SEScoops

Author: Eric Lynch

  • WWE RAW Results – May 23, 2016

    The May 23rd, 2016 edition of WWE RAW took place at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, MD.

    – Seth Rollins comes out to start off the show. He cuts a promo about being away for 200 days and says he wants his title belt back because he never lost it. He starts as a babyface, then reminds the fans of his heel antics and says he burned all of the fan mail and flowers people sent him while he was injured. Roman Reigns comes out to interrupt, and Shane McMahon shortly follows. Shane steps in the ring with them and books a match between the two at Money In The Bank for the World Title.

    – Sheamus cuts a promo in the back about Sami Zayn’s name and him being Canadian. He says what he’s going to do to Sami Zayn won’t be suitable for all ages. This will be a Money In The Bank qualifying match.

    – Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus: Sheamus keeps Sami grounded in the opening moments. Zayn comes back with a spinning heel kick and a hurricanrana. Sami takes things to the outside and hits a moonsault on Sheamus off the fan barricade. Back in the ring, Sheamus comes back with a knee to the head and a running powerslam. He hits the Irish Curse backbreaker for a 2 count, then Zayn comes back with a Michinoku Driver for another near-fall. Shortly after, Zayn hits the big boot in the corner for the win and he now has qualified for the Money In The Bank match. Sheamus has a mental breakdown in the ring after the match.

    – Apollo Crews is being interviewed in the back when he gets attacked by Sheamus, who is yelling about the “new era” in WWE.

    – The New Day comes out and they have a birthday cake to celebrate tonight being the 1200th episode of RAW. Big E takes the birthday cake out of the ring and teases throwing it on fans and the announcers. The Social Outcasts hit the ring and jump all of the New Day Members before anyone gets hit with the cake.

    – The New Day def. The Social Outcasts: We come back from commercial to a six-man tag with the New Day in control. Xavier hits a suicide dive to the outside on the outcasts which leads to Big E hitting the Big Ending on Slater. After the match they slam the face in Slater’s face.

    – Cesaro def. The Miz: The Miz and Maryse come out to cut a promo first and Cesaro interrupts. He immediately goes to work on the Intercontinental Champion and gets a near-fall after a suplex. He follows it up with a flying uppercut off the middle rope, sending Miz to the outside. Back in the ring, Cesaro hits a cross body off the top rope for a 2 count, then a spinebuster and a swing. Cesaro doesn’t swing him very long as he’s selling the shoulder injury. Miz goes to the top rope but he jumps into an uppercut from Cesaro, who hits the Neutralizer for the win.

    – Seth Rollins cuts a promo in the back about this year’s Money In The Bank PPV and his plans for taking back the World Title. He’s interrupted by Stephanie McMahon, who says their business relationship has changed and walks away.

    – Chris Jericho def. Apollo Crews: Jericho comes out with bandages all over his back. Y2J starts off in control, but Crews comes back with a suplex and a springboard splash for a near-fall. Sheamus is watching on a monitor in the back. Crews starts kicking Jericho in the back and elbows where he has bandages from the thumbtacks last night. Jericho comes back with a suplex of his own and a dropkick for a near-fall. Crews comes back with a flying elbow and a moonsault, followed up by a spinning powerslam for a 2-count. Jericho gets out of an attempted powerbomb and puts Crews in the Walls of Jericho, but Crews reaches the ropes. Crews tries to kick-up off the ground to avoid a Lionsault, but Jericho collides with him as Crews lands on his feet. Jericho follows up with a Codebreaker for the win.

    – Bob Backlund gives Darren Young some life lessons and Young takes notes. Backlund cuts a promo on Young for taking notes instead of memorizing everything he says. Backlund orders him to list all of the presidents in order, then do 100 jumping jacks.

    – Dolph Ziggler confronts Baron Corbin in the back. Corbin says he’ll give him a rematch in what they call a “technical wrestling match” as opposed to their no DQ match at Extreme Rules.

    – Big Cass is out next with the returning Enzo Amore who drops all of his catch phrases. He talks about his concussion and the Dudleys, and with that, we have a match.

    – Big Cass def. Bubba Ray Dudley: Big Cass controls the opening moments until D-Von attacks Enzo and ringside to distract him. Bubba attacks from behind and his a back suplex. Enzo gets his revenge on D-Von with a flying knee at ringside. Bubba goes up top but Cass throws him off and follows up with a big boot. Cass hits an elbow drop for the win.

    – Charlotte, Ric Flair and Dana Brooke come out to the ring to say a few words. Flair starts things off by saying how proud he is of her. Charlotte talks about how Flair was never there when she was a kid, but now she understands why he wasn’t because she’s the Women’s Champion. She tells Flair to get out of her ring and the Nature Boy is shocked. She says she’s a bigger star than her dad and that he’s dead to her.

    – Dean Ambrose def. Dolph Ziggler: After several minutes of back-and-forth holds and takedowns, Ambrose hits a superplex for a near-fall. Ambrose follows up with a dive through the ropes onto Ziggler on the floor at ringside. Back in the ring, Ziggler hits the Fameasser for a 2-count. Ziggler hits a superkick but Ambrose immediately comes back with a clothesline for another 2. The finish comes when Ambrose avoids a Zig Zag and hits the Dirty Deeds for the win.

    – Ric Flair gets consoled by Arn Anderson in the back. He turns down an interview with Renee Young and he leaves the arena.

    – AJ Styles comes out to talk about his match last night against Roman Reigns, and gives Reigns credit. AJ says he would be the champion right now if it weren’t for the Usos and Gallows & Anderson. Gallows and Anderson take exception to this and interrupt him. Gallows says if it weren’t for them, AJ never would have made it to Extreme Rules. AJ says it’s just business and not personal, but that they’re “done” for now. Anderson says they’re not friends anymore and they leave the ring. AJ is up against Kevin Owens next.

    – Kevin Owens def. AJ Styles: Both men are aggressive from the bell, and eventually AJ takes control with a dropkick and a knee drop. They trade some stiff chops and elbows, then Owens hits a dropkick of his own. Owens throws AJ to the outside and teases going for a suicide dive, but instead rolls under the bottom rope and clotheslines AJ. AJ comes back with a forearm shot and a toss into the steel steps before taking things back in the ring. Styles hits a reverse powerbomb then goes for a Styles Clash, but Owens gets out and hits a German suplex. Owens follows up with a cannonball in the corner for a 2 count. Styles comes back with a German suplex, kick to the head and a fireman’s carry into a backbreaker for another near-fall. Owens misses a twisting moonsault off the top rope, and AJ comes back with a springboard 450 splash for a 2-count. AJ takes things to the outside and Owens catches him with a powerbomb onto the steel ring steps. Back in the ring, Owens goes for the pop-up powerbomb but AJ jumps over him and hits the Pele kick. AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Owens kicks the ropes, grabs AJ, and hits the pop-up powerbomb for the win. Owens celebrates his Money In The Bank qualifying victory in the ring as RAW goes off the air.

  • Cody Rhodes’ Split From WWE “Not Amicable,” Details On Vince & HHH’s Involvement

    Cody Rhodes requested his release from WWE this week, and has reportedly left the company on bad terms. Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the split was “not amicable,” and indicated that WWE is going to try to prevent him for working for another wrestling company as long as they’re legally able to.

    Meltzer reported that WWE is “kind of putting the screws to” Rhodes, who wrote on Twitter that he had “pleaded with WWE creative” to drop the Stardust character so he could go by his real name again. Apparently WWE did plan on dropping the Stardust gimmick around WrestleMania 32, but Vince McMahon and Triple H decided not to. Meltzer says “it was more Vince McMahon on this one” than Triple H.

    Since he quit, Rhodes may be held to the remaining length of his contract before he’s permitted to work elsewhere.

    https://twitter.com/PrinceCGR/status/734501299337584641

  • WWE Extreme Rules 2016 Results

    WWE’s annual Extreme Rules pay-per-view took place on May 22nd at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

    Kickoff Show:

    – The Dudleys come out to the ring but quickly get interrupted by Big Cass, who cuts a promo on Bubba’s weight. He says they’re full of crap, then hits the ring and gets double teamed by the former Tag Team Champions. He eventually comes back and hits some of his signature moves on the Dudley Boyz before returning to ringside to resume his promo then heading to the back.

    – Rusev and Lana are sitting down backstage for an interview where Rusev cuts a promo about Americans being lazy and says he’s a foreigner there to get paid.

    – Baron Corbin def. Dolph Ziggler: Baron takes things to the outside early on and beats down Ziggler. Back in the ring, Corbin continues to control the match until Ziggler comes back with a series of clotheslines and a Stinger Splash in the corner. After a near-fall, Corbin cuts Ziggler’s comeback short with the Deep Six for a near-fall of his own. Corbin goes for a powerbomb, but Zigler gets on the turnbuckle and hits a tornado DDT and a Fameasser for another 2-count. Corbin comes back with a low-blow and the End Of Days for the pinfall victory.

    – Michael Cole and JBL come out next as Extreme Rules is about to officially begin. JBL gets a big pop when his music hits.

    WWE Extreme Rules 2016:

    – A promo video for the show airs that features two ladybugs having sex. After the official WWE logo intro, we get a longer video package highlighting tonight’s matches and the “extreme” nature of the show.

    – The Usos vs. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows: This match will be under Tornado Tag rules with all four men legal at all times. The Bullet Club takes the Usos to the outside early on. Back in the ring, we get a series of near-falls after the Usos hit a double superkick and The Club hit some of their signature moves. Anderson and Gallows get extreme on the outside with the ring bell and a steel chair, and after a missed splash by Jey they hit the Magic Killer on him for the win.

    – Rusev def. Kalisto: Rusev dominates the opening moment of the match almost entirely and keeps Kalisto grounded. Kalisto does some damage with a sleeper hold then drops Rusev with a Tornado DDT. He hits a spinning shoulder tackle and a hurricanrana for a 2 count. Kalisto keeps the high-flying offensive coming with a hurricanrana that sends Rusev head-first into the steps at ringside. Back in the ring, Rusev drops Kalisto on the ring apron then locks in a sleeper hold for the win.

    – The New Day comes out and we get a replay of their “time machine” segment from RAW. They get in the ring with garden tools and cut a promo on the Vaudevillians.

    – The New Day def. The Vaudevillains: Big E and Xavier are in for The New Day. The Vaudevillains take things to the outside and get the advantage early on. Big E gets the hot tag and hits a series of belly to belly suplexes on English. English comes back with a knee to the face and a DDT for a 2 count. Big E spears Aiden English to the outside. While the ref’s back is turned, Kofi kicks Simon Gotch in the head then Xavier follows up with a running knee for the win.

    – The Miz def. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens: As soon as the bell rings, Zayn kicks Owens to the outside then Cesaro uppercuts Miz to the outside. Zayn hits a hurricanrana and spinning heel kick for a 2 count. Zayn hits a suicide dive on Cesaro and Miz over the top rope onto the floor at ringside. Owens gets back in the ring and breaks up a superplex attempt and goes to work on Zayn. The Miz and Zayn go for a double-team superplex on Owens, and Cesaro gets in on the action to powerbomb Zayn and Miz. Cesaro tries to pin both Zayn and Miz but only gets 2 counts. The Miz goes for a t-bone suplex on Zayn, but Cesaro comes behind him for a German suplex on Miz that sends both him and Zayn flying. Cesaro hits some uppercuts on all 3 of his opponents, before Owens comes back and hits cannonsballs on all of them in the corners. Everyone hits their finishers, and Cesaro kicks out of the Skull Crushing Finale. Cesaro hits a spinning uppercut off the middle rope, then swings The Miz. Zayn hits a t-bone suplex on Cesaro in the corner, but then walks into a superkick from Owens, who also hits a pop-up powerbomb on Cesaro for a 2 count. Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale on Owens at ringside. Zayn hits a big kick on Cesaro in the corner but Owens breaks up the pin and they brawl at ringside. The Miz steals the pin on Cesaro for the win.

    – Asylum Match: Dean Ambrose def. Chris Jericho: Jericho tries to escape in the opening moments, but he’s informed the door is locked until the match is over. Ambrose hits a cross body block on Jericho then starts pummeling him before throwing Jericho head-first into the cage wall. Ambrose grabs the mob and beats Jericho down with it, including stabbing him in the ear with it. Jericho comes back and tries to grab the barbed wire bat, but Ambrose suplexes him off the corner. Ambrose grabs the nunchucks and and Jericho grabs the barbed wire bat. Ambrose gets the better of the exchange and unloads on Jericho with the nunchucks. Jericho gets up and quickly scales the cage to grab the kendo stick and take control of the match. Jericho grabs the leather strap and goes to town on Ambrose. Jericho tries to get out the door again but can’t so he starts climbing. Ambrose stops him and crotches Jericho on the ropes. Jericho throws the straight jacket on Ambrose’s face to “blind” him then hits a spinning heel kick. He hits a springboard dropkick on Ambrose into the cage wall. Jericho tries to put Ambrose in the straight jacket but he avoids it and hits a series of punches and a clothesline for a 2. Ambrose hits a flying elbow on Jericho from the top of the cage. Ambrose gets the bucket and empties it — it’s full of thumbtacks. They try to throw each other into the thumbtacks but neither are successful. Jericho throws Ambrose into the cage then goes for a Lionsault but Ambrose gets his knees up. Jericho gets Ambrose in the Walls of Jericho, but Ambrose grabs the kendo stick and beats Jericho with it to break the hold. Jericho sprays Ambrose with the fire extinguisher then hits the Codebreaker for 2. He goes for another Codebreaker, but Ambrose slams Jericho into the thumbtacks then hits the Dirty Deeds into them for the win.

    – Submission Match: Charlotte def. Natalya: Natalya starts off in control and puts Charlotte in a surfboard hold. Charlotte gets out and Natalya puts her back down with a discus clothesline. They go to the outside and Charlotte mounts a comeback, then back in the ring hits an elbow and a big boot to the face. Charlotte puts Natalya in a few submissions but she won’t give up. She hits a moonsault and a half Crab. Natalya comes back with a German suplex and locks in the Sharpshooter until Ric Flair’s music hits. Instead of Flair, Dana Brooke comes out and distracts Natalya. Charlotte hits Natalya from behind and puts her in the Figure Eight for the win.

    – Extreme Rules: Roman Reigns def. AJ Styles: They go back and forth in the opening moments of the World Heavyweight Title main event, and Roman Reigns gets a “You can’t wrestle” chant from the New Jersey crowd. Reigns goes to hit AJ with a steel chair, but AJ rolls out of the way. They brawl on the outside and AJ clears off an announce table. He clotheslines Reigns out into the crowd and they brawl through the audience. They fight over to the Kickoff show desk and Reigns throws AJ onto it. AJ kicks Reigns in the head from the top of the table and follows up with a Phenomenal Forearm off the table. They get back to the ringside area and AJ pulls back the padding on the floor. He goes for a Styles Clash on Reigns on the exposed concrete, but Reigns gets out and goes to powerbomb AJ through an announce table. AJ reverses it by punching Reigns in the face repeatedly, then goes for a Styles Clash through the table. Reigns gets out and gives AJ a big back body drop through the adjacent announce table. Back in the ring, Reigns goes for a Razor’s Edge into a sitout powerbomb for a 2 count. Reigns goes for a Superman punch but AJ ducks and gives him a back body drop. Reigns is selling his knee, and AJ gives him a vertical suplex into the turnbuckle. Reigns rolls to the outside and AJ comes running off the apron for a hurricanrana. Reigns catches him and powerbombs him through another announce table. Reigns misses a spear and and AJ throws him back in the ring. AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Reigns hits him with the superman punch while he’s on the top rope, and AJ falls to the floor. AJ starts getting up and Reigns jumps off the ring steps and takes him down with a spear. Reigns throws AJ back in the ring, but The Bullet Club runs in and lays out Reigns. The Usos come out for the save. They clear the ring and hit a couple superkicks and a splash on Styles. Styles blocks a superman punch with a kick and hits the Styles Clash, but Reigns kicks out at 2. Reigns goes for another superman punch but this time runs into the Pele kick. AJ hits the Styles Clash onto a chair, but one of the Usos breaks up the pin. AJ kicks him away and goes to pin again, but Reigns kicks out at 2 again. AJ grabs the steel chair and lays out the Usos and Reigns with it. AJ takes his elbow pad off and goes for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Reigns catches him with a spear in mid-air for the win.

    – After the match, Reigns is celebrating in the ring when Seth Rollins comes out of nowhere and hits the Pedigree on Reigns. Rollins grabs the title belt and stands tall over Reigns. He holds the belt up in the air as the crowd pops and Extreme Rules 2016 goes off the air.

  • Report: Sasha Banks Pulled From Live Events Due To Injury

    There are conflicting reports on why we haven’t seen much of Sasha Banks on TV after WrestleMania 32. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported on May 15th that Banks was still working a full schedule, and was kept off TV for storyline reasons. Squared Circle Sirens now reports that on the same day of Meltzer’s report (the 15th) Banks was injured at a house show in Charlottesville, VA. Banks was subsequently pulled from any upcoming live events she was advertised for, including an autograph signing on Monday the 16th.

    There aren’t many details on her injury or how serious it is, but there was a spot at the Charlottesville house show where she landed on her head, so they may be keeping her out of the ring due to a concussion. She teamed with Becky Lynch and Paige to defeat Lana, Dana Brooke and Eva Marie that night.

    Banks hasn’t wrestled on TV since April 1st, so it’s possible that Meltzer’s original report was accurate before she sustained the injury.

  • Updated Card For Tonight’s WWE Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View

    Updated Card For Tonight’s WWE Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View

    WWE’s annual Extreme Rules pay-per-view takes place tonight, and as always we’ll have live play-by-play results from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. This will be WWE’s eighth event under the Extreme Rules banner.

    Here’s the updated card for tonight’s show:

    WWE Championship
    – Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles

    WWE Women’s Championship Submission match
    – Charlotte (c) vs. Natalya
    Ric Flair is banned from ringside.

    Intercontinental Title Fatal 4-Way
    The Miz (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn

    Asylum Cage Match
    – Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose

    Tag Team Tornado Match
    – Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. The Usos

    WWE Tag Team Championship Match
    The New Day (c) vs. The Vaudevillains

    United States Championship Match
    Kalisto (c) vs. Rusev w/Lana

    Extreme Rules Kickoff Show – No Disqualification Match
    – Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

    Leave your predictions in the comments below, and remember to come back this evening for live coverage & discussion during Extreme Rules.

  • WWE Officially Hires Two Announcers

    WWE Officially Hires Two Announcers

    WWE has officially hired Austin Romero and Andrea Ocampo for hosting, interviewing and announcing duties. Romero will be known as Mike Rome on WWE television, and he started with the company at Friday’s NXT show in Venice, FL.

    Ocampo started doing work for NXT in late April. WWE has given her the stage name Andrea D’Marco now that she’s officially with the company. She’s a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader, and has done hosting for Disney Travel and the Florida Panthers.

    Three announcers, Alex Reyes, Rich Brennan and Kyle Edwards, were all released by the company this month.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BFpN4w-GXV2/

  • Spoilers: Details On WWE’s Plans For Roman Reigns & AJ Styles

    Spoilers: Details On WWE’s Plans For Roman Reigns & AJ Styles

    Vince McMahon is reportedly planning to keep Roman Reigns on top as a focal point of their programming after Sunday’s Extreme Rules event. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WWE will continue to push Reigns after his feud with AJ Styles ends, and Styles will likely be entering a feud with his former partners Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

    This means Reigns will likely be retaining the WWE Championship on Sunday, as many fans could have guessed. Vince McMahon’s position on Reigns is “Whether you love or hate him, you’re very passionate about him.” JBL repeated this line on commentary on RAW when the fans booed Reigns.

    As of press time, Reigns is still listed as the headliner for WWE’s “A” tours, and Dean Ambrose is listed as the headliner for their “B” tours. John Cena is scheduled to return to TV on May 30th, but isn’t currently scheduled for any live events after that.

  • Update On Why WWE Released The Brooklyn Brawler

    Update On Why WWE Released The Brooklyn Brawler

    Steve “Brooklyn Brawler” Lombardi was released by WWE earlier this month for unknown reasons. To update on this, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that he was let go due to something that was a “small mistake” by him. Meltzer didn’t elaborate on what the mistake was.

    Lombardi was with the company for over 30 years and reportedly had a good enough relationship with the company that the door is open for him to return in the future. Former WWE announcer and Executive Vice President of Talent Relations Jim Ross wrote last week that he was “surprised to see” Lombardi let go, and that he was in “good spirits” when they talked after his release.

    He’s currently taking independent bookings at BookBrawler@gmail.com.

  • Batista Takes Shot At Stephanie McMahon On Twitter Over Her “Finishing Move”

    Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dave Bautista recently took issue with Stephanie McMahon and made his thoughts known in the form of a sarcastic Tweet.

    On Wednesday, Stephanie wrote on Twitter that “the slap” is her on-screen character’s finishing maneuver along with a clip of her slapping current WWE champ Roman Reigns. Bautista, known as Batista in WWE, took issue with this and seems to feel that the move buries the company’s actual wrestlers.

    Here’s her original tweet and Dave’s reply:

    Batista left the company in 2015, and reportedly turned down two offers to appear at WrestleMania 32 due to his unhappiness with their creative direction.

  • Emma Successfully Undergoes Back Surgery

    Emma Successfully Undergoes Back Surgery

    Emma has succesfully undergone back surgery. As previously noted, Emma was diagnosed with a ruptured disk in her back. She received the injury at the a WWE live event on Sunday, and went under the knife on Wednesday.

    Emma’s boyfriend, fellow WWE star Zack Ryder, made a post on his Instagram page about it, writing: “Flying to be wIth @emmalution as she is having surgery today. She worked so hard to get back on the main roster. I know she’ll be back again!”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BFjBItVt9Zw/

  • This Week’s Impact Wrestling Viewership On Pop TV

    This Week’s Impact Wrestling Viewership On Pop TV

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm5H4ywUEX0

    Thursday night’s episode of Impact Wrestling averaged 311,000 viewers on Tuesday night on Pop TV. This is up from last week’s 280,000 viewers. As noted earlier this week, Pop TV has cancelled TNA’s weekly replay on Saturday mornings.

    Impact ranked #129 in the Top 150 cable shows for the night, up from last week’s #135 ranking. TNA was up against the NBA Playoff game between Cleveland and Toronto which averaged over 5,000,000 viewers.

  • WWE Releases Another Announcer

    WWE has released another announcer. The company officially released Alex Reyes from his contract this week. Reyes was hired back in October and worked in NXT as a backstage announcer, host at live events, and assisted with promos at the WWE Performance Center. Reyes, real name Alex Del Barrio, removed references to WWE in his Twitter biography immediately after his release.

    Before working for WWE, Reyes worked for The Harlem Globetrotters and for Booker T’s wrestling promotion in Houston.

    Announcers Rich Brennan and Kyle Edwards were also recently released by the company.

  • Foley Comments On Asylum Match At Extreme Rules, The Rock’s New Project With CNN

    Foley Comments On Asylum Match At Extreme Rules, The Rock’s New Project With CNN

    – Mick Foley recently took to Facebook to comment on this Sunday’s Extreme Rules PPV. The WWE Hall of Famer wrote about the “Asylum” match between Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho, saying it may be a “big break” for Ambrose.

    Here’s what Foley had to say on his official Facebook page:

    SEEKING ASYLUM

    Could this AsylumMatch at ExtremeRules be exactly what Dean Ambrose needs? Experience has taught me that a big break is often a series of smaller breaks – like a ball peen hammer tapping away at that glass ceiling everyone talks about…until finally, it shatters. Could this match it be another breakthrough for Ambrose? Couldn’t potential he steal the show – a tall task given the chemistry between AJ Styles, and Roman Reigns in their last outing.

    – The Extreme Rules pre-show starts at 7:00 PM ET this Sunday, and the actual pay-per-view will begin at 8:00. Join us for live play-by-play results from the event at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Sunday evening.

    – The Rock’s production company, called Seven Bucks Productions, is partnering with CNN for a new TV series. The new series is called Soundtracks, and will be released sometime in 2017.

  • Former WCW/nWo Writer Kevin Sullivan Critiques Roman Reigns-AJ Styles Feud

    Former WCW/nWo Writer Kevin Sullivan Critiques Roman Reigns-AJ Styles Feud

    On the latest Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast, Kevin Sullivan joined the show to discuss the current WWE television product. Sullivan, best known for his role in WCW and booking during the nWo’s heydey, gave his thoughts on the current World Heavyweight Title feud between Roman Reigns and AJ Styles. Sullivan says he feels if WWE went back to their ‘Attitude Era’ ways, they could increase the quality of their programming.

    Sullivan suggests the WWE creative team looks back at when Steve Austin and the New World Order were drawing the most money. Sullivan says the performances were more “real” during that time, and feels WWE should have their writers study their tape library.

    ‘The Taskmaster’ gave his thoughts on a recent episode of RAW, criticizing AJ Styles’ character during his interactions with Roman Reigns.

    “I happen to watch the other night and I flipped RAW on and the second hour had just started and the kid from TNA, AJ Styles and Roman Reigns had an interview, and here is the World Champion, who looks like he is going to take Rock’s place eventually in the movies, and he’s a handsome kid with a lineage of drawing money, and here they are booing that guy,” Sullivan said. “But now here is AJ, a guy who has got beat twice already against a part timer – and I love Jericho – and they did the angle where his former friends came down and beat up Reigns and he said he didn’t know anything about it. This is wrestling, either run and help the guy, or run in and kick the s–t out of the guys beating him. What is he Switzerland? Is he neutral?”

    Sullivan also feels WWE isn’t giving their wrestlers enough time in the ring on TV. “The matches don’t mean a thing, but they give these guys six minutes with their entrances when these guys are terrific athletes,” he said. You can listen to the entire podcast here.

  • Coachman On WrestleMania 32: The Wrong Match Closed The Show

    Former WWE announcer and current ESPN broadcaster Jonathan Coachman thinks the Hell In A Cell match between Shane McMahon and The Undertaker was the true headlining match of WrestleMania 32. Coachman was recently a guest on Jim Ross’ podcast, where he theorized that Shane would get more props as a performer if he weren’t Vince McMahon’s son.

    “If he wouldn’t have been Vince’s son, he would be considered one of the great performers of all time,” Coach said. “People want to see Shane jump off the cage or jump off the cell and then go through the table and have that look from Taker before going off the air.”

    Ross compared WrestleMania 32 to WrestleMania 18, where The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan may have been considered a higher-profile match, but it didn’t close the show.

    “The one thing I would have changed [about WrestleMania 32], and [Ross] will remember this, when Rock and Hogan finally met in Toronto, and that was the year they decided that the championship was going to mean everything,” Coachman said, “and so, Triple H and [Chris] Jericho went after that match. Such a mistake! That match was epic. It was 45 minutes of brilliance and the play-by-play was brilliant. And I thought, ‘this is going to be Toronto all over again.’ That’s what it felt like to me.”

    Coachman also discussed whether he would ever return to WWE, and the company’s relationship with his current employers ESPN. You can listen to the entire podcast here.

  • WWE SmackDown Spoilers For May 19, 2016

    WWE SmackDown Spoilers For May 19, 2016

    WWE tapes the May 19th episode of SmackDown tonight at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC.

    WWE Main Event taping results:

    – Titus O’Neil & Jack Swagger def. Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas

    – Apollo Crews def. Viktor

    – Alberto Del Rio def. Zack Ryder

    WWE SmackDown taping results:

    – The “Asylum” structure from RAW is hanging above the ring.

    – Kevin Owens def. Cesaro. Owens rolled up Cesaro from behind when he was distracted by Sami Zayn and The Miz at ringside.

    – Dana Brooke def. Paige in a quick match. Becky Lynch came out to do commentary for this one.

    – Dolph Ziggler def. Sheamus. Baron Corbin comes out after the match and says he’s going to kick Ziggler’s ass at Extreme Rules on Sunday.

    – Chris Jericho comes out to cut a promo on Dean Ambrose, and the “Asylum” cage lowers down around the ring as he’s talking. Ambrose, disguised as a ring crew worker, jumps in the ring and lays out Jericho with a kendo stick.

    – A new vignette with Bob Backlund and Darren Young airs.

    – Big Cass and The New Day def. The Vaudevillains and The Dudley Boyz. Big Cass got the pinfall on Bubba Ray Dudley.

    – Roman Reigns vs. Luke Gallows ends in a DQ when chaos breaks out in the ring. The Usos getting into it with AJ Styles and Karl Anderson at ringside lead to everything falling apart. Referees pull apart The Usos and the Club, and Reigns is left in the ring with Styles. They grab steel chairs, but AJ drops his and hits a pele kick. He hits Reigns in the back with a chair and sends him out of the ring. Styles stands tall to end the go-home show before Extreme Rules.

  • Preview For Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Taping

    Preview For Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Taping

    WWE tapes this week’s episode of SmackDown tonight at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. We’ll have live results from the taping here later tonight. Here’s what’s scheduled for tonight’s SmackDown taping:

    – Kevin Owens, Cesaro and Sami Zayn will be guests on Miz TV.

    – More matches are expected to be announced for Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

    – More build-up for the Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles match, and more fallout from Monday’s RAW.

    – Other stars advertised to appear include Dean Ambrose, Kane, and The Big Show. The dark match being advertised locally is a six-man tag match between Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and The Miz.

  • Vince McMahon Sells Almost $40 Million Worth Of WWE Stock

    Vince McMahon has reportedly sold 2,191,894 shares of WWE stock this week. According to an SEC document filed on Monday, the WWE Chairman sold the shares for approximately $40 million. Vince’s ownership is currently at 48.8% of the company, the first time he hasn’t had majority shares since 1999.

    WWE issued a statement on the sale, saying it was done for personal liquidity and asset diversification purposes and that there aren’t any plans to sell the company. McMahon said he’ll be staying with WWE in his role as Chairman and CEO for the “foreseeable future.”

    The company noted that McMahon doesn’t plan on selling any more of his stock after Monday. “The 2,191,894 shares sold by the GRAT represent approximately 6% of the Company’s outstanding shares of Class A common stock,” the company reported. “After the sale, Mr. McMahon beneficially owns 37,080,747 shares of the Company’s Class B common stock, which represents approximately 86% of the Company’s total voting power and approximately 48.8% of the Company’s total outstanding shares of common stock.”

    McMahon has worked in the wrestling business since 1969. He purchased the company now known as WWE from his father in 1982, and in October of 1999 they made their initial public offering of company stock.

    WWE business writer Brandon Howard, who writes for investment site Seeking Alpha, put the stock sale into context:

  • WWE RAW Results – May 16, 2016

    The May 16th edition of Monday Night RAW took place at the Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, NC, and was the final episode before Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

    – AJ Styles comes out to the ring to open the show and cut a promo on Roman Reigns. He says he’s sick of hearing from Roman Reigns that he’s a liar. Reigns comes out to interrupt and says the only thing that matters is his World Heavyweight Title. AJ says Roman is “the guy” that he’s going to beat on Sunday. The Usos come out and Reigns lays out Styles with a right hand. Gallows and Anderson meet Styles on the ramp and walk to the back with him.

    – Sami Zayn vs Cesaro – No Contest: Kevin Owens and The Miz are both on commentary for this one. Cesaro starts the match off with a powerslam for a 2 count. Owens assaults The Miz at ringside during the match and they start brawling into the ring. All four men start brawling and the match is ruled a no-contest.

    – Shane McMahon comes out while the four of them are still in the ring and says they’ll take their aggression out on each other tonight in tag-team form. He says Owens will team with The Miz to take on Sami Zayn and Cesaro tonight. Stephanie comes out and says the better teams would be The Miz & Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. Shane agrees, and we have a match.

    – Kevin Owens and Sami Sayn def. The Miz and Cesaro: Cesaro gets some offense in on Owens early on. Zayn taunts Owens from the apron, so Owens tags him in and tells him to do better. Cesaro sells his shoulder injury while working over Zayn, then The Miz tags himself in. Zayn and Owens argue with each other while tagging in and out. The Miz gets some offense in on Zayn while Owens taunts them both from the apron. Owens tags in and hits a second-rope missile dropkick on The Miz, then follows up with the cannonball in the corner for a 2 count. The Miz throws Cesaro out of the ring then tries to do the swing on Sami, but Cesaro comes back in and gives the Skull Crushing Finale to The Miz. Owens drags Cesaro out of the ring, then Sami hits a kick to the face on The Miz for the win. Owens lays out Sami after the match.

    – Backstage, Chris Jericho says tonight Dean Ambrose is going to apologize to him for destroying his jacket. He says his jacket is more iconic to WWE than Andre The Giant, and he should have Ambrose arrested.

    – Primo & Epico def. Scott Jackson and Brian Kennedy: “The Shining Stars” get in just about all of the offense in a short squash match. They cut promos before and after the match about how great Puerto Rico is.

    – Backstage, Shane-o Mac is talking to Dean Ambrose.

    – Ambrose comes out to the ring and demands that Chris Jericho come out and talk to him. Jericho comes out in a vest and scarf and says Ambrose is going to give him an apology. Ambrose doesn’t apologize, and challenges him to a match at Extreme Rules on Sunday. Jericho tells him he has a match, “you stupid idiot.” Jericho says he’s the real lunatic, and there’s no one crazier than him. Ambrose says he has a gift for him, and a steel cage with weapons hanging above it comes down from the ceiling. Ambrose calls it the “Ambrose Asylum” and says it’s made of twisted rusty steel. Some of the weapons hanging above the cage incluvde a kendo stick, a mop, a straight jacket, and a barbed-wire-wrapped 2×4.

    – Becky Lynch vs. Dana Brooke: They go back and forth until Dana gets the upper hand after throwing Becky into the fan barricade at ringside. Becky comes back with a running forearm in the corner and a t-bone suplex for a 2 count. Becky tries a sunset flip on Dana, but Dana reverses it for the 1-2-3.

    – Time for a life coach with Bob Backlund. He asks Darren Young for the time, but Young looks at his phone instead of his watch which upsets Backlund because he thinks he’s making a call. Backlund says being on time is important, and Young gets frustrated with Backlund’s lack of understanding of his smart phone. Backlund orders him to do 200 squats, and says “we are going to make Darren Young great again.”

    – Backstage, Shane and Stephanie talk about some disagreements they’ve had lately. They get interrupted by The Dudley Boys, who say they want some “local little guys” to squash. Shane says that won’t happen, and one of them will have to face Big Cass tonight.

    – Tyler Breeze & Fandango def. R Truth & Goldust: We get a video package before the match highlighting the history between these four. Goldust and R-Truth exchange tags to work on Breeze in the opening moments. R-Truth goes for a spinning heel kick on Tyler Breeze, but he ducks and Truth hits Goldust. Breeze throws Truth to the outside and pins Goldust for the win. Goldust leaves the ring angry after the match.

    – In the back, Goldust and Truth argue about what happened in the ring. Truth tries to convince Goldust that the WWE Universe wants the Golden Truth.

    – The New Day comes out to cut a promo on the Vaudevillians. They have a “time machine” made out of an old refrigerator box in the ring. They “go back in time” and come out with fake mustaches on. The Vaudevillains come out and ambush the Tag Team Champions.

    –The Usos def. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows: Styles and Reigns are both at ringside for this one. Jimmy and Anderson start things off. Jimmy gets the majority of the offense in then tags in Jey. Gallows comes in and takes control of the match until Jimmy gets the hot tag and hits a corkscrew moonsault for a 2 count. AJ and Roman start getting in each other’s faces at ringside. Jey hits a suicide dive over the top rope onto the Bullet Club members at ringside. Back in the ring, he hits a cross body splash off the top for 2 on Anderson. Jey goes up top but Anderson gets him with a boot to the face. Jey goes for a splash on Anderson but Anderson catches him and drops him with a spinebuster. The Usos come back and hit double superkicks on both Gallows and Anderson. Jey hits a splash off the top on Anderson for the win.

    – After the match, Reigns and Styles come face to face until Gallows hits Reigns from behind. The Usos take Gallows and Anderson to the outside, leaving AJ alone in the ring with Reigns. AJ goes to hit Reigns with a chair but Reigns hits him with an uppercut. Reigns grabs the chair and uses it on AJ, then hits superman punches on the other Club members. Reigns turns around and walks into several chair shots from AJ. Styles then hits a Styles Clash on Roman Reigns onto the steel chair.

    – Big Cass def. D-Von Dudley: Early on, Bubba goes for a table which distracts Cass and allows D-Von to attack him from behind. Big Cass comes back quickly and hits his spinning sit-out side slam finisher for the win in a very short match.

    – Alberto Del Rio def. Kalisto: Del Rio controls the match until Kelisto hits a flying headscissor takedown. Kalisto tries to follow up with a hurricanrana to the outside, but Del Rio catches him and throws him into the fan barricade. Del Rio continues dishing out the offense back in the ring. Meanwhile in the back, we see Rusev attacking Sin Cara. Del Rio goes for a double foot stomp but Kalisto gets out of the way and hits a hurricanrana that sends Del Rio off the middle rope. Kalisto makes a comeback with some springboard splashes for a 2-count, while Rusev beats down Sin Cara at ringside now. Kalisto gets distracted and Del Rio hits the back stabber for the 3 count. Rusev beats down both Lucha Dragons after the match.

    – Shane and Stephanie are in the ring to oversee the contract signing for the Women’s Championship match at Extreme Rules. Wooo! The Nature Boy Ric Flair comes out with a microphone to tell everyone to stand up and properly welcome his daughter. Charlotte and Ric head down to the ring, followed by Natalya. Natalya cuts a promo on Charlotte about how she’s changed. Charlotte talks about how she’s great because she’s a Flair, and Natalya’s another Hart who’s a failure. Shane and Stephanie add a stipulation that if Ric Flair walks down to the ring at Extreme Rules, Charlotte has to forfeit the Women’s Championship. After the contract is signed, Ric Flair starts cutting a promo on Stephanie, saying she’s the worst businesswoman of all time. Flair takes his coat off and gets in Shane’s face. He bounces off the ropes and tries to fight Shane, but Shane doesn’t want to. Stephanie gets in Flair’s face and slaps him. Charlotte goes for Stephanie but Natalya steps in the way and puts Charlotte in the Sharpshooter to close out the show.

  • Preview For Tonight’s Episode Of RAW

    This week’s episode of Monday Night RAW airs live on the USA Network from the Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, NC. Here’s what WWE is promoting for tonight’s episide, which is the go-home show for Sunday’s Extreme Rules PPV:

    – The build-up for Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles at Extreme Rules. Will AJ wrestle before the pay-per-view with his ankle injury?

    – More matches are expected to be added to the Extreme Rules PPV.

    – How will Dean Ambrose respond to Chris Jericho’s attack on SmackDown last week?

    – Primo and Epico will make their WWE returns with their new characters.

    Other talent advertised to appear at the includes Kane, The Big Show, and Shane McMahon. Come back later tonight at 7:30 PM ET for our live play-by-play coverage and discussion during RAW!

  • Trish Stratus On A Possible WWE Return, Wanting To Work With Ronda Rousey

    Trish Stratus says she is confident she could handle working in a WWE ring again. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, the Hall of Famer said WWE would have to present her with something different than she’s done before to get her back.

    “I’d only go back if it was worth it and if it was a challenge for me,” Trish told Sports Illustrated. “Something that’s different and unique, like playing a heel again, which would be super cool. I’ve gone back as a babyface, so it would have to be something challenging and something that would elevate either the division or a talent. Not just me for my own sh–s and giggles to raise my brand.”

    The former WWE Women’s Champion pointed out that an opportunity to work with UFC star Ronda Rousey would be enough to get her interest.

    “It would be good if there was a moment to elevate a character. I’d love to work with Ronda Rousey, but I don’t know if she’d be up for that,” Trish said.

    Rousey, who appeared at WrestleMania 31, said back in November that she’s “ready” to join WWE. “I have so many obligations, but I really want to find a way to make it happen,” Rousey said of potentially working for the company. “I’m a huge fan wrestling, and I would like to see the position of women in the sport continue to improve, so if I can be a part of it, great.”

  • Update On TNA Falling Behind On Paying Their Production Staff

    As previously noted, TNA is reportedly behind on paying their production workers again. Dave Meltzer reported on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that isn’t as far behind as they have been in the past, but that the company is still having financial issues.

    At the last set of Impact Wrestling tapings in April, some workers were paid in full while others weren’t paid at all. Members of TNA management reportedly told the talent not paid that their checks would be sent out the next day on April 25th, but Meltzer says those employees not paid at the tapings still haven’t received those checks.

    TNA returns to filming in June with their Slammiversary pay-per-view and a set of Impact tapings.

  • Report: TNA Months Behind On Paying Production Crew

    Report: TNA Months Behind On Paying Production Crew

    On Saturday it was announced that TNA will be holding more TV tapings in June, and that their Saturday morning replay has been cancelled by Pop TV. The news comes amid reports that TNA is having trouble paying their staff. PWTorch.com reports that TNA is currently behind on pay with their production crew, with some workers being owed money from as far back as March and January.

    There were several reports of late pay in the last year, including the company reportedly owing Bobby Roode and Eric Young over six-figures. There’s belief within the company that Aroluxe Marketing has been loaning TNA money so they could continue taping Impact Wrestling. PWTorch.com claims some TNA production staff have been told they will be replaced at next month’s taping.

    Dixie Carter is still currently looking for an investor so she can remain in control of the company. As reported earlier this month there are three possible investors who would all want to take control of the company from Dixie. TNA moving their offices into the ShopTNA warehouse in a cost-cutting move may look good in an investor presentation, but workers leaving without being paid would not.

    TNA’s recent contract re-signings are believed to have been done to impress potential investors. As noted earlier this month Dave Meltzer reported that TNA had asked their talent to tweet about how backstage morale is fine, in order to combat stories online. Meltzer says one TNA talent told him morale is “the worst ever” for people who’ve been with the company a long time.

  • Report: AJ Styles Pulled From Upcoming WWE Live Events

    Report: AJ Styles Pulled From Upcoming WWE Live Events

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUMRpc1_dyY

    As noted earlier, AJ Styles is currently suffering from several nagging injuries and didn’t wrestle at this week’s SmackDown taping as a result. PWInsider.com now reports that AJ has been pulled from this weekend’s live events so he can try to heal up. WWE wants AJ to recover as much as he can before his May 22nd Extreme Rules match against Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Title.

    Styles was originally scheduled to wrestle on Friday in Greenville, SC, Saturday in Raleigh, NC, and Sunday in Columbia, SC, but those plans have now reportedly changed. It’s unknown whether WWE intends to have Styles wrestle another singles match or not before the pay-per-view on the 22nd. There is one more episode each of RAW and SmackDown left before Extreme Rules.

    AJ has back issues that flared up last year after working a busy independent schedule. He credits DDP Yoga with helping him rehabilitate his back.

  • Adam Rose Released From Jail In Hillsborough County, Florida

    Adam Rose Released From Jail In Hillsborough County, Florida

    Adam Rose got out of jail on Thursday afternoon following his domestic disturbance arrest. Rose, real name Ray Leppan, was released in Hillsborough County, Florida at 4:10 PM ET.

    He was issued a $1,000 bond earlier today – $500 for the misdemeanor domestic battery, and $500 for the felony tampering with a witness. He has to be back in court next month to face the charges, and has been ordered to take part in counseling with his pastor until then.

    WWE issued a 60-day suspension for violating their wellness policy back in April, then when the news of his arrest broke on Wednesday they suspended him indefinitely.