– Alberto del Rio took over Ricardo Rodriguez’s backstage interview role this past week for segments that air exclusively on RAW and SmackDown in Mexico.
Del Rio stayed in character as a heel, mocking Rodriguez for being “fat” and “useless.” He also called himself the greatest international Superstar to ever come to WWE.
– Batista’s new “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie opened at #1 over the weekend at set a new August box office record in the United States with an estimated $94.0 million opening weekend (domestic). Including the foreign box office proceeds of over $66 million, Guardians of The Galaxy, which opened last week, has already taken in over $160 million.
Meanwhile, The Rock’s “Hercules” movie fell to #4, just passing the $10-million mark with an estimated haul of $10.7 million in its second weekend.
Guardians of the Galaxy is getting rave reviews from critics and moviegoers, with a 93% rating on RottenTomatoes.com.
The WWE contract of Ricardo Rodriguez, who was released by the company this past week, would have renewed the night after SummerSlam later this month had WWE not let him go.
Rodriguez had been frustrated for a while that he wasn’t being used as a wrestler in any legitimate way after they split he and Alberto Del Rio as a unit, although he has been dealing with injuries as of late.
The mindset in WWE was that they don’t necessarily “need” a three-man announce team for the Spanish television broadcasts, nor a dedicated interviewer for the Spanish-language shows, so the decision to release him was said to be a relatively easy decision to make considering the fact that the company is making some heavy talent and office cuts right now.
– It was announced during Monday’s RAW that on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, the featured match will be Dean Ambrose vs. Alberto Del Rio. WWE Main Event airs live on the WWE Network on Tuesday night at 8pm EST.
– Also announced during RAW this week was the confirmation that Chris Jericho and Bray Wyatt will meet again at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view in August. The match was confirmed during a RAW segment that featured Chris Jericho making fun of Stephanie McMahon, all-the-while angering Triple H. As noted previously, Jericho and Wyatt are expected to work matches against each other in three consecutive pay-per-views — Battleground, SummerSlam and Night Of Champions.
The following matches were taped prior to Monday’s RAW for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars.
– Alberto Del Rio def. Justin Gabriel via Submission after applying his Cross Armbreaker, forcing the tap out from Gabriel.
– Heath Slater & Titus O’Neil def. Sin Cara & Zack Ryder in tag-team action via pinfall. Ryder ended up being the man on his team who had to look up at the lights, as you would expect.
WWE has announced a return to Mexico, as they will be bringing shows to the Arena Ciudad in Mexico City on October 18th and in Monterrey on October 19th. Additionally, there will be two other shows. One in Bogata, Columbia and another in that region, both of which have not been given official dates as of yet.
John Cena, Bray Wyatt and Alberto Del Rio are listed as the top stars of the tour, which will include most of WWE’s top performers.
– It was announced on the post-Battleground edition of WWE RAW that on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which airs this Friday night on the SyFy Network, that one of the main events will be Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio.
– The following is Flo Rida’s performance from Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW.
– Sami Zayn, Charlotte and Adrian Neville of NXT are all scheduled to work the WWE RAW and SmackDown television tapings next week in Richmond and Fayetteville, likely performing in non-televised dark matches. Ric Flair is also booked for the WWE TV shows next week.
– WWE has added Jeff Jarrett to their Alumni roster.
– WWE U.S. Champion Sheamus was said to be banged up after his “Last Man Standing” match with Alberto Del Rio at this week’s WWE Main Event. Sheamus had a number of welts on his back and shoulders after the bout.
Joey Styles tweeted the following earlier today, announcing that tonight’s WWE United States Championship match between Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio will now be a “Last Man Standing” match:
Following Monday’s RAW, here is an updated look at the official WWE Battleground pay-per-view lineup:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
– Kane vs. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena
Battle Royal for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, The Great Khali, Rob Van Dam, Dolph Ziggler, Big E., Ryback, Curtis Axel, Alberto Del RIo, Bo Dallas, Sheamus and Fandango
– Following Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Montreal, here is the updated list of official participants confirmed for the Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal at the upcoming WWE Battleground pay-per-view: Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, The Great Khali, Rob Van Dam, Dolph Ziggler, Big E., Ryback, Curtis Axel, Alberto Del RIo, Bo Dallas, Sheamus and Fandango.
– The following is the Bret Hart and “Bret Sandhart” segment from Monday’s RAW:
Tonight’s episode of Raw took place in Montreal, Canada and featured a total of eleven matches, including a first ever one-on-one meeting between the WWE World Heavyweight champion John Cena and Money in the Bank briefcase holder Seth Rollins.
Canadian icon and WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart graced the WWE Universe with his presence and cut a promo. Of course, he brought up the Montreal Screw Job, but it was a nice moment. Also, WWE continued to promote current on-going storylines leading up to Battleground.
Last week’s episode of Raw was one of the best and most exciting in recent history. Did this edition live up to last week’s high standards? Without further ado, here are highlights, lowlights and my random thoughts on the 7/7/2014 edition of Monday Night Raw:
BEST MATCH: The opening bout between the Usos and the Wyatt Family was the best match of the night. There were two other matches that could have stolen the show, but they failed to do so for a couple of reasons. First, Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose gave it their best effort, but it was clear to see that the two didn’t have very much chemistry, at least when it comes to singles action. Also, the Dean Ambrose botch wasn’t a crowd-pleasing moment.
Chris Jericho vs. the Miz could have been special, but the match didn’t last as long as I hoped. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins had the most promise, but they weren’t given enough time to do anything memorable and the obvious interference by Kane and Randy Orton ruined the match for me.
What was your favorite match of the night?
WORST MATCH: AJ Lee/Paige vs. Naomi/Cameron was the worst match of the night. Aside from the main event and the tag team match between the Usos and the Wyatt Family, there weren’t any real standout matches. However, this bout stood out for all the wrong reasons and it was a poor showing amongst the four Divas involved. Bo Dallas vs. El Torito was a close second for the worst match of the night award because at least the crowd was somewhat into it.
The worst segment of the night was the Nikki Bella/Alicia Fox disaster, but I don’t think there was an opening bell and nobody was declared the winner. Therefore, Idon’t consider this to be a match; otherwise, it would have won the award.
UPSET OF THE NIGHT: Kofi Kingston defeating Cesaro was the upset of the night. I know that Kofi defeated Cesaro last week on Raw, but I didn’t expect him to do it again and I don’t think the fans/crowd did either. I see Cesaro winning the Intercontinental Title at Battleground and Kingston falling into obscurity once again, but at least Kofi is living in the moment now.
To quote the great Mike Adamle, Kofi be Jamaican me crazy.
MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: I expected Randy Orton to defeat Dean Ambrose in their match tonight, but I was anticipating Seth Rollins to screw Ambrose over, resulting in Ambrose losing cleanly. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Ambrose has been really hot as of late and Rollins costing him the match would have protected Ambrose a bit more. Also, it would have spiced things up and furthered the Ambrose/Rollins feud.
– After defeating Dolph Ziggler on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Montreal, Alberto Del Rio earned himself a shot at Sheamus and the WWE United States Championship on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, which airs live on Tuesday night on the WWE Network.
– It was also announced on RAW that Fandango has been officially added to the upcoming battle royal for the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship at the upcoming WWE Battleground pay-per-view.
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Following Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown, here is the updated list of official participants in the WWE Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal at the upcoming WWE Battleground pay-per-view:
– Cesaro
– Kofi Kingston
– Damien Sandow
– The Great Khali
– Rob Van Dam
– Dolph Ziggler
– Big E
– Ryback
– Curtis Axel
– Alberto Del Rio
– Bo Dallas
Below is the latest edition of “SmackDown Fallout,” which features WWE United States Champion Sheamus:
Today is the all-important day where Americans celebrate their independence by consuming large amounts of alcohol and grilled fare. No WWE superstar claims to have America’s best interests in mind more than Jack Swagger.
The so-called Real American, accompanied by his founding father Zeb Colter, has advocated an isolationist domestic policy that is free of illegal immigrants. Along the way, Swagger has made national headlines by entering into a feud with conservative radio host Glenn Beck.
It appeared that Swagger was in the midst of a massive push while bickering with Beck, having just defeated accomplished stars such as Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Daniel Bryan to earn a chance to compete against Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29.
Swagger and Colter made national news in 2013 after attracting the attention of Glenn Beck.
Unfortunately for Swagger, he was arrested for DUI and possession of marijuana, ending what could have been a classic feud between a border-protecting nationalist and an immigrant Mexican. Del Rio defeated Swagger at WrestleMania and the Real American was quickly shifted out of the main event scene.
Since aligning himself with Zeb Colter, Swagger has always acted as a heel, often using cheap heat as a way to get his character over. However, it seems as if a face turn could be just around the corner.
In recent months, Rusev has been dominating the WWE roster, taking out superstars such as Big E, Kofi Kingston, and R-Truth. Much like Swagger, Rusev has also used cheap heat as a way to build his character, praising Vladimir Putin and Russia along the way.
Rusev was up to his usual antics this past week when the crowd actually started chanting for Jack Swagger. Colter and Swagger defended America by taking out Rusev and acting as faces for the first time since joining one another. Unsurprisingly, Colter cut an amazing promo on Rusev and Lana, perfectly setting up what could be an entertaining feud.
Chris Jericho will not be working WWE’s upcoming tour of Japan. Instead, he will be on the July 13th show in Wildwood, New Jersey and July 12th event in Madison Square Garden, where he is scheduled to do a Highlight Reel segment.
Speaking of the upcoming WWE MSG show, the main event will feature John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a Lumberjack Match, with Ric Flair and Triple H as the leader of the two teams of lumberjacks. Also on the show will be a triple-threat match for the WWE United States Championship, with Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio.
The following is the final card for tonight’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view:
Money In The Bank Ladder Match (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
– John Cena vs. Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton vs. Cesaro vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
Money In The Bank Ladder Match (Briefcase For Title Shot Up To One Year)
– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Bad News Barrett*
WWE Tag-Team Championship
– The Usos (c) vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
WWE Divas Championship
Paige (c) vs. Naomi
Divas Match (Special Guest Referee: Fandango)
– Summer Rae vs. Layla
Tag-Team Match
– Goldust & Stardust vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel
Singles Match
– Rusev vs. Big E.
* – Barrett suffered a separated shoulder during the SmackDown taping this past Tuesday, however WWE has yet to announce whether or not he has been pulled from his match.
Make sure to join us here later tonight for the absolute best live play-by-play results coverage of the fifth annual WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view!
The WWE’s brightest stars will attempt to cash in at this Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Two ladder matches will main event the program, with one being held to declare a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. In addition, former champion Daniel Bryan will address the WWE Universe during the pre-show.
Here are my predictions for this Sunday’s event.
Summer Rae vs. Layla (Fandango Guest Referee)
I was never the biggest Fandango supporter, but I definitely thought he would be doing something bigger than referring a divas match a year ago. He has regressed over the past year and lost a lot of momentum. This will likely be the bathroom break match of the night, and Fandango will play a major role in the outcome, of course. Summer Rae will win this one by either rejoining Fandango or using him to influence the outcome of the contest before abandoning him.
Winner: Summer Rae by pinfall
Rusev vs. Big E
These guys performed well together at last month’s Payback, even though they were given less than four minutes total. They will hopefully get a little more time during this one, allowing both superstars to showcase their strengths.
I think Rusev will ultimately win this one, but Big E will also look strong during the match. Big E cut a passionate promo on last week’s Raw, so it appears the WWE wants to showcase him a bit more. Both guys will look good, but Rusev will force Big E to tap out in the end.
Winner: Rusev by submission
Stardust and Goldust vs. Ryback and Curtis Axel
The Rhodes Brothers storyline has been moving slowly over the past few months. It first looked as if the two brothers were going to feud with one another, with Cody searching for an adequate replacement because he felt Goldust deserved better.
He eventually rebranded himself as Stardust and the two have been on a winning streak ever since. They will continue to look strong on Sunday, picking up the win after Cody hits his Diamond Dust finisher on Curtis Axel.
Early advertising for the WWE Battleground pay-per-view, which is the next show following Sunday’s Money In The Bank, has been released in the local Tampa market and may have already spoiled two of the matches planned for the show.
According to the ads in Tampa, Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton and Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose will be taking place at Battleground.
Also advertised to appear at Battleground are John Cena, Bray Wyatt, Kane, RVD, Sheamus, Cesaro, Big Show, Alberto Del Rio, Bad News Barrett and Kofi Kingston.
The following are highlights of a new Digital Spy interview with Alberto Del Rio:
How much do you enjoy a ladder match compared to other matches? “No – I don’t really enjoy them because they’re painful! But it’s part of the game, and in this case, if you want to be WWE World Heavyweight Champion you have to accept the challenge and prepare yourself and your body for a lot of pain on Sunday.”
Roman Reigns is going to be there – what did you think about the break-up of The Shield? “I don’t really think about The Shield, but I can tell you something – Roman Reigns is a great competitor. He’s strong, fast. I would say he is the new rising star for the WWE.
“He’s going to a great competitor that night, but unfortunately he’s going to be in the ring with Alberto Del Rio, so I don’t think he’s going to win the title.”
There’s been a lot of mumbling about the return of Brock Lesnar – if you win on Sunday, how would you feel if Brock goes after you? “We all know who Brock Lesnar is and how dangerous he can be, but he’s no different to any other competitor in WWE.
“All the people, all the wrestlers in WWE are great fighters, great wrestlers, so it doesn’t really matter who you need to face when you’re the champion. That’s the reason someone is the champion… to face everybody in the world.”
It was another Heyman Guy, CM Punk, who took the title from you at Survivor Series in 2011 – do you think he’ll come back to the company any time soon? “Yeah, of course. He’ll be back soon. I don’t know when, but he’ll back.”
A lot of people were recently released from the company including some great guys. You’ve been around a long time now – is it harder than ever to stay successful? “It’s always hard. Wrestling is no different from any other job – you need to bring your best every single day because there’s people behind you trying to take your job. You can see that everywhere, not only in wrestling.
“That’s the reason you have to be in shape all the time, you have to try to bring something different every time you’re in the ring and you need to make yourself and your opponent good every single time, so you can keep up with the game.”
When you one day retire, what do you want the legacy of Alberto Del Rio to be? “Everybody knows I’m a hard worker and they know that regardless of if you like me or not, I’m going to bring the best matches every single night, because I have pride for this business, I love this business.
“It was passed to me by my grandfather and my father. That will be my legacy: somebody who gave everything in the ring every single night.”
With eight superstars in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship ladder match and seven in the Money in the Bank contract ladder match, the future is very intriguing.
With eight superstars in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship ladder match and seven in the Money in the Bank contract ladder match, the future is very intriguing.
Someone is walking out of Boston with the WWE World Heavyweight title. Whoever wins has to be careful though. Because lurking behind them will be someone else with the Money in the Bank briefcase. The two winners of these matches will have a microscope on them. Many of these stars have a long history with each other. From the three members of The Shield to Attitude Era stars like Kane and Rob Van Dam, WWE fans could see some fantastic feuds come from the outcomes of these matches.
At Money in the Bank 2010, Kane won the briefcase and become the first and only superstar to cash in that very same night. History could repeat itself this year, except this time the title can change more times. The WWE World Heavyweight title will change at least once since it is currently vacant. However, it could change twice in the same night if the Money in the Bank winner cashes in like Kane did four years ago. This would expedite a feud between superstars in each match.
With that said, here are seven fantastic and intriguing feuds that could begin thanks to the outcomes of the two ladder matches at Money in the Bank 2014.
One week from today, WWE’s annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view will be held in Boston, Massachusetts. The event has quickly become one of the most anticipated programs of the year, as it provides exciting action and sets up the storyline for months by allowing a WWE superstar to stalk his prey while holding a contract for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.
There will be two Money in the Bank ladder matches this year. One will be held for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and the other will be a traditional contest for a shot at the title. The first contest will feature perennial title contenders such as John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Alberto Del Rio, as well as up-and-coming stars such as Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, and Cesaro.
It seems like John Cena is once again the favorite to leave Boston as the champ.
The second ladder match will feature Seth Rollins, with the rest of the lineup to be determined in a series of qualifying matches. Thus far, only three matches have been announced for the entire pay-per-view, and with only one week left before the event, one has to wonder how the WWE will tie everything together in such a brief period.
Other than the two ladder matches, a matchup between the Usos and Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of the Wyatt family is the only confirmed contest on the card. It seems apparent that Dean Ambrose will be one of the participants in the traditional ladder match. Potential options also include those who did not qualify for the championship ladder match, including Bad News Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, and Rob Van Dam.
The two ladder matches will soak up a large portion of the roster, meaning the midcard will have to pick up some slack in order to fill up the three hours of airtime. Rumored contests include Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. RybAxel, Rusev vs. Big E, and a Divas Championship match involving Paige and all or part of the Funkadactyls.
The main event for the June 29th WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view will be the ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which features John Cena, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Cesaro, Bray Wyatt and Alberto Del Rio. As noted recently, Cena or Reigns (and Cesaro as a long-shot) will likely come out on top, as the winner is the likely candidate for Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
Also confirmed for the 6/29 PPV is a WWE Tag-Team Championship match with The Usos defending against Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of The Wyatt Family.
The second ladder match, which was made official recently and will be for the usual Money In The Bank briefcase, as of right now only features Seth Rollins. Additional names rumored for the match include Dean Ambrose, Big E., Rob Van Dam, Bo Dallas, as well as Bad News Barrett and Dolph Ziggler, the latter two of which will either be part of that match or in an Intercontinental Championship match with each other.
Additionally, the direction for the WWE Divas Championship match at Money In The Bank seems to be Paige defending against Naomi of The Funkadactyls.
