– Big E and Wade Barrett have been jabbing each other on Twitter. Big E acknowledged the reports Barrett is leaving WWE and threw in a dig at the League of Nations member. Barrett fired back with a clip from 2014 of him delivering bad news to Big E.
2K Sports announced the first six WWE Superstars for the new WWE 2K16 video game. The first six stars include Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, Bad News Barrett, Finn Balor and Paige.
Below is a press release issued by 2K Sports with all of the details.
2K Debuts First Six Roster Members in WWE® 2K16
WWE Superstars Seth Rollins™, Daniel Bryan®, Dean Ambrose™ and Bad News Barrett™, WWE Diva Paige™ and NXT® Superstar Finn Bálor™ join largest roster in WWE video games history
New York – June 16, 2015 – 2K today announced the first six roster members in WWE 2K16, the forthcoming release in the flagship WWE video game franchise. Poised to offer the largest playable roster in WWE games history, WWE 2K16 will include a variety of talent, including WWE Superstars Seth Rollins™, Daniel Bryan®, Dean Ambrose™ and Bad News Barrett™, WWE Diva Paige™ and NXT® Superstar Finn Bálor™. Artwork depicting the roster members is currently on display from June 16-18, 2015 in 2K’s booth, #1001 in the South Hall, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. Additional announcements for WWE 2K16 are expected within the coming weeks.
Developed collaboratively by Yuke’s and Visual Concepts, a 2K studio, WWE 2K16 is not yet rated by the ESRB and in development for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system and Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft. WWE 2K16 is currently scheduled for release on October 27, 2015 in North America and October 30, 2015 internationally. For more information on WWE 2K16, visit wwe.2k.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow the game on Twitter and Instagram or subscribe to WWE 2K on YouTube.
WWE Superstar Neville recently spoke with the U.K. Mirror to promote this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Below are some of the highlights from the interview
On facing Seth Rollins on his second RAW appearance: “It’s crazy and I think to be given that opportunity so early on, it’s very, very flattering and I think it’s testimony to the faith they have in me. There are opportunities that I want to grab with both hands and run with and I feel like I did that to a certain extent. It’s very gratifying to be able to do that, to get an opportunity like that and to be able to perform well, on that level in front of the world, it’s really quite cool. For me personally, for my career, I think it was priceless. I’m very fortunate to get that chance.”
On his match with John Cena before Rusev interfered: “I know mate, it’s hard to believe. Honestly I have to pinch myself. I’m just trying to enjoy it – these are memories I will have for the rest of my life. I’m really just enjoying every step of the way and whether I beat John Cena or Seth Rollins or whoever, anytime I go out there I make the most of whatever is thrown at me and I’m going to enjoy it at the same time. It’s been the most incredible couple of months in my life. I’m just hoping it continues, it’s been quite unreal.”
On his feud with Bad News Barrett: “I was very happy to be able to do that. I’m a very proud Englishman, I came up through British wrestling, through the independents in Britain, and what we’ve seen in Britain is something really special. There is a lot of great talent out there so to be able to represent that on the big stage is something I take very seriously, something I’m very proud of, that is very important to me. To be doing it with someone like King Barrett who is an exceptional talent himself and has achieved a lot of success in WWE, I felt like it was a really good test for me. Also to represent England both of us together I felt was a real privilege and I think Barrett felt the same. We’re both very proud of where we’re from so it’s very cool to be able to do that.”
On his match at Sunday’s Elimination Chamber PPV: “I think Bo is certainly one of the most underrated superstars on Raw and SmackDown. I think a lot of the time maybe he gets overlooked because maybe he is a bit deluded and a bit of an eccentric character! But the fact of the matter is, when it comes to in-ring action, performing and competing, Bo can certainly go. We have a lot of history and I know what he is capable of. We had some really grueling matches in NXT that really tested me and I’m looking forward to doing the same on Sunday. I think we’re both ready for the challenge and we could both certainly do with the victory.”
On if he had any input in his ring entrance in WWE: “Yeah, I actually had a lot of input. That was a concept I came up with along with a few of the agents. We thought it would be cool. The concept is that it’s like every time I appear on the stage it’s almost as if I have been shot down from somewhere in space, like I’m a meteor that arrives on Earth. More than anything it’s a cool concept and then I got together with the production team and stage crew and we bounced ideas around. I don’t know if you’ve noticed the first few weeks we were kind of hashing around trying different things and I feel like now we’ve really got it down. We’ve got the pyro and the ziplines that look like the meteor hitting Earth and it’s a very cool visual that I’m very happy with.”
– In addition to the previously reported Chris Jericho vs. Finn Balor match scheduled for an upcoming WWE live event, Jericho is also officially booked to work a match against “King” Bad News Barrett at the San Diego live event on Friday, July 31st.
– Tommy Dreamer, who worked the NXT live events in Philadelphia and Albany this weekend, losing to Baron Corbin at both shows, acknowledged the fact that he appeared on a NXT show and a TNA show (Impact Wrestling) on the same night this past Friday. Dreamer compared it to Rick Rude appearing on RAW and Nitro on the same night during the Monday Night Wars. He tweeted the following:
I appeared on @IMPACTWRESTLING & @WWENXT last night. I'm just like Rick Rude minus the muscles & abs. What I'd like to have right now is..
– Speaking of the NXT Albany event on Saturday night, Triple H tweeted the following photo of Kevin Owens making his entrance for the triple-threat main event with Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze, which he went on to win via pinfall.
WWE was originally hoping that Daniel Bryan would be able to get back in the ring this month, with the plan being for him to defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against “King” Bad News Barrett at the WWE Payback pay-per-view.
As we learned on Monday’s WWE Payback “go-home” edition of RAW, Bryan received MRI results this past Friday that informed him that he would not be cleared to return any time in the near future, and possibly forever.
The situation with Bryan has caused a great deal of frustration behind-the-scenes in WWE. The company obviously wants what’s best for Bryan, but at the same time, would really like for him to be actively working and on television because they have a new Bryan DVD, book and other items that need to be promoted.
The concern for Bryan not being able to wrestle for such a potentially long amount of time, and the belief that he and his style make him very injury prone, have WWE contemplating putting him in a non-wrestling role. This would allow them to keep the character on TV, and help keep his face out there to move the merchandise.
Ever since Monday’s edition of RAW when Bryan surrendered the Intercontinental Championship, the talk has been that Bryan is actively trying to find a way to get cleared to return.
As of right now, there is no word whether or not Bryan is willing to get the surgery that he has long been reluctant to get, or if that is even an option at this point.
Needless to say, there are a lot of people in WWE that feel bad for Bryan considering the awful personal and professional hardships he’s been forced to endure over the past year or so.
With all the things you can criticize WWE for these days, the company should be commended on doing an excellent job in elevating their secondary championships.
If you flashback to around this time last year, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship was virtually ‘on ice,’ only being defended on major pay-per-view events due to the champion at the time — Brock Lesnar — working under a special, limited-date contract.
Now, at the time, you could make sense of it, and even Vince McMahon himself did when asked about the topic during his interview on the short-lived “Steve Austin Show” live WWE Network podcast, as he pointed to the fact that having Lesnar defend the biggest title in the company on an infrequent basis made World Title matches feel that much more important.
Fast forward to the present day, and when it comes to championships in WWE — all systems are “go.”
First and foremost, we finally have a fighting WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Sure, the storyline surrounding Seth Rollins, the current world champion, is that he chickens away from ‘the big fight.’ At the end of the day, however, the bell eventually rings, the referee raises the golden belt up high, and two or more competitors end up vying for the richest prize in all of sports entertainment.
Now, move down one level to the two secondary championships. For the longest time, the WWE United States Championship and the WWE Intercontinental Championship, for all intents and purposes, were viewed as a total joke by the WWE Universe — and rightfully so.
Not anymore.
WWE came up with a great idea heading into WrestleMania 31 this year — put more significance behind their secondary titles. First, slap the U.S. title belt around John Cena’s waist. In a bit of irony, it was Cena who really launched his career off of his first U.S. title run, so in a story-telling fashion, his story comes full circle.
So, basically, WWE decided that now that they want to elevate some new blood into the top spots in the company, they decided to put one of their secondary titles — in this case the U.S. title — on arguably the biggest star in the company today.
On the flip side of the coin, when it comes to the WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWE decided to put that belt on the most popular wrestler in terms of the fans — the leader of the “Yes! Movement,” Daniel Bryan.
And that brings us to Monday’s WWE Payback ‘go-home’ edition of RAW.
After being unable to defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against Bad News Barrett at the recent WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view as originally scheduled, WWE played the waiting game to find out how the latest round of the Daniel Bryan injury-bug would work out. As it turns out, whatever Bryan is going through is serious enough that WWE felt they had no choice but to have him surrender the Intercontinental Title on live television, much like they had him do shortly after he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXX last year.
The idea behind his forefitting of the title last night was where the plan regarding secondary titles in WWE remains in tact. The reason given by Bryan, delivered in a passionate way I should add, was that the WWE Universe deserves a fighting champion. A top contender who deserves the right to bust his ass day-in and day-out, city-to-city, state-to-state, country-to-country and even continent-to-continent, all for the right to try and earn what is now once again slowly being viewed as a title of importance. One of value. One worth fighting to obtain.
Where WWE goes next with the Intercontinental Championship in particular remains to be seen in terms of how far they are willing to go to try and elevate the perceived importance of the title.
Basically put, the company can go one of two ways, as I see it. You can follow the mandate that they have been following since this year’s WrestleMania, which is find the most over performer with the fans, give him the I-C title, and try and get the belt over that way, so that in the future, the belt can make the man, as opposed to the current formula, where the man makes the belt.
Their second option is to try and do the opposite. Put the title on an up-and-comer who has the goods to deliver, but just needs something to put him over the edge so he is viewed as a bigger deal than he already is. Names like Neville and Sami Zayn come to mind.
Zayn, depending on his injury, would make a great impact on the main roster by giving U.S. Champion John Cena all he could handle — with an injury no-less, in his first high-profile match on RAW since having his run as NXT Champion in WWE’s developmental system, and then go on to win the next high-profile match he is in and become the brand new WWE Intercontinental Champion.
– WWE broadcast member Renee Young noted on social media that one of her upcoming guests on her “Unfiltered” show on the WWE Network will be “King” Bad News Barrett. As noted, Young’s guest on Monday’s edition of the WWE Network show will be Wiz Khalifa.
– Saturday was officially “Jerry Lawler Day” in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. This year’s Saturday, which fell on May 9th, is the same date that Lawler won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship with Curt Hennig, who would later go on to fame in WWE under the “Mr. Perfect” gimmick.
– WWE Hall Of Famers Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart are featured in a new Baltimore Sun video at an airport. In the video, it is revealed that Hogan can’t sign autographs because the cameras that follow him stress him out. Check out the clip above or at Newsinc.com.
Raw crossed the border into Canada this week as Payback rapidly approaches. Ambrose found a way to sneak into the main event, Ryback and Bray Wyatt continued their feud, and John Cena issued his most epic open challenge to date. Here are the pros and cons from this week’s episode of Raw.
Pros
Randy Orton opened the show by discussing the upcoming Payback pay-per-view. He was only a sentence or two into his soliloquy before being interrupted by Roman Reigns. The two went back and forth for a few, with Reigns saying that Orton “won’t be standing” in two weeks. Orton then read his resume, eventually asking Reigns how many times he’s been a World Heavyweight Champion. Oddly enough, the New Day then interrupted the two, as they vowed to spread the “power of positivity” due to all of the negativity in the ring. Overall, there was some humorous dialogue during the segment, it was nice to see the company booking the tag team champs with the main eventers, and it set up a handicap tag match to start the show.
The opening contest was a three-on-two handicap match between the New Day and Orton and Reigns. During the opening moments, the action was pretty slow, with the faces working over Xavier Woods before Big E came in and hit Orton with a big belly-to-belly suplex. New Day controlled the pace after that, as they isolated Orton and made quick tags. After the break, Reigns took Orton’s place in the New Day’s corner as Xavier Woods attempted to wear him down with a side headlock. Reigns finally hit up Orton with the hot tag and he hit an amazing powerslam on Kofi Kingston after he attempted to utilize a springboard. From there, New Day was getting squashed with Superman punches, DDTs, and RKOs. Reigns and Orton couldn’t keep it together though, as Reigns accidentally hit Orton with a spear and cost his team the match. This match was solid because it made the tag team champions look strong as a cohesive unit, it furthered the tension between Orton and Reigns, and was a fundamentally sound way to start the show. It also set up the main event after Kane made an appearance and announced that Orton and Reigns would compete one-on-one to close the show.
Former members of the greatest stable in recent history collided when Seth Rollins faced off with Dean Ambrose. Kane made the match and announced that if Ambrose were to be victorious, he would be added to the main event at Payback. Ambrose took control early by hitting a massive clothesline at ringside. From there, he worked the champ over while the crowd totally ate it up. Rollins eventually regained control, dominating and dictating the tempo during the middle of the match. Ambrose came back after avoiding a springboard and hitting a tornado DDT. The Lunatic Fringe hit Rollins with a series of clotheslines before executing a bulldog and going into Air Lunatic mode by diving to the floor through the middle ropes. Both guys were able to taste victory with near falls before Rollins destroyed Ambrose with a brutal powerbomb into the barricade. In the end, Ambrose was seconds away from hitting Dirty Deeds before J&J interfered, but it wouldn’t matter as Ambrose would dispose of the goons, roll up Rollins for the win, and secure his spot in the main event at Payback. Awesome match and angle by having all three members of the Shield battle for the title.
King Barrett had a coronation ceremony of sorts after cutting a promo and declaring, “All Hail King Barrett.” No matter how many times they reboot this guy, he makes every gimmick work. He teamed with Sheamus in a tag team match against Neville and Dolph Ziggler. Barrett and Ziggler started the match, with the King pummeling the Show Off with clubbing blows and kicks to the midsection. The action would go to commercial rather quickly after Ziggler took control and sent Barrett sailing to the floor. Sheamus took control during the break and had Ziggler in a headlock after the action returned from break. Ziggler tried to mount a rally but got hit with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Neville and Barrett would both be the recipient of tags, with Neville flying all over the place and dominating Barrett for the most part during a fast-paced frenzy. He wanted the Red Arrow, but Sheamus would distract Neville and allow Barrett to hit the Bull Hammer for the victory.
John Cena cut a passionate promo discussing how he will never give up before issuing another open challenge. None other than Bret “Hitman” Hart answered the call. Hart sadly wasn’t there to fight, but instead to introduce a “great wrestler.” Before he could introduce anyone great, Heath Slater interrupted the legend and got laid out for his troubles. The Hitman then introduced Sami Zayn, much to the surprise of the Montreal crowd and everyone watching at home.
The action was already underway after returning from break, with Cena reeling at ringside. The doctor checked on Zayn after taking a belly-to-back suplex – a move that was obviously done to make Zayn look strong in defeat. Cena and Zayn traded punches before Cena hit three of the Five Moves of Doom before Zayn countered the Five Knuckle Shuffle into a pinning combination. Cena once again was forced to retreat, allowing Zayn to launch himself over the top rope and take out the champ on the floor. Zayn’s inexperience would show as Cena caught him slipping and locked in the STF, even though the upstart challenger would reach the ropes and lock in the Koji Clutch from out of nowhere shortly thereafter. After Cena failed to hit the AA, it became apparent that they were setting up his signature DDT through the middle ropes on the floor, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. After a bit of hesitation, Cena connected with an AA, but Zayn would kick out at two as the crowd cheered. Zayn would eventually succumb to Cena, however, after the champ hit his springboard stunner and another AA. This featured so many memorable spots, the in-ring psychology was great, and it put Zayn over as a worthy competitor even in defeat as he prepares to become a permanent main roster fixture in the near future. Match of the Night, and probably one of the best matches of the year as well.
Ryback’s program with Bray Wyatt continued as he joined Renee Young for an interview. The crowd was dead at first and mostly chanted “Goldberg.” He at least made a good point with the Goldberg chants when he said, “If you ignore it, you just keep doing it.” The Big Guy talked about the adversities he’s faced in his career while talking some smack on Wyatt, eventually winning the crowd back as they joined him in a “Feed Me More” chant. The New Face of Fear then appeared on the big screen and cut a promo saying that Ryback will soon fade away. The segment wasn’t anything special, but both guys cut articulate promos and it advanced their feud, so it’s hard to consider it anything but a positive.
The main event competitors weren’t even making their way to the ring until 11 o’clock, so it was obvious this was going to be very short. Rollins and associates would quickly make their way to ringside and announce their various roles in the match. Orton went for an RKO within seconds but Reigns would avoid the attack. The action was brawling in nature, with few wrestling moves being utilized throughout the match. Rollins guested on commentary during the match and was pretty humorous. When Rollins joined the Authority last summer, he lacked confidence on the mic and some questioned whether he could be a solo star. He’s certainly proven all of the haters wrong over the past year. This would of course end in disqualification after Kane interfered and attacked Roman Reigns before the entire Authority went after Orton. Reigns would dive over the top rope and take them out before being sent into the ring post by Rollins. They isolated Orton and had the upper hand on both Orton and Reigns before Ambrose arrived to make the save. Rollins would take a spear, Reigns would fall victim to an RKO, and Ambrose would be the last man standing after taking out Orton with Dirty Deeds. The wrestling match itself wasn’t that great, but it was a solid way to end the show, put over the fatal four way main event, and perhaps most importantly, get Dean Ambrose back into the main event picture.
– WWE is teasing that 2015 King of the Ring Bad News Barrett will be addressing the WWE Universe on tonight’s episode of RAW from Montreal.
“We haven’t heard from the new King of the Ring on WWE television since that momentous win. Is King Barrett preparing to make a royal decree? Will one of his foes get clobbered by a regal Bull Hammer? What other King of the Ring Tournament fallout can we expect? WWE’s “Game of Thrones” continues on Raw.”
– Erick Rowan worked as a heel at this weekend’s WWE live events. He lost to Sami Zayn in one match and also teamed with The Ascension to lose to Jimmy Uso and The Prime Time Players in six-man action.
– Title Match Wrestling has published an interview with The Bella Twins from WrestleMania 31 week. The Bellas discuss WWE crowd reactions, their love for wine and more:
– Bad News Barrett spoke to Tom Phillips backstage after winning the King of the Ring tournament on Tuesday night. Barrett called Phillips an absolute moron and he’s said everything he has to say while he was on his throne right after becoming king.
– WWE has posted a video of Sheamus receiving 4 stitches in his head after his match against Dolph Ziggler in their King of the Ring semi-final match.
The 2015 WWE King Of The Ring special opens up with a video package showing highlights of several past King Of The Ring tournaments. From there, we shoot live into the arena where we are welcomed by Michael Cole on commentary.
After that, Jerry “The King” Lawler is introduced. He comes out with the King Of The Ring crown and stands at the top of the stage with a microphone. He welcomes us all to the KOTR tournament exclusively on the WWE Network. He talks about the four Superstars who advanced to tonight’s semi-finals.
Backstage: Sheamus Interview
Backstage, Sheamus is interviewed. He talks about the King Of The Ring and about how he’s going to win it. He closes by saying just like Dolph Ziggler, when he wins the KOTR, everyone can “Kiss Me Arse.”
Backstage: Neville Interview
From there, we shoot to Renee Young, who is with Neville. He talks about how crazy it is that he just debuted in the WWE and he’s already close to becoming the King Of The Ring.
King Of The Ring Semi-Finals – Sheamus vs. Neville
Sheamus’ theme hits and out he comes for our first of two semi-final matches tonight here at the WWE King Of The Ring 2015 live special on the WWE Network. After Sheamus makes his way out, out comes Neville.
The bell rings and the bigger Sheamus immediately starts to physically bully Neville around the ring, pushing him into the corners. Neville starts firing away with kicks and quick offense, trying to speed up the pace so he has a better chance, but ultimately, Sheamus slows him down and starts to take over control of the contest.
Sheamus dominates the action for a while, including knocking Neville off the ring apron and onto the announce table and hitting him with White Noise. Then, out of nowhere, Dolph Ziggler makes his way out to distract Sheamus. When Sheamus turns around, Neville knocks Sheamus down with a kick. He goes to the top for his Red Arrow finisher and hits it. 1-2-3.
Winner: Neville
After The Match:
After the match, Ziggler congratulates Neville. He tells Sheamus there was a stipulation for their match and now he’s here to collect. He hits the ring and starts beating up Sheamus, but Sheamus manages to escape up the ramp. Sheamus ends up coming back in the ring and both guys start brawling. During the brawl, Sheamus’ eye gets split open badly. Really badly. 100 referees hit the ring and finally break things up.
King Of The Ring Semi-Finals – R-Truth vs. Bad News Barrett
After a bunch of plugs from the announcers and commercials and stuff, the WWE Network returns back live to the King Of The Ring special. R-Truth’s music hits and out he comes for this, our second of two semi-final matches. Out next is his opponent for tonight, Bad News Barrett.
The bell sounds and here we go. Immediately Barrett takes control with a big boot to the face. He knocks him out to the floor and beats him up a bit outside of the ring before continuing to punish him back inside the ring.
R-Truth gets some hope spots and then a mini-comeback, although it isn’t long before Barrett takes over again. Barrett hits Truth with his Bull Hammer Elbow. 1-2-3. We have our second of two finalists now.
– Bad News Barrett, Sheamus, Neville and R-Truth won King of the Ring matches on RAW to qualify for the semi-finals on Tuesday night. The new king will be crowned during the live King of the Ring special on the WWE Network that starts at 8pm EST.
– It’s been rumored for weeks and on Monday’s RAW, the Bray Wyatt-Ryback feud officially got underway. After Ryback defeated Bo Dallas in a one-sided match, the lights in the arena went out and Bray Wyatt appeared behind the Big Guy. Ryback sized up Wyatt, charged at him but got hit with Sister Abagail. Later in the show, Wyatt cut one of his promos backstage.
– This week’s SmackDown will see an Extreme Rules tag team title rematch with New Day vs. Kidd & Cesaro.
Extreme Rules has come and gone, and fans were treated to a cage match, a sprawling Chicago street fight, and even some good old fashioned arse kissing. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from Extreme Rules 2015.
Pros
If we are being completely honest, there wasn’t a lot to choose from tonight in terms of positives. If forced to choose a Match of the Night, it would have to be Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper in a Chicago Street Fight. The action was stiff and sprawling, with Ambrose beating Harper senseless with a kendo stick to start the match before Harper turned the tables and suplexed the Lunatic Fringe through a chair. After receiving a snake eyes into a chair propped up in the corner, Ambrose regained momentum after hitting an awesome clothesline from the apron. The backstage segments were refreshing, and it was nice to see this one continue later in the night. After two matches, the competitors returned in their car and interrupted the New Day’s victory celebration, with the action once again returning to the ring. From there, Harper buried Ambrose under a pile of chairs, but it would ultimately backfire, as Ambrose would suplex Harper onto the chairs and hit Dirty Deeds for the win. Overall, these two had great chemistry, Ambrose provided some humor, and it was a creative way to start the show.
The tag team match was definitely a treat tonight. As always, Kidd and Cesaro went together like peanut butter and jelly, teaming up for multiple combination moves throughout the match. Cesaro was the clear star of this one, displaying his strength by catching Big E in midcard and slamming him to the canvas. Just as it looked as if the champs would retain their titles, Xavier Woods distracted the referee and allowed for Kofi Kingston to grab the roll-up victory. Putting the titles on the New Day isn’t going to have anyone jumping for joy, but it will be nice to see Kidd and Cesaro chase the titles as babyfaces. Fans should be looking forward to these two competing again in the future, as they told a great story, pulled off a number of impressive spots, and the end sequence was believable.
It was announced that the King of the Ring would return on Tuesday night as a WWE Network exclusive. That’s sounds like something that is best for business.
Finally, the main event was sort of barely snuck its way into the pros column. These two ring technicians displayed solid fundamentals to start the match while Seth tried to sneak his way out of the cage. Rollins eventually took control after hitting the sling blade as both guys attempted to utilize the cage as a weapon early on. One positive in this match was that they were given sufficient time before the inevitable outside interference occurred, and seeing Orton hit a Pedigree was a nice change of pace. In the end, Kane of course interfered and helped Rollins retain the title after Seth hit Orton with an RKO. The commentators stupidly discussed whether Rollins was permitted to use the banned move after the match, as if it even mattered because the only two options were a win for Rollins or a disqualification victory for Orton – either instance resulting in Rollins keeping his title. Overall, this was your typical BS cage match, but it was one of the few highlights during an otherwise uneventful night, so here we are.
“WWE.com has learned that Daniel Bryan is medically unable to compete tonight at WWE Extreme Rules. Therefore, there will be no Intercontinental Championship defense.
How will this breaking news affect the Intercontinental Championship picture? Stay with WWE.com all night long for updates as this story develops.
Meanwhile, WWE.com has also learned that Bad News Barrett, Daniel Bryan’s original opponent, will now face Neville in the WWE Extreme Rules Kickoff at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, available for free on WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Pheed and the award-winning WWE Network.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated the blog section of his official website, sharing his predictions for tonight’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view and talking about some other subjects. Below are some highlights:
On Friday’s “Cheap Pops” taping: “Had a great week down in Orlando observing the NXT TV tapings and doing some RINGSIDE w/ Jim Ross Show business before Mick Foley’s ‘Cheap Pops’ WWE Network TV special was taped that will air this Wednesday night. My 30 minute set will not be a part of Mick’s special which will be a great, one hour TV special that I encourage everyone to check out.”
On the WWE Extreme Rules main event: “WWE Title Bout to be held inside a Steel Cage with Randy Orton’s RKO ‘Banned’…Rollins has to retain and one can expect a “cast of thousands” so to speak to be involved but hopefully the integrity of the cage will not be overly compromised in the process. Seth Rollins is still evolving as the WWE Champion and he’s a great choice for that role as, like many of his successful predecessors, Seth is a “beatable” champion but not tonight. Rollins and Orton should have a great match before all the shenanigans commence one would hope.”
On the Russian chain match: “US Title Bout is a ‘Russian Chain Match’ which will, I think, be the first for both men which is always an iffy proposition. Having a run through in a live event would’ve been ideal but be that as it may I am not a fan of beating the villain in allegedly his type of match but I also find it challenging to see WWE beat John Cena who is doing a grat job of making the US Title mean something since he won it. Unique booking to say the least which isn’t a bad thing but I’d have Cena lose the Title, chase Rusev and thus continue to add equity and attention to the championship. That’s what I’d do but that’s not likely to happen as I could see a Cena-Rusev blowoff match for the Title at Summer Slam if Rusev wins tonight.”
On Daniel Bryan’s status for tonight: “IC Title bout between Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett isn’t likely to happen due to DB’s health status that well could be related to concussion type symptoms but that’s merely my speculation. Nothing is more important than a wrestler’s health so this bout not occurring doesn’t bother me.”
The WWE Universe will get its annual dose of extreme this Sunday at Extreme Rules. Every major title is scheduled to be defended, and nearly every match on the card features some sort of stipulation. Here are my predictions for this Sunday’s pay-per-view.
Tyson Kidd & Cesaro (Tag Team Champions) vs. The New Day (Pre-Show Match)
The New Day sucks, plain and simple. They belong on the pre-show, and there’s absolutely no way they capture the titles on Sunday. Kidd and Cesaro continue their run as champions after picking up the victory. I do not think they will do so via pinfall or submission, however. I believe the New Day will be on the verge of defeat, leading to Xavier Woods interfering in the match and the New Day viciously attacking the champs. This would further solidify them as heels, while also starting a face turn for the champions by building fan sympathy.
Winners: Kidd & Cesaro by disqualification
Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper (Chicago Street Fight)
This has the potential to be one of the better matches of the night. Expect the action to sprawl all over the area in something resembling a hardcore match from the Attitude Era, with multiple weapons being utilized along the way. In the end, Ambrose will find a way to win after incapacitating his opponent with Dirty Deeds, hopefully leading to a push where he goes after the Intercontinental Championship now that it appears Daniel Bryan will be on the shelf for a while.
Winner: Dean Ambrose by pinfall
Daniel Bryan (Intercontinental Champion) vs. Bad News Barrett
Bryan is injured and will not be competing on Sunday. That’s basically a guarantee. WWE is essentially engaging in false advertising by not announcing that this match will no longer take place. Expect some sort of backstage segment during the show where Bryan is attacked to write him out of the storyline.
WWE announced that the scheduled match between Daniel Bryan and Bad News Barrett for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at this Sunday’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view will only take place if Bryan’s health permits.
The company did not offer any additional details regarding Bryan’s health on Monday’s Extreme Rules “go-home” edition of RAW.
It’s worth noting that Bryan is still advertised for tonight’s WWE SmackDown television taping in Providence, Rhode Island, however he was advertised for Monday’s RAW as well, but ended up not working the show.
The following matches were taped prior to Monday’s RAW in Albany, New York for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars.
– Bad News Barrett def. Jack Swagger in a short but solid match to kick off the evening. The crowd was having fun with chants during this one, which saw Barrett pick up the pinfall victory after hitting Swagger with his Bull Hammer Elbow.
– A cage is shown hanging above the ring, but is never used, as it is there for the RAW show that follows this Superstars taping.
– Tyson Kidd & Cesaro (with Natalya) def. Los Matadores (with El Torito) in tag-team action in the second of two matches taped for Superstars. This was a non-title affair. The crowd seemed to be behind Kidd and Cesaro more as babyfaces than the actual babyface team. In the end, Cesaro and Kidd picked up the “W” to close out the Superstars taping.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan made headlines this week when he was pulled from the WWE European tour earlier than planned due to concerns over his health. Rumors had been swirling for weeks regarding his physical issues, with many claiming that he had been telling friends that he was hurting more than normal.
“We didn’t know how my neck was going to do when I came back,” Bryan told Jericho on his podcast at the time. “It’s the same with any injury, I think. If you have knee surgery, you don’t know how your knee is going to do until you actually start putting pressure on it and you can do as much rehab or whatever you want, and now it’s this thing of it being like getting pretty worn down, and I’ve never felt this way before.”
Many questioned Bryan’s decision not to undergo additional surgery to try and better correct the physical issues he had been dealing with, including John Cena, who publicly disagreed with the way Bryan was handling the situation, which he alluded to during an episode of last seasons “Total Divas” reality show.
Bryan would later theorize that it could just be age and years of a very physically demanding style finally catching up with him.
“But I’m also getting older. So I don’t know if it’s just (that), but sometimes when you’ve been off for nine or 10 months, then coming back takes maybe some getting used to, and I don’t know if I’m still in that adjustment process,” said Bryan.
Bryan is scheduled to defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against Bad News Barrett at the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which takes place on Sunday, April 26, 2015, at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
The WWE took Raw across the pond this week, with Randy Orton and Seth Rollins once again locking horns as they head into their main event contest at Extreme Rules, Roman Reigns finally discussing his loss at WrestleMania, and John Cena continuing his weekly open challenges. Here are the pros and cons from this week’s episode.
Pros
The crowd really gave it to John Cena to open the show, but he eventually got them on his side by utilizing cheap pops (i.e., saying London should get WrestleMania). The Champ once again issued an open challenge, with England’s own Bad News Barrett answering the call this time around. This was a hard-hitting match with both guys utilizing brute force over traditional wrestling moves for the most part. They made Barrett look strong in front of his home-country crowd, as he dominated the action early on and dropped a big elbow from the apron to the floor. Cena turned things around by utilizing a few moves fans don’t see from him often, such as a crossbody from the top rope and even a simple dropkick. Both guys were booked real strong, with Barrett kicking out of an AA and Cena kicking out after being hit by a huge Bull Hammer. Barrett wanted a second Bull Hammer, but Cena countered with a sloppy springboard stunner and an AA for the win.
Great way to start the show, especially after Lana made her return to television to distract Cena while Rusev pounced before announcing that their match at Extreme Rules will be a “Russian Chain Match” (not exactly sure how Russia and chains go together, but okay).
Dolph Ziggler vs. Neville was Match of the Night. Ziggler issued an open challenge before being answered by the upstart former NXT Champion. Neville was flying around the ring early before hitting a standing moonsault on Ziggler before the Show Off hit a DDT that Neville sold like no other. Neville has the type of moveset that could make him a star (especially when he’s busting out moves like a 540 splash after scaling the barricade. Even though Ziggler won with the Zig Zag, Neville looked strong in defeat. I like they way they’ve book Neville so far, and he’s certainly a welcome addition to the main roster. Sheamus attacked both guys after the match as he continues to solidify himself as a heel.
Fans were treated to a match-up between two of the best workers in the company when Randy Orton squared off with Cesaro. The two locked up early before Tyson Kidd interfered and caused Cesaro to lose by disqualification. Kane made an appearance and announced that the match would continue, restarting the contest as a handicap match. The Tag Champs worked over The Viper before the break, and were still in control when it returned. Orton took a lot of damage, including a neckbreaker from Kidd, a European uppercut from Cesaro, and a few kicks to the face. He’d eventually pick up the win, however, after hitting Kidd with an RKO.
The Team Hell No reunion backstage was entertaining and humorous.
Seth Rollins tried to get Kane to lay down for him before he refused and snapped. He chokeslammed Rollins straight to Hell before allowing Rollins to pick up the victory, setting up a confrontation to determine the stipulations for the Extreme Rules main event at the end of the show.
Roman Reigns finally addressed the fans after his loss at WrestleMania. He was brutally honest went he said, “I went to Suplex City.” It wasn’t his best promo (not that there’s an extensive archive of those or anything), but it definitely wasn’t his worst either. He called Big Show Seth’s “giant bitch” before being confronted and called a “bum” (what a devastating burn). This was one of those classic unintentionally humorous WWE segments, with both guys delivering cheesy promos that were littered with corny insults. Big Show attacked Reigns as he was leaving the ring and chokeslammed him onto the roof of the car that was parked at the top of the ramp, likely setting up a match between the two at Extreme Rules.
Finally, the closing segment involving Seth Rollins and Randy Orton was entertaining. Each superstar was permitted to choose a stipulation for the main event at Extreme Rules. Orton was well spoken during his portion of the segment, and Rollins played the slimy, cowardly heel to perfection as always. In the end, Rollins chose to bar the RKO from the main event, while Orton decided to make it a steel cage match to keep The Authority from helping Seth Rollins (because that has worked flawlessly in the past). The show ended with Orton hitting an RKO on one half of J&J while the WWE Champion retreated.
Following Monday’s taped edition of WWE RAW at the O2 Arena in London, England, new matches and stipulations were announced for the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
Below is an updated look at the lineup:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match With The RKO Banned
– Seth Rollins (c) vs. Randy Orton
WWE U.S. Championship Russian Chain Match
– John Cena (c) vs. Rusev
WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Bad News Barrett
WWE Divas Championship
– Nikki Bella (c) vs. Paige
Rumored Matches
– Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus
– Roman Reigns vs. Big Show (or Roman Reigns & Ryback vs. Big Show & Kane)
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on Sunday, April 26th for the best WWE Extreme Rules live results coverage on the web!
– WWE recently applied for a number of new trademarks. WWE has applied to trademark the term “Superfriends Crew,” possibly for a new stable. They also applied for “New Face of Fear” for Bray Wyatt, “Lone Wolf” for Baron Corbin, “The Vigilante” for Sting, “Anti-Diva” for Paige, “The Beast Within” for Brock Lesnar, and other terms such as Starrcade, Halloween Havoc and WWE Nation.
– UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey has signed with Dany Garcia, The Rock’s ex-wife and business partner, to be her new business manager. With a budding movie career (Fast 7, The Expendables 3) and a new book coming out next month, it will be interesting to see what’s next from UFC’s most dangerous female fighter.
It’s worth noting that Rousey and The Rock also share the same agent, Brad Slater.
– It’s believed that stipulations will be added to the Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton WWE title match and John Cena vs. Rusev U.S. title match at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Also expected for the PPV is Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler in singles action, and either Big Show vs. Roman Reigns or Big Show & Kane vs. Roman Reigns & Ryback. Already scheduled for Extreme Rules, in addition to the two aforementioned title matches, is an Intercontinental Championship bout between Daniel Bryan and Bad News Barrett.
This week’s WWE.com sit-down interview features Bad News Barrett speaking to Byron Saxton, who filled in for the “injured” Michael Cole. Here are some highlights of what Barrett said:
– Barrett said he exercised his rematch clause against IC Champion Daniel Bryan at Extreme Rules because Bryan never beat him. He called Bryan a “paper champion” since he won the title in a multi-man match at WrestleMania.
– Barrett doesn’t understand why Bryan is so beloved by the WWE Universe. He talked about the backstage segment at WrestleMania where the legends congratulated Bryan for his IC title victory. No legends ever gave him a pat on the back for being IC Champion and it doesn’t make sense. Barrett said Daniel Bryan knows that he’s the true champion.
– Saxton said he doesn’t think any of Barrett’s IC title reigns have been as memorable as Bryan’s big win at WrestleMania. Barrett says it’s not about being memorable, it’s about proving you’re the best. Barrett said when he was champion, there was never any question about was the best. At Extreme Rules, he’s going to give Daniel Bryan something to remember.
coming out next month, it will be interesting to see what’s next from UFC’s most dangerous female fighter.