Just a couple of days after TNA announced the cancellation of their tour of India, WWE has announced matches for their tour of the country, which kicks off in January of 2016.
It’s worth pointing out that WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens and WWE United States Champion Alberto Del Rio are not advertised.
Below are the announced lineups thus far for the WWE live events in New Delhi on January 15th and 16th.
January 15, New Delhi
– John Cena vs. Big Show
– Kane vs. Luke Harper
– The New Day vs. The Usos
– Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze
– Ryback vs. Rusev
– Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella
January 16, New Delhi
– John Cena vs. Rusev
– Ryback vs. Luke Harper
– Kane vs. Big Show
– The New Day vs. The Usos
– Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze
– Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella
– There are those who are adamant, despite claims to the contrary, that Alberto Del Rio is in fact earning a seven figure downside guarantee in WWE right now. Mexican wrestling legend Konnan is among them, as he and others close to Del Rio say he’s very clear he got in excess of double-to-triple what WWE claimed he makes. Those who are under this impression point to the fact that he was about to make at least $600,000 to work half the amount of dates as a WWE schedule, so why would he go back to WWE and that road schedule for less than seven figures guaranteed.
– Stephanie McMahon, who hasn’t been featured on WWE television as much as of late, will now be back as a regular on RAW each week as her Eisenhower Fellowship ended this past Sunday, November 22nd. Stephanie had been in Brazil for the past few weeks.
– A new episode of WWE’s new original series, “WWE Breaking Ground” will premiere next Monday night on the WWE Network immediately following RAW. The official synopsis for the show reads as follows:
“As Cal Bishop continues his injury-plagued return, Tino is helping his brother start his own journey to NXT. Tyler Breeze helps the Divas.”
– On Monday’s post-Survivor Series edition of WWE RAW in Nashville, Tennessee, a match between the current and former Zeb Colter guys was announced as WWE United States Champion Alberto Del Rio will go one-on-one with Jack Swagger in a non-title match. Featuring a Thanksgiving theme this week, WWE SmackDown will be taped on Tuesday evening at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
– The following matches were taped on Monday night at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee prior to RAW for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars.
* R-Truth def. Adam Rose in one-on-one competition in the first of two matches taped for this week’s show.
* The Miz def. Zack Ryder in the main event of this week’s WWE Superstars taping. The crowd in Nashville was actually pretty hot for this match, which The Miz ended up winning to finish up the taping.
AAA will crown a new Mega Heavyweight Champion at the Guerra de Titanes event on December 4th at Feria de Tampico in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
The AAA Mega Heavyweight Title was vacated in October when the champion at the time, Alberto El Patron (Alberto Del Rio), left the promotion and made a surprise return to WWE, defeating John Cena at the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view on October 25th to become the WWE United States Champion.
Initially, AAA Executive Vice President Dorian Roldan announced that Del Rio had forfeited the AAA Mega Heavyweight Title and a tournament would be held in December to crown a new champion. Instead, a one-on-one match between two former WWE Superstars will take place to determine the next title-holder.
The promotion announced a singles match between Rey Mysterio and Johnny Mundo (John Morrison) to determine the next AAA Mega Heavyweight Champion. The Mysterio-Mundo bout will headline their upcoming Guerra de Titanes event on December 4th.
Below is the full lineup for the AAA Guerra de Titanes event in Tampico on 12/4:
* AAA Mega Heavyweight Title Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Johnny Mundo
* The Psycho Circus vs. El Texano Jr, El Hijo del Fantasma and a mystery partner
* Blue Demon Jr, Electroshock & La Parka vs. Anarquia (Daga, El Hijo de Pirata Morgan & Steve Pain)
* Aerostar, Drago & Fenix vs. Brian Cage, Mesias & Taurus
* AAA Tag Title Match: Champions Jack Evans & Angelico vs. Joe Lider & Pentagon Jr. vs. Averno & Chessman
* Argenis & Dinastia & Fabi Apache vs. Willie Mack & Mini Charly Manson & Taya Valkyrie
Roman Reigns won the WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament at the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday night to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his career, however he would not leave Philips Arena with the gold.
Reigns defeated Alberto Del Rio in the semi-finals to advance to the finals later in the evening, where he would have to beat his “brother” and former fellow Shield member Dean Ambrose. Ambrose defeated WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens to earn his spot in the tournament finals.
In the WWE Survivor Series main event, Reigns defeated Ambrose via pinfall after blasting him with a spear. Reigns had a lengthy celebration in the ring, complete with tons of confetti falling from the ceiling as he gets emotional holding the title when out of nowhere, Triple H’s music hit.
“The Game” made his way to the ring. He raised Reigns’ hand and tries to shake his hand, but Reigns refused. He ended up spearing Triple H, however as soon as he turned around, Sheamus blasted him with a Brogue Kick and cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase. He immediately covered Reigns but Reigns’ somehow still had enough in him to kick out before three.
Reigns ended up getting back to his feet, but after missing a Superman punch, Sheamus caught Reigns with another Brogue Kick and immediately covered him again. This time Sheamus got the three count. Sheamus and Triple H celebrated as Reigns stayed laid out in the ring as WWE Survivor Series 2015 went off the air.
For detailed WWE Survivor Series 2015 PPV results, click here.
WWE has officially added John Cena to the January 5th SmackDown television taping at the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas. That will be the first taping for SmackDown on the USA Network.
With tickets scheduled to go on sale for the taping on November 23rd, there had been some concern that there were not enough big stars advertised for the show. The plan since WWE announced that SmackDown was moving to the USA Network has been to load up the show with star power.
The updated lineup for the 1/5 SmackDown taping in Laredo now features Cena, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Sheamus, Bray Wyatt, Alberto Del Rio, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, Braun Strowman and more.
WWE taped the following matches on Tuesday night in Knoxville, Tennessee for this week’s WWE Survivor Series “go-home” edition of WWE SmackDown, which airs this Thursday night, November 19th on SyFy.
– The Miz kicks off this week’s SmackDown with Miz TV. Kevin Owens comes out and declares it The Kevin Owens Show. Next out was Alberto Del Rio and Zeb Colter. Del Rio and Owens had words and then stared each other down. Dean Ambrose came out next to a big reaction from the Knoxville crowd. Roman Reigns then came out. Then R-Truth came out but The Miz reminded him he’s not in the tournament. Truth said he was right, apologized and wished Reigns and Ambrose good luck. After The Miz throws a fit, Reigns distracted him so Ambrose could knock him out, which is exactly what he did. Del Rio, Colter and Owens scattered out of the ring, leaving Reigns and Ambrose standing tall to end the segment.
– Cesaro def. The Miz in the first match of the evening. When we come back, The Miz is complaining about being disrespected. He demands his match for tonight be canceled, but out came Cesaro, who beat him in about a minute with a float-over cross-face.
– The Dudley Boyz & Neville def. The Ascension & Stardust in six-man tag-team action.
– Tyler Breeze comes out to cut a promo with Summer Rae by his side. Breeze rips on Dolph Ziggler, who comes out to watch the next match.
– Tyler Breeze def. Zack Ryder in singles action with the Unprettier. After the match, Ziggler attacked Breeze and left him laying with a superkick.
– The Undertaker’s druids come out wearing sheep masks as The Wyatt Family makes their way to the ring. Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman cut promos until they are interrupted by The Undertaker’s gong. The Undertaker appears on the big screen and cuts a promo, which ends with Kane appearing and burning a sheep mask and The Undertaker says “Rest In Peace” as the turnbuckles on the ring explode.
– Charlotte def. Brie Bella in a non-title match. The WWE Divas Champion picked up the win via submission with her Figure Eight hold.
– Renee Young interviews Paige backstage. It’s also announced that tonight’s main event will feature Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose in tag-team action against Alberto Del Rio and Kevin Owens.
– Big E. def. Kalisto in one-on-one action. He picked up the pin after hitting two big splashes thanks to a distraction from the other New Day members. After the match, The New Day attacked Kalisto and Sin Cara until Ryback came out and made the save.
– Backstage, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose talk about how they’re going to be in the Survivor Series main event together and their tag-team match tonight, which is up next.
– Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose def. Kevin Owens & Alberto Del Rio via Disqualification in the main event of this week’s show. The DQ came when Del Rio threw Reigns into the steel steps. A brawl breaks out between the four guys after the match. Reigns hit a spear and Ambrose hit a Dirty Deeds to stand tall as SmackDown goes off the air.
– On Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, it was announced that the four semi-finalists in the ongoing WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament will be guests on a special edition of Miz TV on this week’s edition of SmackDown. The four semi-finalists, as seen on RAW, are Roman Reigns and Alberto Del Rio on one side of the bracket, and Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens on the other side. This week’s SmackDown will be taped on Tuesday night at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee.
– Also on Monday’s RAW, it was announced that WWE Divas Champion Charlotte will be appearing on ESPN SportsCenter on Tuesday to promote her title defense against Paige at this Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view.
WWE confirmed on Monday’s Survivor Series “go-home” edition of RAW that at this Sunday’s pay-per-view in Atlanta, Georgia, both the semi-finals and the finals of the WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament will take place.
On Monday’s RAW, the quarterfinals of the tournament took place with four men advancing to the semi-finals of the tournament, leaving the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion to be determined among the four at this Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view.
With those tournament matches now in the books, below is an updated look at the WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament brackets, as well as the regular lineup heading into Sunday’s show.
WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi-Finals
– Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose
– Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio
WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament Finals
– Owens/Ambrose winner vs. Reigns/Del Rio winner
WWE Divas Championship
– Charlotte (c) vs. Paige
– The Undertaker & Kane vs. Two members of The Wyatt Family
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com this Sunday evening for the absolute best WWE Survivor Series live results coverage on the web!
Rey Mysterio recently sat down with the folks at WrestleTalk TV and spoke about the recent surprise WWE return of Alberto Del Rio.
Mysterio admitted that he didn’t expect Del Rio to ever return to WWE, but explained why he is happy he did.
“I actually didn’t expect (it), but I’m glad he did,” Rey said during the interview, which you can watch above. “If you ever get the opportunity to go back, and that’s where you want to be, why not? Take advantage of your time. Your time is a blink of a second.”
Rey would elaborate, pointing out the small window of opportunity that wrestlers have to make a living, particularly on the WWE stage.
“I started at a very young age with WWE, and I was still in my prime,” Mysterio explained. “I enjoyed it so much, I have no regrets, and I’m enjoying my life as it is. He deserves to be there. They’re in lack of Latin talent, he’s a perfect Superstar to be an idol for the hispanic population.”
“Never say never,” he said. “I didn’t leave on bad terms. There was no dispute or bad intention on me leaving. So, if there is an opportunity down the road and both parties agree to it, why not.”
Del Rio responded to their “haters” and tweeted this photo of two young men.
His tweet touched a nerve with some fans, with some calling for his job. The post has since been deleted.
– Rapper Mac Miller paid tribute to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at his concert Friday night in Santa Cruz, California.
After he was done performing, the WWE Hall of Famer’s theme song played with Miller drinking beer and giving a Stone Cold Stunner to his hype man. He then said, “And that’s the bottom line, ’cause Stone Cold said so!”
Dorian Roldan, Executive Vice President Of AAA, appeared on Busted Open Radio earlier today and addressed the situation of AAA Mega Champion Alberto Del Rio now working for WWE.
Roldan said that the terms of Del Rio’s WWE deal that have been reported are not accurate. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter wrote last month that Del Rio’s WWE contract has a $1,450,000 downside guarantee, but WWE went on to release a statement claiming Del Rio’s downside guarantee is actually closer to $500,000 per year.
WWE is prohibiting Del Rio from working any other additional dates for AAA. As a result, he will surrender the title and a tournament will be held to crown a new champion next month.
As initially reported in PRWrestling.com’s WWC Super Estrellas TV report (Spanish) and shown in the video embedded above, a new angle featuring Alberto Del Rio (technically Alberto El Patron) aired today on the Puerto Rican wrestling show. In the angle, Alberto walked into the Texas Wrestling Academy and saw Ray Gonzalez Jr. With Ray “Mr. Ratings” Gonzalez Sr. having hurt Ricardo Rodriguez, Alberto decided to send him a message by beating up his son.
While it looks like the angle was shot before Alberto re-signed with WWE, WWE confirmed to WrestlingObserver.com that he will be working the previously scheduled match for WWC. This makes sense, as WWC and WWE do have a fairly close relationship, as WWC promoter Carlos Colon does local promotion for WWE in Puerto Rico and his family members in WWE (son Primo/Diego/Eddie and nephew Epico/Fernando/Orlando, plus son Carlito/Carly in the past) get to work a few dates a year for WWC.
WWE United States champion Alberto Del Rio had reportedly signed a $1.45M contract for his return with the company, but a WWE spokesperson recently commented to Wrestling Observer Live that the number is not accurate. Instead, they claim that the real number was “about one-third of that.” Contracts worth $1M per year or more are usually reserved only for WWE’s biggest stars.
Konnan commented on Del Rio’s return on a recent edition of MLW Radio, corroborating the Wrestling Observer report by saying that Del Rio’s contract had a downside guarantee of about $450,000 per year. Konnan also mentioned that Del Rio is happy to be back in WWE, and the two sides had worked out whatever problems they had.
Konnan mentioned that Del Rio is obligated to make at least two more appearances for AAA in Mexico. Although AAA is disappointed they are losing their champion, Del Rio is reportedly leaving the company on good terms.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts on Monday’s RAW and more. Below are some of the highlights.
On Monday’s RAW:
“WWE was without a great deal of star power Monday night but had one of their better shows IMO nonetheless. It seems that talents who are still present realize that the door is open for them to step up and take ownership of the fleeting albeit lucrative top spots in WWE and become permanent residents of the main event neighborhood of the Promised Land.”
On Alberto Del Rio possibly turning on Zeb Colter:
“I see ADR turning on the villain Zeb Colter some time soon and becoming the Hispanic fan favorite that WWE desperately needs. It’s unfortunate that Alberto wasn’t able to keep his commitments to Mexico’s AAA after rejoining WWE. That’s never a good situation. No one wins in this particular situation.”
On changes to Bray Wyatt’s character:
“I’m confused about what Bray Wyatt is becoming with the purported, super natural powers, etc and need that story explained better to me. Still think that Wyatt will one day be a huge fan favorite. Not today, but after a good, hot bad guy run. Has Wyatt inherited Taker’s eerie demeanor?”
– As noted, the deal to bring Alberto Del Rio back to WWE was done a few weeks prior to his return appearance at the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view. Del Rio’s new deal was not known to most in the company, but many knew something was brewing and expected Del Rio back in the company no later than next year’s WrestleMania 32 event in Texas.
– WWE Network announced the following additions for November:
Relive Brock Lesnar’s destructive introduction and rise to the top of WWE, spanning March 2002 to March 2004, with the addition of more than 170 hours of Raw and SmackDown episodes to the award-winning WWE Network. Watch The Beast Incarnate’s first appearance on Raw, WWE Championship reign on SmackDown and much more anytime, anywhere on demand.”
– Lilian Garcia will not be doing the announcing for tonight’s WWE RAW due to the European tour, as she will be handling those duties for the SmackDown shows. Eden will instead handle the ring announcing for tonight’s RAW. Garcia tweeted the following:
Mexico’s AAA promotion has postponed their television tapings that had been scheduled for Monday as a result of Alberto Del Rio’s return to WWE.
Del Rio had been advertised for the AAA show and was rumored to be dropping the AAA Mega Championship as he finishes up his run with the company. Instead, he’ll be appearing on WWE RAW from Denver and Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Colorado Springs. From there, he’s headed overseas for WWE’s latest European tour.
It remains to be seen when Del Rio will be available to appear for AAA next, but Konnan stated on a recent episode of MLW Radio that AAA has a nice surprise in store for Del Rio when he does show up.
As noted earlier this week, Alberto Del Rio was expected to work several shows for Mexico’s AAA promotion while that he committed to prior to returning to WWE. Del Rio is the reigning AAA Mega Champion and the promotion was under the impression that Del Rio would be working AAA’s TV tapings on Monday as well as several shows in November while WWE has their overseas tour.
According to f4wonline.com, WWE has confirmed that Del Rio will be working Monday’s RAW from Denver, CO and Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Colorado Springs, CO. Additionally, Alberto Del Rio will be replacing the injured Randy Orton on WWE’s upcoming European tour.
At this point, it looks like Del Rio’s run with AAA is winding down a lot sooner than they were hoping for. Del Rio reportedly left things on good terms with AAA when he signed with WWE last weekend, but it remains to be seen when he will work for them again to drop the AAA Mega title.
Alberto Del Rio negotiated one hell of a new WWE contract for himself, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. WWE was so in need of a top-level Hispanic star that they reportedly offered him a $1,450,000 per year downside guarantee with a reduced schedule. WWE’s top tier of performers typically sign $1 million per year deals, with bonuses from merchandise and PPV’s pushing their earnings even higher.
Del Rio’s previous run with WWE ended back on August 7th, 2014 after he slapped WWE social media employee Cody Barbierri back stage in retaliation for a racial joke made towards him. Barbierri is long gone and industry insiders have seen it being just a matter of time before Del Rio returned home to WWE.
Del Rio was one of the top free agents around and had been in negotiations with various pro wrestling and MMA promotions. He is the reigning AAA Mega Champion and remains on good terms with them, despite their disappointment with the situation.
Del Rio was booked for 7 big shows for AAA in November. With WWE heading to Europe for several weeks next month, Del Rio could honor most of those commitments, if WWE does not bring him overseas. AAA had plans for Del Rio as far out as December 5th, when he was scheduled to face Jeff Jarrett in a hair vs. hair match on December 5th at Guerra de Titanes.
The big picture plan for Del Rio is to push him as a strong heel before eventually turning him so he can eventually work as the Mexican hero WWE has wanted for years.
News from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter was used in this report. Visit f4wonline.com for subscription information.
As noted, John Cena is currently on hiatus from WWE. He is advertised to return at the December 26th WWE live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and will be working the annual post-Christmas tour.
According to F4WOnline.com, plans as of this week call for Cena to return at the December 13th WWE TLC pay-per-view from his hometown of Boston. The idea is to have Cena return and face Alberto Del Rio for the WWE United States Championship in a rematch from Sunday’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view.
While plans could always change, that is what WWE has in store for Cena’s return as of this week. We will keep you posted if any additional information becomes available.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross updated his official website blog recently with his thoughts on Sunday’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view and other current topics. Below are some of the highlights. For the complete blog, visit JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
On the WWE Hell In A Cell main event:
“Best match of the night was the ‘blow off’ bout to the Lesnar vs. Taker trilogy. It was a brawl with plenty of physicality from both men. The rare, blood sighting was timely and added drama to the presentation without fail. The use of blood needs to remain essentially rare but when the environment calls for it such as in HIAC or the Elimination Chamber it becomes something to consider but I don’t look for any more blood any time soon in WWE. Lots of basic MMA elements utilized in this main event which I enjoyed. Lesnar had to receive 9 staples in his head after the event to close his head wound we are told.”
On the post-match angle with Undertaker and Wyatt Family:
“Post match with Wyatt Family attacking a defenseless Undertaker, who had no one come to his aid which I ‘get’ but still found strange, may lead to an elimination tag at the Survivor Series with Taker’s team versus the Wyatt’s. I see a 4 versus 4 traditional, Survivor Series elimination tag. Taker, Kane, Sting (if healthy) and one young talent who WWE wants to get a ‘rub’ vs the Wyatt’s. Or two, young talents if Sting isn’t abe to join the presentation.”
On Alberto Del Rio’s WWE return:
“Not totally surprised to see Alberto Del Rio back in WWE after leaving Lucha Underground over ‘differences’ which usually concerns the two, C’s, cash and creative. ADR got a short, albeit decisive victory over John Cena, who’s taking some well deserved time off, to win the US Title. I’d suggest that WWE continue the US Title Open Challenge with ADR who takes on the task of continuing to rehabilitate the United States Title. It was a good way to start the show. If ADR turns on Zeb Colter then the WWE will have a better chance to run with Del Rio as a main event level fan favorite of distinction. This would be a nice in ring segment on RAW. “
Roman Reigns won the Fatal 4-Way main event of Monday’s RAW from San Diego, CA to become the new #1 contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Reigns first won a qualifying match, defeating Kofi Kingston to advance to the four-way at the end of the show. He would go on to defeat Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio to earn the title shot.
It’s expected that Reigns will challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series, which takes place on November 22nd.
– There is speculation regarding Nikki Bella potentially taking time off with boyfriend John Cena following last night’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view. Part of that speculation stems from the fact that Bella wrote about needing to “regroup” and promising that she’ll “be back” in the following tweet.
You put up a tough fight @MsCharlotteWWE Hold on 2 that title bc my journey isn't over I feel as if I lost it all Time 2 regroup I'll b back
– New WWE United States Champion Alberto Del Rio noted via Twitter that he is back where he belongs. He posted the following on Twitter and Instagram today.
In regards to Alberto Del Rio’s deal with WWE, F4WOnline.com is reporting that he has been in talks with WWE for quite some time about a return to the company, but the deal was not finalized until recently.
Del Rio’s deal is described as “great” and his schedule is said to be easier than the rest of the WWE roster, as he is not scheduled to work as many dates as the regular crew.
As of right now, Del Rio is scheduled to work the rest of the independent dates he has on his current schedule.
One of the big reasons he returned to WWE was because of money. His Lucha Underground deal was his main source of income, but after he had a falling out with the company over “creative,” returning to WWE was his only option of making that kind of money again.
Tonight’s post-Hell In A Cell edition of WWE RAW takes place live from the Valley View Casino in San Diego, California.
John Cena is not advertised for the show tonight, however the new WWE United States Champion Alberto Del Rio, along with Zeb Colter, are expected to be there.
As noted earlier today, WWE broadcast member Rich Brennan alluded to the fact that Del Rio and Colter would be at tonight’s show, and according to WWE’s RAW Five Point Preview, we may find out what brought Del Rio back to WWE.
Other talent advertised for RAW tonight include Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, The New Day, Kevin Owens, Sheamus, Bray Wyatt and The Dudley Boyz.
While no matches have been advertised for tonight, WWE is hyping the following “five points” in their official RAW preview.
* What does Wyatt want with The Undertaker?
* What brought Del Rio back to WWE?
* Who‘s next to spin into contention in the Divas Revolution?
* What will happen to WWE without the Director of Operations?
* Is Roman ready to reign?
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com later this evening for live RAW results coverage.
