WWE’s fourth annual Payback pay-per-view took place on Sunday, May 1st at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.

Pre-show:

– Dolph Ziggler def. Baron Corbin: Corbin dominates most of the match, getting lots of offense in at ringside. Ziggler comes back with a quick small package pin for the 1-2-3 out of nowhere. This was Corbin’s first loss on the WWE roster.

– A video package airs about the history between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who have a match later tonight.

– Kalisto def. Ryback: Ryback’s belt reads “The Pre-Show Stopper.” They go back and forth early on, and eventually Kalisto hits a series of high-flying dives onto Ryback to take control of the match. Ryback hits some suplexes but Kalisto drops him with a big tornado DDT off the ropes. He hits another one that drives Ryback’s face into the apron, he follows up with a splash then a corkscrew elbow off the ropes for a 2 count. Ryback comes back with a spinebuster for a 2 count of his own. Ryback goes up top but Kalisto kicks him in the head. Kalisto joins him on the turnbuckle and Ryback htis a military press slam off the top and follows up with a splash, which he misses. Kalisto hops up and hits the Salida Del Sol for the 1-2-3 to retain the U.S. Title. Lawler says this was the best match he’s seen Ryback have, “thanks to Kalisto.”

WWE Payback 2016

– The New Day comes out first to open the show. They cut a promo about how New Day Rocks, and they sit down at ringside for the WWE Tag Team Championship #1 contenders’ tournament finals. Then we get a Payback opening video that says it’s “the first pay-per-view of a new era.”

– Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillains: Enzo and Cass get the majority of the offense in early on, while The New Day eats pizza at ringside. Simon throws Enzo to the outside but he hits the ropes very awkwardly and they have a doctor checking him out. They bring a stretcher out and the match is called off. They put a neck brace on Enzo and bring him to the back on a stretcher. Cole says Enzo is talking and moving his extremities.

Referee stops the match. Medical personnel attend to the injured @WWEAaLLday21. #WWEPayback pic.twitter.com/3D8nlWtnL3

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2016

– Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn: Sami starts off on the offensive. He throws Owens to the outside and follows up with a suicide dive. K.O. eventually mounts a comeback with hits a senton bomb for a 2 count. Sami Zayn hits two Blue Thunder Bombs for
a 2-count each. Owens hits a backbreaker and a frogsplash off the top for a 2 count of his own. Owens hits a cannonball in the corner, Zayn comes back with a half nelson suplex, and then they collide for a double clothesline that leaves them both on the mat. Michael Cole talks again about how this is the first PPV of a new era. Zayn goes for a tornado DDT but Owens reverses it into a backbreaker. Zayn gives Owens a back body drop that sends him to the outside, then dives through the ropes for a tornado DDT to follow up. Back in the ring, Owens hits a superkick out of nowhere then a pop up powerbomb for the 3 count.

– After the match, Owens slaps Zayn and throws him out of the ring. K.O. calls out Byron Saxton to come into the ring to interview him. Owens cuts a promo about beating Sami Zayn, and says he’s going to get his Intercontinental Title back. Owens says he’s going to join the commentary team for the next match.

– The Miz def. Cesaro: On commentary, Owens cuts a promo on Byron. Cesaro opens up the match in control and hits a gut-wrench suplex for a 1 count. Cesaro catches Miz in mid-air and spins him around for a backbreaker for a 2 count. Maryse grabs The Miz’s leg to prevent him from being superplexed, and the Miz starts going to work on Cesaro’s injured shoulder. Cesaro comes back with a series of running European uppercuts and a dropkick for a 2 count. Owens is trashing Cole on commentary any time he calls something. Cesaro hits a corkscrew uppercut, then another but uppercut for a near-fall. Miz hit a Skull Crushing Finale for a near-fall of his own. The camera cuts to ringside and we see Sami Zayn come out of nowhere and jump Owens. Zayn beats down Owens all over ringside. Meanwhile back in the ring, Cesaro swings The Miz and gives him the Crossface Crippler. The Miz taps, but the ref doesn’t see it as Owens and Zayn are now brawling on the apron. The Miz rolls up Cesaro from behind for the 1-2-3 out of nowhere to retain the IC title. Cesaro, The Miz, Owens and Zayn continue to brawl after the match, and K.O. is the last man standing.

The rivalry between @iLikeSamiZayn & @FightOwensFight continues at the expense of @WWECesaro! #WWEPayback #ICTitle https://t.co/YTNGTKvxUM

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2016

– Dean Ambrose def. Chris Jericho: Ambrose starts off in control and beats down Jericho in the corner. After a few minutes, Jericho throws Ambrose to the outside and follows up with a dropkick. Back in the ring, Jericho drops Ambrose across the top rope then hits his patented springboard dropkick to sending him to the outside. Back in the ring, Jericho hits a suplex and a dropkick for a 2 count. Ambrose comes back with a series of elbows and kicks, then a DDT for a 2 count. Ambrose misses an elbow off the top rope and Jericho gets him in the Walls. Ambrose gets to the ropes to break the hold, throws Jericho to the outside, then goes flying onto him with a suicide dive through the ropes. Ambrose goes for the Dirty Deeds on Jericho through a table, but Jericho gets out and slingshots Ambrose onto the floor. The referee started his 10-count after they came off the table rather than after they exited the ring, Ambrose rolls back in the ring at 8. Back in the ring, Ambrose blocks a dropkick and hits an elbow off the top for 2. Jericho reverses the Dirty Deeds and gets Ambrose in the Walls again, and Ambrose gets out. Jericho hits a kick to the head and a backbreaker for 2. Ambrose blocks a Lionsault and hits the Dirty Deeds for the 3 count.

Dean Ambrose defeats @IAmJericho! And Chris is NOT HAPPY!! #WWEPayback! pic.twitter.com/AMmq8HldNT

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2016

– Charlotte w/ Ric Flair def. Natalya w/ Bret Hart: Natalya goes for the Sharpshooter early on but Charlotte gets out. They go back and forth in the opening moments, until Charlotte gets the upper hand and starts dropping knees on Natalya. Charlotte lays into Natalya with chops until Nattie comes back with some of her own, then hits a German suplex for a 2 count. Charlotte starts working on Natalya’s left leg. Natalya comes back with a headscissor takedown on the outside, then a discus clothesline back in the ring for a 2 count. Charlotte hits the Natural Selection for a 2 count. Charlotte hits a moonsault off the top for another 2. Charlotte puts her in the Figure 4 but Natalya gets out. Charlotte goes for the Sharpshooter, “Little Naitch” Charles Robinson calls for the bell even though Nattie didn’t tap, and we have a Montreal Screwjob re-creation. While Ric Flair and Charlotte are celebrating, Natalya and Bret Hart hit the ring and put them both in Sharpshooters to make the Flairs tap out.

SHARPSHOOTERS IN STEREO!!@BretHart @NatByNature #WomensTitle #WWEPayback pic.twitter.com/HHuoq26xXM

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2016

– Vince McMahon struts out to the ring to announce which of his offspring will run Monday Night RAW. Vince says RAW has been running so long because they re-invent it time and time again, and says his favorite era of the show was the Attitude Era. Vince introduces his daughter Stephanie, and she cuts a promo about her position as The Authority in WWE. Shane McMahon comes out and interrupts. Shane pleads his case for why he should be in charge of RAW. Vince says this isn’t about Shane, Stephanie, or the fans, because Vince only listens to himself and this is about what he wants. Vince says he wants to see his children slit each other’s throats and disembowel each other, or collaborate together. He says they both have equal say, and they both are running Monday Night RAW. He tells them to figure it out, and with that, the WWE Chairman leaves the ring.

– Roman Reigns def. AJ Styles: Cole called Reigns “The Guy” four times during his entrance. Reigns overpowering Styles is the story in the opening moments of the match. AJ starts working on the leg of Reigns with kicks. Reigns drops AJ with a shoulder block then a clothesline, then powerbombs him twice for a 2 count. Reigns goes for the Superman punch, but he runs right into the Pele kick from Styles. AJ goes for the Calf Crusher but Reigns gets out. AJ sends Reigns to the outside then hits him with a Phenomenal Forearm off the top rope onto Reigns and through the announce table. AJ gets back in the ring and wins via countount, which means Roman Reigns retains the WWE Title. After the decision is announced, Shane McMahon comes out and re-starts the match with no more count-outs. The bell rings and the match is back on. AJ rolls Reigns back in the ring, goes up top, and goes for the 450 splash. Reigns gets his knees up to block it for a 2 count. Reigns hits AJ with an accidental low-blow and gets disqualified. This time, Stephanie comes out and re-starts the match with no disqualifications. They brawl all over ringside before getting back in the ring. AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Reigns hits him with the Superman punch in mid-air for a 2 count. Reigns hits another Superman punch, then waits for AJ to get up. Anderson and Gallows come in and pull AJ out of the ring then beat down Reigns. AJ slowly crawls up on the apron and hits Reigns with the Phenomenal Forearm for a 2 count. The Usos run out and brawl with Anderson and Gallows on the ramp. AJ goes up top, but Roman Reigns pushes him off onto the four men brawling at ringside. Reigns hits a suicide dive on to everyone except AJ, who was hiding behind the fan barricade, and comes flying out of nowhere onto Reigns. He hits a 450 splash on Reigns off the top for another near-fall. Reigns ducks a Phenomenal Forearm and spears AJ for the 3 count.

PHENOMENAL FOREARM!!! Crashes both men through the announcers' table!! #WWEPayback #WWETitle pic.twitter.com/pxzxqam3ts

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2016

– After the match, the McMahons are in the back. Vince asks Shane and Stephanie if AJ should have a rematch. His children decide the rematch should be at Extreme Rules in another no DQ match.

WWE will be at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois tonight for Payback 2016. Our live coverage starts tonight at 8 PM ET for WWE’s fourth annual Payback pay-per-view event. Here’s the final card for tonight’s show:

WWE Title Match
– Roman Reigns © vs. AJ Styles

Intercontinental Title Match
– The Miz © vs. Cesaro

Women’s Title Match
– Charlotte © (with Ric Flair) vs. Natalya (with Bret Hart)

– Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

– Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon decides who controls RAW, Shane or Stephanie.

– Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contenders’ Tournament Final
– Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillains

Pre-Show
– Kalisto © vs. Ryback for the United States Title

• Jim Ross Gives His WWE Payback Predictions

If you’re planning on betting on WWE Payback on Sunday, you might want to check out Jim Ross’ predictions for the event. The WWE Hall of Famer updated his blog on Friday with his predictions for Payback 2016.

Ross predicted the main event first, saying he thinks while AJ’s first WWE PPV main event will be impressive, Roman Reigns will get the win to retain the World Heavyweight Title. He thinks the co-main event between Charlotte and Natalya will also result in the champion retaining, as he predicts Charlotte will “squeak out a quality win” over Nattie.

Despite Ross wanting to see Cesaro win the IC Title, he thinks The Miz will cheat to win in their match on Sunday. He says Ambrose will go over Jericho in “what should be a really good wrestling match.” Ross thinks losing to Lesnar at WrestleMania gave Dean’s TV persona a boost.

The former WWE Head of Talent Relations predicts Sami Zayn will be victorious over Kevin Owens in a bout he says he’s excited to watch live. Ross thinks Ryback will cheat the smaller underdog Kalisto out of the United Stats title, and says he likes Ryback as a bully heel, but suggests he learns to “occasionally retreat.”

You can read Ross’ entire blog entry here.

David Herro, founder of Great Lakes Championship Wrestling, says he knows the real reason Bobby Roode and Eric Young left TNA. “Bobby Roode and Eric Young left because they were owed a combined six-figures,” Herro said on the Pro Wrestling Report.

“How do you not pay those two guys?” Herro asked. “You let Bobby Roode go… a guy who could have gone to WWE but he wanted to be loyal to the company. Thank God he left. He’ll be a big star in NXT. He’ll make the main roster in a year from now. Same with Eric Young.”

As far as TNA’s future goes, Herro thinks they need a management change. “I wish Ring Of Honor would buy TNA,” Herro said of TNA’s current financial problems. “They already have the infrastructure in place. They already have the TV deal alone. They’re already in more markets than Pop TV.”

Herro also pointed out that TNA does not currently get paid by Pop TV, and that they bartered for their Impact Wrestling time slot.

• TV Company Reportedly In Talks To Buy TNA

The April 28, 2016 edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 2,109,000 viewers on the USA Network. This is down from last week’s 2,431,000 viewers. SmackDown was ranked #7 on the Top 150 cable shows for the night.

SmackDown went up against John Cena’s new American Grit series on FOX in the 9 PM ET time slot. American Grit averaged 2,190,000 viewers on Thursday.

The NFL Draft was the evening’s viewership leader with 6,289,000 viewers on ESPN.

Paul Heyman and his Looking4Larry advertising/marketing  agency will be the focus of a new unscripted series currently in development.

Heyman is partnering with Left/Right Productions on the show, an NYC-based production company specializing in television and film projects that “illuminate the drama and comedy of real life.” According to their website, Left/Right tells “stories that are both honest and surprising, revealing and entertaining, dramatic and cinematic.”

In an interview with The Wrap, Heyman said the show is completely unscripted and shows all of the problems his company is forced to solve on a daily basis. The article mentions that Heyman’s “ingeniously dysfunctional” approach to his job will be well-documented in the series.

“It’s the juggling act,” Heyman said. “I’m a single parent looking to demonstrate to his children that you can work your ass off and have the time of your life doing it. I sleep two hours a night, so if I don’t keep busy, I end up getting myself in a lot of trouble.

“At least now if I get in trouble, it’ll make for good television.”

The pilot episode is currently being filmed in New York City. No word yet on the distribution model for the show, whether it be traditional television or an online streaming service, but The Wrap reports that Lionsgate and British TV networks are interested in the show.

The WWE Network is paying tribute to the late Joan “Chyna” Laurer. The streaming service added a collection of Chyna’s greatest moments and matches with WWE on Friday. Chyna passed away on April 20th from what her manager says was an accidental overdose of prescribed medication. Here’s what you’ll find in the WWE Network’s “Chyna Collection” so far:

– In Your House: Final Four – Chyna’s Debut

– WrestleMania 13 – Triple H vs. Goldust

– Raw 08/10/1998 – The DX Split

– Raw 11/30/1998 – An Evening with Sexual Chocolate

– Raw 01/11/1999 – Corporation Battle Royal – Chyna becomes entry #30 in the Royal Rumble

– Royal Rumble 1999 – Chyna paves the way for women by becoming the first female to compete in the Royal Rumble Match.

– Heat 06/06/1999 – Chyna vs. Val Venis (Qualifying match for the 1999 King of the Ring)

– Raw 08/09/1999 – Chyna becomes the #1 Contender for the WWE Title in a Triple Threat.

– No Mercy 1999 – Chyna vs. Jeff Jarrett (Intercontinental Championship match)

– Survivor Series 1999 – Chyna vs. Chris Jericho (Intercontinental Championship match)

– Raw 04/24/2000 – Mamacita For Prom Queen

– Raw 09/04/2000 – Feeling The Burn of Latino Heat

– SmackDown 09/21/2000 – A Proposal For The Cover Girl

– Raw 09/25/2000 – The Right To Dream

– Raw 12/11/2000 – Dismantling The Ninth Wonder

– WrestleMania X-Seven – Chyna vs. Ivory (Women’s Championship match)

• WWE Network Cracking Down On Account Sharing

Shortly after Ric Flair was treated for a cut on his head at Logan Airport, his Woo! Nation podcast co-host revealed that the podcast is on hiatus because Flair “terminated the contract.” His co-host, Conrad Thompson, said the airport incident had nothing to do with the podcast going on hiatus.

Thompson wrote that Flair is doing “fine,” and the issues with the podcast are over money and not his health. Thompson says he does think the podcast will be back, but doesn’t know when.

Flair’s podcast started back in May of 2015 when he interviewed Kurt Angle. The podcast has been inactive since WrestleMania weekend when the 46th installment was recorded in Dallas.

@KEVINHOLSOMBACK Ric terminated the contract. That's all I will say

— Conrad the Mortgage Guy (@HeyHeyItsConrad) April 28, 2016

WWE taped several episodes of NXT TV in Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University on Thursday night. Here’s what happened:

Airing on May 4th:

– NXT Champion Samoa Joe was in the ring to open up the show, when Eric Young made his debut by coming out to challenge Joe to a match. Joe accepts and says he’ll destroy him.

– Nia Jax def. Tessa Blanchard

– Austin Aries def. Tye Dillinger

– The Revival def. The Hype Bros

– No Way Jose def. Noah Kekoa

– Non-Title Match: Samoa Joe def. Eric Young via submission

Airing on May 11th:

– Finn Balor opens the show and cuts a promo about losing the NXT Title. Elias Samson confronts him and Balor lays him out.

– American Alpha def. Skyler & Hollis

– Shinsuke Nakamura def. Alex Riley

– Alexa Bliss def. Rachel

– Finn Balor def. Elias Samson. After the match Balor demanded a rematch with Samoa Joe. Joe comes out and William Regal books them in a match for NXT Takeover.

– Asuka def. Adrienne Reese

Airing on May 18th:

– Austin Aries and Shinsuke Nakamura def. Blake and Murphy

– Carmella def. Peyton Royce

– Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa def. Martin Stone & Rob Ryzin

– Nia Jax def. Bayley

– American Alpha def. The Revival

It was revealed at Thursday’s NXT TV tapings that Samoa Joe will be defending his NXT Title in the main event of the next NXT Takeover special. His opponent will be former champion Finn Balor. Joe beat Balor for the NXT Championship at a live event last week.

The next Takeover special will take place on June 8th at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL and will air on the WWE Network.

The title match between Joe and Balor is the only match announced for the card as of this writing.

• Eric Young Debuts In NXT (Video)

The April 27th episode of Lucha Underground averaged 107,000 viewers on the El Ray Network in the first run, and 52,000 viewers for the replay for a total of 159,000. This is down from last week’s total of 198,000 viewers, with 149,000 people watching the first run and 49,000 watching the replay.

The show didn’t place on the Top 150 cable shows for the night. This is the fifth week in a row they haven’t placed on the chart.

The show’s highest viewership ever came earlier this month on April 4th with a total of 234,000 viewers.

• David Arquette Wanted To Portray A Masked Drunk Character In Lucha Underground

– TV host Andrea D’Marco recently announced on Twitter that she will be joining NXT. It’s unknown when she’ll first appear on NXT TV, but she says her first day was Monday, so it’s likely she’ll be at tonight’s tapings. D’Marco is a former Miami Dolphins Cheerleader who has previously worked for several South Florida TV channels.

I'm working as host for NXT. I'm learning the ropes and ready for this amazing opportunity! https://t.co/uLQpHOF2Or

— Andrea Ocampo (@AndreaOcampoTV) April 26, 2016

– WWE tapes episodes of NXT TV on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Stars advertised for the tapings include NXT Champion Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, and Austin Aries. Aries will be featured in action on next week’s episode. We’ll have spoilers from the tapings later tonight.

The Greatest Man That Ever Lived is in action NEXT WEEK on @WWENXT!!! @AustinAries #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/TZjL6aicWP

— WWE (@WWE) April 28, 2016

Bret Hart continues to have very few nice things to say about Triple H. In an interview with Notts TV News, the WWE Hall of Famer criticized Triple H for his desire to push performers based on their physiques. Hart does give credit to his NXT brand for having better wrestling than WrestleMania 32, which Hart says had “no great wrestling” on it. Hart also takes jabs at Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior while discussing The Game.

“I’m always happy to be proven wrong, but I’ve never seen any real genius come from Triple H yet,” Hart said. “I sound like I’m always knocking him, but it seems like he’s quick to push the great wrestling to the side and push the bodies, guys who have [good] physiques, all the time. They wonder why CM Punk quit and they wonder why Daniel Bryan got hurt. It’s because they squeeze so much out of those guys. I’m just calling it the way it is. Triple H is a former bodybuilder. He’s all about bodies. He thought that Hulk Hogan was the greatest wrestler in the world. They think Ultimate Warrior was the greatest wrestler in the world because that’s what they’re attracted to, but he’s not really a wrestling fan like I grew up.”

Hart credits Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka and Bayley for putting on a better show at Takeover: Dallas than anything he saw at WrestleMania 32. The Hitman objects with WWE putting part-time wrestlers at the top of the card at ‘Mania, and feels those positions should go to talent that works year-round.

“As much of a great job Undertaker did to carry him, to me, from a storyline standpoint, Vince McMahon’s son got the main event spot,” Hart said of Shane McMahon’s Hell In A Cell match against The Undertaker.

“Triple H got the 1,000th time world champion spot. He’s making the top money. Brock Lesnar is making top money. They’re working twice a year, three times a year, five times a year,” Hart said. “You look at Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens and Natalya, people who are slogging it out day in, day out, week in, week out, in every part of the world, traveling every day, and they’re all in the opening matches, the pre-card. There’s something wrong with the logic of that. […] All these guys are doing the work all year round and they give the money spots to these guys who are part-timers. It’s just not right.”

You can watch Hart’s entire interview here.

• Bret Hart: “No Desire” to Be On WWE TV, Thinks Triple H Will Keep Chyna Out Of HOF

Rich Brennan is no longer with WWE. The former NXT and SmackDown announcer was let go this week after the company decided to not renew his contract, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. He has since removed all references to WWE from his Twitter bio and issued this brief statement:

https://twitter.com/RichBocchini/status/725438458718785536

Brennan had been with WWE since 2014. Prior to that, he worked with Booker T’s Reality Of Wrestling promotion out of Houston and did some announcing for the Central Hockey League. Here is his final WWE interview from this week:

As reported on Wednesday, Ric Flair was involved in some sort of incident at Logan airport in Boston. Airport police say they don’t think Flair was drunk, and he was treated for a cut on his hand. The Massachusetts State police are saying Flair hit his head and was treated for a minor head injury. A witness told TMZ, “[Blood] was dripping down from his head to his neck. A significant amount of blood.”

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that there are other witnesses saying there was a shouting incident involving Flair when someone was rude to him and then asked him for a selfie. The Observer reports that WWE officials are currently looking into this situation and investigating what really happened.

• Video: Ric Flair Tells Natalya “Kill Yourself” During Heated Promo At SmackDown Tapings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aodT0Mz-x6A

Bryan Alvarez noted on Wrestling Observer on Wednesday that Bray Wyatt will be out of action for 6-8 weeks. Wyatt suffered a calf injury back on April 14th during his match with Roman Reigns in Milan, Italty.

The original plans for Payback were for The Wyatts to wrestle The League of Nations, but those plans — and the League of Nations stable itself were scrapped as a result of Bray’s injury.

Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman haven’t appeared on WWE TV since the injury.

Tuesday night’s Impact Wrestling averaged 332,000 viewers on Pop TV. This is up from 312,000 viewers last week. This is Impact Wrestling’s third week without having a replay the same night.

Impact placed at #91 on the Top 150 cable shows for the night. TNA was up against two NBA playoffs games that drew over 4,000,000 viewers.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross watched RAW on Monday and says he thinks Cesaro is a main eventer “waiting to explode.” In a new blog entry on his website, Ross says once Cesaro gets “over,” he would pay to see him wrestle Brock Lesnar.

Ross predicted another future main eventer after watching Monday’s RAW: Apollo Crews. “Crews is a helluva prospect and has a legit chance to be a main event player for years to come,” Ross wrote. “No guarantees, but he’s got all the tools or so it seems.”

The former WWE Head of Talent Relations says the audience booing Roman Reigns is at least better than silence. “Most fans are booing, but they are also making noise which is encouraging,” Ross wrote. “I’m not even sure any more what reactions the live audience would provide us, viewers if Reigns was turned into a full fledged villain. Just my take but how Roman Reigns has been booked may be the single biggest reason that fans are so reluctant and resistant to accept him as a fan favorite. That may sound overly simplistic but today’s audience is more complex and knowledgeable than their predecessors of any generation and as a society few like being ‘force fed’ anything. It’s that defiance thing.

“Roman Reigns is a talented, valuable piece of talent who’s a long term, work in progress and his TV persona isn’t close to being refined as it will be say by WM33 in Orlando for example,” Ross continued. “Patience is the key here for all, however, in the age of defiance patience is a fleeting trait.”

You can read his entire blog entry here.

– Titus O’Neil is officially back to work after serving a suspension for grabbing Vince McMahon’s arm in an unscripted moment on RAW two months ago. He defeated Tyler Breeze in a dark match before the SmackDown TV taping on Tuesday night in Manchester, NH at the Verizon Wireless Arena.

– A remark Ric Flair made at the SmackDown taping on Tuesday night is already getting criticism from fans on Twitter. During an in-ring segment with Dean Ambrose, Natalya, Charlotte and Flair, The Nature Boy told Natalya to kill herself after she said that Bret Hart could beat him up. It’s unknown whether this will make it to TV or not on Thursday. Here’s how it went down according to someone in attendance at the Verizon Wireless Arena:

https://twitter.com/WWRPodcast/status/725136620068950016

Members of WWE management reportedly were shocked when they heard news that Adam Rose had publicly addressed his wellness policy violation. Rose was suspended for 60 days for using what he claims were prescribed medications, and said his doctor was “shocked and appalled” by the suspension.

According to PWInsider.com, WWE officials did not know Rose was going to address the suspension on Twitter, and found out when everyone else did after he posted it online. PWInsider reports that Rose gained some respect within some circles in the company for explaining his position. Rose reportedly has a good reputation with his co-workers and seems to have some support from them.

Konnor was also suspended by the company for a wellness policy violation, although he didn’t test positive for anything illegal either.

WWE is invading Manchester, NH to tape the April 28th episode of SmackDown at the Verizon Wireless Arena.

WWE Main Event Spoilers:

– Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson def. Zack Ryder & Fandango.

– Dolph Ziggler def. Viktor

– Kevin Owens def. Jack Swagger

SmackDown Spoilers:

– Roman Reigns, The Miz and Maryse kick off SmackDown with an in-ring segment. It ends with Miz getting thrown out of the ring by the World Heavyweight Champion.

– Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Kalisto def. Sheamus, Rusev and Alberto Del Rio by count out. Rusev and Del Rio end up walking out on Sheamus.

https://twitter.com/prowrestlingbuz/status/725120579091582976

– Natalya and Charlotte will be on The Ambrose Asylum tonight.

– Baron Corbin def. Damien Sandow in a short match.

– Dean Ambrose comes out for The Ambrose Asylum with Natalya, Charlotte and Ric Flair. Nattie tells Flair that Bret Hart can handle him if he gets involved at PayBack. This gets Flair fired up, he says he’s beaten Bret all over WWE and WCW and tells Nattie to “kill herself.”

https://twitter.com/WWRPodcast/status/725131232087052292

– Enzo Amore and Big Cass def. The Social Outcasts in a tag match. The New Day came out to do commentary and made Byron Saxton sit on the floor. The Vaudevillains came out to watch from the stage.

https://twitter.com/ColbyAverill/status/725129913246822402

– Apollo Crews def. Stardust

– Roman Reigns def. The Miz via DQ. The main event match ended when Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson interfered and attacked Reigns. The Usos and AJ Styles hit the ring and they brawl to close out the show.

The Aril 25th edition of WWE RAW averaged 3,120,000 viewers on the USA Network. The third hour of RAW dropped below 3 million viewers for the second week in a row. RAW viewership has been decreasing weekly since the post-WrestleMania 32 episode, which averaged 4,094,000 viewers and saw Shane McMahon take control of the show.

The first hour of RAW averaged 3,263,000 viewers, the second hour averaged 3,184,000 viewers, and the final hour averaged 2,938,000.

Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger says WrestleMania will take place in the United Kingdom sooner or later. In an interview with TheSportBible.com, Swagger said that the UK is WWE’s second-biggest market outside of the United States, and it only makes sense to host their biggest pay-per-view of the year there.

“I’d say it’s a case of not if, but when,” Swagger said. “When WrestleMania goes international the first place we’ve got to go is the UK, definitely.”

When asked about his dream opponent, Swagger chose someone not currently on the WWE roster. He says Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle is someone he wants to face, and shared a story about meeting the former WWE headliner.

“I recently met Kurt Angle. We were in Pittsburgh and I was working out with R-Truth and Kurt was in the same gym. So Truth knows him, and he told him I was here and wanted to meet him,” he revealed. “It was just before he did the match at that event with Mysterio with all the boxing and MMA fights on the card (laughs). When I first started watching wrestling, he was the guy I watched ‘cos he was an amateur and an Olympian, and that’s why I watch wrestling, for the technical aspect so yeah, I’d choose Kurt Angle.”

You can read his entire interview here.

There are now reportedly three bidders in the running to buy TNA. Dave Meltzer reported on Live Audio Wrestling that he’s heard of two new bidders aside from Aroluxe, and one is “TV-based” and would run TNA in a way that could be compared to Turner and WCW. He didn’t mention the name of the company.

Meltzer noted that if this TV company gets TNA, they may want to pull Impact Wrestling from Pop TV in favor of airing it on their own channels. He says TNA’s international syndication deals in the UK and India would be the valuable assets to this bidder. One company that fits the criteria mentioned by Meltzer is Sinclair Broadcasting, where Aroluxe CEO David Johnson worked for 11 years. Sinclair Broadcasting is the parent company of Ring Of Honor.

In last week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer reported that Dixie Carter had already gone 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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlT3Fyrdl6I

– The Dudley Boyz will be on ESPN’s “Off The Top Rope” segment tonight to promote their Straight Outta Dudleyville DVD.

– Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast will feature Sami Zayn on Wednesday.

– Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Kane turns 49 years old today. He shares the same birthday as former WCW star and early UFC fighter Tank Abbott.

– It was noted on Monday’s RAW that there are 4 episodes of The Edge and Christian Show left. There has been no mention on when or if there will be a second season of the show. Below is a segment from last night’s episode:

It's time for the #ChumpstainChallenge: European Superstar Geography edition! #TheECShow @WWENetwork https://t.co/gKbOTHUMu1

— WWE (@WWE) April 26, 2016