentaries, former WWE star Hornswoggle talks about the incident that apparently ruined his friendship with CM Punk.
When asked about why his friendship with Punk ended, Swoggle says it was all over a phone number. Swoggle says he lost his phone and asked Punk for a mutual friend’s number, and it set off Punk. He says Punk took it as Swoggle “using” him, and that was the end of the relationship.
CM Punk was released by WWE in 2014 and Swoggle was released in May of this year.
Former WWE World Champion Dwanye “The Rock” Johnson is scheduled to headline next year’s Hollywood Walk of Fame induction event. Johnson will be inducted in the motion picture category alongside Amy Adams, Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Pratt among others. Other inductees next year include Hall & Oates, Ice Cube, and *NSYNC.
There are 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard in California that feature stars with celebrity names on them. There is a fee of $30,000 charged to the inductee to have their star placed on the walk.
The Rock’s latest movie Central Intelligence is currently in theaters. Universal has already tapped The Rock for the next installment in their Fast & Furious franchise and built two personal gyms for him near their filming location.
WWE has released the above trailer for their upcoming DVD set Living on a Razor’s Edge – The Scott Hall Story. The 3-disc set will be released on July 5th in the U.S. and July 4th in the U.K., with an extended preview hitting the WWE Network this week.
The documentary portion of the set will deal with Hall’s rise to fame, his personal demons, and now training his son to carry on his legacy in the wrestling business.
Here is the entire content listing for the set:
Disc 1
MAIN FEATURE (DOCUMENTARY):
A Life-Changing Event
Back in Orlando
A Storybook Life
Moving to Florida
Second-Degree
Getting His Start
AWA Experience
It Ain’t New York City
Razor Is Born
Another Level
Humble Superstar
A New Situation
Making Things Bigger
Falling Apart
A Dark Place
Fighting On A Daily Basis
Just What I Needed
One Place To Go
Bad Times Don’t Last
Back in the Family
Disc 2
DEBUT VIGNETTES:
From The Gutter
El Jefe
Chicas Are For Fun
Taking What You Want
Cleaning The Table
Beach Bully
Making A Wish
Forget The Past
Razor Ramon Outtakes
STORIES:
Just As Big As The Wrestlers
The Oz Mask
Scott Ramon
Let Them Be Kids
Don’t Ever Leapfrog Again
Weekend in ECW
Wake Up Call
WrestleMania 31
MATCHES:
American Starship vs. Inferno #1 and Inferno #2
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling • December 25, 1984
Scott Hall vs. Michael ‘P.S.’ Hayes
AWA Championship Wrestling • November 19, 1985
$100,000 Battle Royal
AWA Championship Wrestling • November 28, 1985
“In This Corner” with Scott Hall
AWA Championship Wrestling • December 20, 1985
AWA Tag Team Championship Match
Scott Hall & Curt Hennig vs. The Long Riders
AWA WrestleRock • April 20, 1986
The Diamond Studd vs. Tommy Rich
WCW Clash of the Champions XV • June 14, 1991
The Diamond Exchange vs. Brian Lee & Chris Sullivan
World Championship Wrestling • December 7, 1991
Razor Ramon vs. Paul Van Dale
Superstars • August 8, 1992
WWE Championship Match
Bret “Hit Man” Hart vs. Razor Ramon
Royal Rumble • January 24, 1993
Razor Ramon vs. The Kid
RAW • May 17, 1993
Intercontinental Championship Match
Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon
Saginaw, MI • September 1, 1993
Intercontinental Championship Match
Razor Ramon vs. Rick “The Model” Martel
RAW • October 11, 1993
Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship
Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels
WrestleMania X • March 20, 1994
Disc 3
Intercontinental Championship Match
Razor Ramon (w/ Walter Payton) vs. Diesel (w/ Shawn Michaels)
WWE tapes SmackDown and Main Event at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida tonight.
WWE Main Event taping:
– The Shining Stars def. Jack Swagger and Zack Ryder
– Enzo Amore and Big Cass def. The Dudley Boyz
– Goldust and R-Truth def. The Ascension
WWE SmackDown taping:
– Cesaro def. Sheamus, Apollo Crews and Alberto Del Rio in a Fatal 4 Way to become the new #1 contender for the U.S. Title. He will face Rusev for the title later tonight. Sheamus beats down Cesaro after the match. Rusev comes out and says he’s starting the match right away.
– Rusev def. Cesaro to retain the WWE United States Title.
– Dana Brooke def. Billie Kay in a singles match.
– Sasha Banks vs. Summer Rae is announced for later tonight.
– The Miz comes out with his Intercontinental Championship to host this week’s edition of MizTV. Ambrose is his guest, and it leads to a brawl where Miz leaves with the upper hand.
– The Wyatt Family makes their entrance and Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan squash two local wrestlers.
– Sasha Banks def. Summer Rae in a singles match.
– Dean Ambrose def. The Miz in the main event with the Dirty Deeds. This was a non-title match.
– After the cameras stop rolling, The Wyatt Family circles Ambrose in the ring until Cesaro and Sami Zayn come out for the save. Ambrose, Cesaro and Zayn defeated the Wyatts in the dark match main event.