– Adam Cole put on an extraordinary Extreme Rules match with Aleister Black at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia over the weekend. He followed that up with making an appearance in the Men’s Royal Rumble match the following night. It turns out WWE originally had other plans for Cole at the Royal Rumble instead of being in the over-the-top-rope bout. Wrestling Observer Radio reports that the original pitch for Cole had him answering Bobby Roode’s United States Title Open Challenge.
That plan was cancelled, however, as WWE officials realized it wasn’t a good idea to have Cole lose an eight-minute match on the kickoff show. The United States Title Open Challenge saw a ton of last-second changes, as Dolph Ziggler was also planned to answer the call.
Instead Ziggler appeared in the Royal Rumble match at number 30 and Mojo Rawley wound up taking on Roode on the pre-show for the strap. Cole entered the Rumble at number 23 and was eliminated by Rey Mysterio.
– WWE posted the following video of Sami Zayn and Becky Lynch after their Mixed Match Challenge loss to the team of Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman. Sami blamed the WWE Universe for the loss and also contemplated if their loss was a result of having too much of Lynch’s birthday cake prior to the bout:
– During an interview at a Make-A-Wish event last Monday at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City, Stephanie McMahon said she would love to return to the ring.
“I would love to do it,” Stephanie said when asked if she would like to return to the ring. “I think anytime I have the opportunity to be physical in the ring, it’s a privilege for me. So if, you know, the storyline and our audience demands it, then, of course, I’m going to give it to them.”
The Commissioner of Monday Night Raw also discussed tonight’s Royal Rumble event, her match with Brie Bella at SummerSlam 2014, Raw 25, Ronda Rousey and more.
– Natalya, Carmella, and Bayley are guests on the latest edition of Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia as they discuss the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match. Becky Lynch is also on the show as Lilian Garcia’s co-host. You can listen to the interview on PodcastOne or iTunes.
– Shane McMahon celebrates his birthday on Monday as the Commissioner of SmackDown Live turns 48 years old.
– Sami Zayn and Becky Lynch will compete for children across the globe with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), their charity in WWE Mixed Match Challenge. In the video below, Zayn and Lynch explain their support for UNICEF.
– As we’ve noted, The Miz will rematch Roman Reigns for the Intercontinental Championship at RAW’s 25th Anniversary Show on January 22nd. The Miz closed out this past Monday’s episode of RAW by attacking Roman Reigns with The Miztourage. The assault didn’t stop there, however, as The Miz took to Twitter today to taunt “The Big Dog” even further:
– On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live Ruby Riott suffered a loss to Becky Lynch in singles competition. WWE posted the following video in which Riott challenges Lynch, Naomi, and SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair to a Six-Woman Tag match against The Riott Squad:
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown saw Becky Lynch return to action after being away to film WWE Studios’ “The Marine 6: Close Quarters” with The Miz and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. Becky has been away since November when she was attacked by The Riott Squad making their debuts.
Becky helped Naomi and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair beat down Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan and Ruby Riott after The Riott Squad defeated Natalya, Carmella and Tamina Snuka in six-woman action.
Below are videos from Becky’s return along with Twitter comments from Liv and Charlotte:
WWE held a live event tonight in Detroit, Michigan. During the event, Becky Lynch made her return to team up with Naomi against Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan. Ruby Riott was ringside for the match.
Lynch has been off of WWE television to film The Marine 6: Close Quarters alongside The Miz and Shawn Michaels. The Miz is currently with Alicia Fox in the Middle East visiting troops during the USO Holiday tour.
Becky was written off of television when The Riott Squad made their main roster debut on the November 21st edition of WWE SmackDown. The trio attacked Naomi and Becky Lynch backstage and beat them down. Sarah Logan slammed a door onto Lynch several times and she hasn’t been on SmackDown since.
Here are some videos and photos from Becky Lynch’s return:
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss was recently a guest on Sam Roberts’ Wrestling podcast to talk about her journey through the industry. During the interview, “Little Miss Bliss” discussed the comparisons she has received, as far as her in-ring ability goes, to women such as those in the Four Horsewomen stable. Oftentimes Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Charlotte Flair are referred to as better workers than Bliss, however, “Five Feet Of Fury” is statistically the most successful champion since the beginning of the Women’s Revolution.
During her interview with Roberts, Bliss explained that she believes this distinction is made due to the fact that she doesn’t use “flashy moves,” something she doesn’t like to do as a heel character:
“When I was in NXT, I was still training every day. I was still in the ring every day and working every live event. And just because I wasn’t on shows that were taped for NXT TV, I don’t think people knew what skills I could do. And being a bad guy, I try not to do a lot of flashy moves and a lot of, I guess, good guy skills because that’s not my character and I feel like people take that as, ‘oh, well, she’s not as skilled as Sasha [Banks] or Bayley, Charlotte [Flair], or Becky [Lynch].
“But, I take that as a challenge. I’m like, ‘well, I can do all these things. I chose not to because I don’t have to. My character isn’t supposed to be flashy and be over-the-top. I’m supposed to be dirty in the ring. I’m supposed to kick and punch and I’m supposed to cheat and find ways to win at all costs.”
You can listen to Bliss’ interview on the Sam Roberts’ Wrestling podcast by clicking this link here.
Filming for WWE Studios’ latest project The Marine 6: Close Quarters wrapped this week in London. The Miz and Shawn Michaels have returned home to the United States, while Becky Lynch is back in Ireland an gearing up for her upcoming return.
Lynch and The Miz have been off WWE television during filming, with Miz dropping the Intercontinental Championship to Roman Reigns before heading to the UK. Both are expected back on television after the New Year in the lead-up to the Royal Rumble on 1/28.
The synopsis for The Marine 6 reads, “When Jake Carter (The Miz) and fellow Marine Luke Trapper (Shawn Michaels) stumble upon a kidnapped girl being held prisoner by a dangerous gang of international criminals, they find themselves in the crosshairs as they try to save the girl and bring her kidnappers to justice.”
No release date has been announced as of this writing.
Remember back to the heady days of the brand split when Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon claimed that Smackdown Live would be the land of opportunity? While the focus of the SD main event scene places the GM and Commissioner on our screens consistently it’s fair to say that several superstars have been languishing this year…and I’m going to take a look at three of those stars now:
Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler
I feel like Dolph Ziggler encapsulates these types of lists. This naturally gifted superstar has all of the physical attributes, has a charisma on the microphone and he has main event level experience…yet he still seems to be languishing.
Dolph himself recently spoke on the Edge & Christian podcast on how he is more than aware of his ‘NXT gatekeeper’ role on Smackdown. This isn’t the worst position in the world to have, it is a clear indication that the company know you’re a ‘good hand’ and can help transition talent from NXT into the main roster smoothly, much like Chris Jericho before him. The real issue for Dolph is that he will forever be tarred with the moniker of ‘bridesmaid never the bride.’ Ziggler’s career heights such as cashing in MITB after Wrestlemania 29, beating John Cena in a ladder match and essentially ‘eliminating’ the Authority are not era defining and are sparsely remembered by most aside from the most ardent fans of the ‘show stealer.’ It’s a shame because if you look at where Cody Rhodes is right now couldn’t that just as easily be Dolph? Maybe it is time to take the independent route.
Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch
‘The Four Horsewoman Who Never Won The NXT Title’ could almost be trademarked at this point. When Becky made her way to Smackdown Live it was the perfect opportunity to make her the number one babyface and build around someone who is more than capable in the ring.
The biggest indication of her being brushed aside? Her tenure as the captain of Team Smackdown seemed like it could be a minor resurgence right up until she was eliminated first in the Survivor Series elimination match…not good. The Women’s division on Smackdown Live has not been stellar this year as a whole, even with the trade of Charlotte Flair to the Blue brand the featured Women’s bouts have not been as prominent as those over on RAW..saying that even the flagship show has it’s problems with the booking of their division.
Maybe Becky will get her run next year? She just seems to be stuck in this position of fiery babyface who gets cheered but no one truly gets behind.
Tye Dillinger
I honestly had to check if Tye Dillinger was on Smackdown Live before I added his name to the list. I feel that it is unfair to lump Dillinger in the ‘catchphrase over, performer isn’t’ category because he is a talented performer and truly more than just the ’10’ gesture dictates.
The groundswell of support that Tye garnered as part of the NXT roster was truly staggering, it more than helped that he appeared in the Royal Rumble and was subsequently beloved by the Wrestlemania weekend crowd but all mentions of the ‘Perfect 10’ seem to have faded away near the end of 2017, incidentally he has not appeared on television since October 8th.
I think that this is not just an issue for Tye, but moreover an issue with WWE’s policy with bringing up NXT talent in general. There are times that it works, Asuka appears to be garnering a really strong following on the RAW brand but there doesn’t appear to be any sort of logic or reasoning to the call ups and it is brushed off on television as behind the scenes contract signings, wouldn’t it be interesting to see a change of tactic and see the heads of both brands ‘courting’ certain talents and have a twice yearly draft for the more high profile NXT stars? Just a thought.
Who do you think that WWE has dropped the ball on this year? Let us know in the comments.
WWE Superstars The Miz and Becky Lynch were written of WWE TV a few weeks ago so that they could begin filming for WWE Studios’ The Marine 6: Close Quarters. WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels is also filming with the two stars.
The Miz was Triple Powerbombed by The Shield through an announce table after suffering an Intercontinental Title loss to Roman Reigns on RAW. Lynch was attacked by the debuting Riott Squad the following night on SmackDown Live. Now the question arrises of how long the pair will miss TV time.
Shawn Michaels may have just answered that question with his recent Tweet from the set alongside The Miz. Michaels noted that the crew finished their first full week of filming and have three weeks to go. A three week mark would put their return around Christmas on the December 25th episode of Monday Night RAW, and the December 26th episode of SmackDown Live:
– Below is video of the Team SmackDown women’s team arguing backstage after their loss to Team RAW at WWE Survivor Series. As noted, Asuka was the Sole Survivor for Team RAW in the 5-on-5 Traditional Elimination Match.
– Regarding the battle for brand supremacy at Survivor Series, Team RAW ended up winning 4-3 – the men’s team won, the women’s team won, The Shield defeated The New Day and WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles. Blue brand wins saw WWE United States Champion Baron Corbin defeat WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defeat RAW Tag Team Champions The Bar and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defeat RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss.
– WWE posted this video to thank fans for watching the WWE Network this year:
WWE Superstar Becky Lynch recently spoke to Bleacher Report on a number of professional wrestling topics. “The Irish Lass Kicker” discussed working as a heel in her early days as a professional wrestler, staying away from Total Divas on E!, and wrestling intergender matches with James Ellsworth. Here are the highlights:
Working as a heel early in her career:
“When I was on the independent circuit, I always played the heel role, but I always felt that no matter what, I was able to connect with the fans. Whether I was good or not, there was a connection there because I think I just really love wrestling. If you’re a fan, you love wrestling. When you can feel that radiating off somebody, I think you tend to gravitate toward them. I think that’s the same with a lot of the babyfaces throughout WWE history. Fans pick up on that energy. It’s a passion we have for the industry. That resonates with them.”
Staying away from Total Divas:
“It’s not something I ever wanted for myself. It’s a great opportunity for the women. But I never envisioned myself in that role. And there’s a certain mystique about myself that I’d like to keep. I don’t want to give out too much of Rebecca Quinn.”
Working intergender matches with James Ellsworth:
“With that match, my whole hope was that people didn’t get up in arms about a guy touching a woman. And that it just became about the storyline as opposed to ‘Oh no! What’s going on in the world?’ It was more about entertainment than making any political or social statement.”
You can check out Lynch’s full interview with Bleacher Report by clicking here.
– As noted, the main event of this week’s WWE SmackDown saw AJ Styles become a two-time WWE Champion by defeating Jinder Mahal. Below is post-show video of Styles celebrating the big win:
Former WWE SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Becky Lynch recently did an interview with Digital Spy to promote the ongoing UK tour and the upcoming Starrcade live event later this month. Lynch discussed wanting to face Stephanie McMahon inside the ring and captaining the SmackDown Live Women’s team at Survivor Series. Here are the highlights:
Wanting to face Stephanie McMahon inside the ring:
“That would be amazing. I don’t think we’ve seen her in a ring – apart from that tiny altercation with Ronda Rousey [at WrestleMania 31] – since her match with Brie Bella. It was a great match and I think that was the match I was most excited for on that card at the time. It was great to see such a spotlight on the women and I think it was tremendous.”
Captaining the SmackDown Live Women’s team at Survivor Series:
“When I was the first Women’s Champion for SmackDown Live, it was a great source of joy and pride for me. It was my mission to make sure it was the better brand and that it had very engaging storylines and that people would get invested in whatever was going on. I wanted them to really care about the women we have on SmackDown Live – and of course the men.
“At Survivor Series last year we got the opportunity to showcase that, we really did, and we had that feeling that the fans were behind us. Maybe sometimes it seems like we’re not getting as many opportunities as they get on Raw so the fans root behind that – they feel sympathetic towards that.”
You can read Lynch’s full interview with Digital Spy by clicking this link here.
– WWE Superstar Randy Orton recently took to Instagram to take a bit of a shot at Kevin Owens. Orton posted a picture of a meal he got at McDonalds and claimed he needed the calories because he’s training for a feud with Kevin Owens. “KO” was quick to fire back in the comments section of Orton’s photo, saying he’s also preparing for the feud “I watched paint dry today. I’ve got you all figured out.” Check it out:
– Last night the Los Angeles Clippers had a “WWE Night” in which WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore, Intercontinental Champion The Miz, Becky Lynch, and Darren Young were in attendance. Becky Lynch slapped and stepped on the Clippers mascot for getting too close to her while Amore had fun by dancing out on the court. Check out the highlights below:
– Ring Of Honor (ROH) World Heavyweight Champion Cody Rhodes recently took to Twitter to thank last night’s (Fri. October 13, 2017) Pittsburgh crowd for their insane reaction to The Bullet Club:
Magical crowd. That's the loudest for the longest I've ever heard the fans. Thank you Pittsburgh. Next stop…Columbus. pic.twitter.com/WOfVdRnwua
– WWE posted the following match from last year’s Tables Ladders and Chairs (TLC) pay-per-view (PPV) between Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch for the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship. The match was a Tables match between Bliss and Lynch in which “Little Miss Bliss” won after Powerbombing Lynch through a table. Check out the full match here below:
– Sami Zayn took to Instagram to post the following picture of he and Kevin Owens embracing on SmackDown Live earlier this week. Zayn stated that it was ‘a cold day in hell’:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaIK-H6Fwya/
– Former SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Becky Lynch was featured on the latest installment of WWE’s “My First Job.” Lynch discussed her various jobs before getting into pro wrestling such as a pizza chef and a flight attendant:
– During a recent interview with The Irish Sun, Becky Lynch spoke about the possibility of pursuing a career in MMA or boxing. Lynch is dating UFC fighter Luke Sanders and was called out by UFC Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg this summer.
“My boyfriend is in the UFC and I see the amount of work and dedication it takes him and you have to be really passionate about it,” Lynch replied.
“I am a big fan and I really like watching it but that is not where my passion is. My passion is in what we do, and in wrestling. It is in telling stories and in acting and that is where I want to put all my energy.”
– MMA fighter Gabi Garcia recently spoke to TMZ Sports and expressed an interest in becoming a WWE Superstar one day.
The 6’2″ 200-plus pound woman’s MMA star said, “It’s possible one day if the guys invited me. I love the show, I love watching WWE, so why not?”
Garcia certainly has a blueprint to follow if she does want to become a pro wrestler down the road. Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Matt Riddle, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor and most recently Shayna Baszler are examples of former UFC fighters who successfully crossed over from the octagon to the squared circle.
It seems as though Ronda Rousey is getting closer and closer to stepping in a WWE ring.
The former UFC Champion was in attendance for the Mae Young Classic and she confronted Bayley, Becky Lynch and Charlotte following Shayna Baszler‘s second round match.
Rousey and the ‘MMA Horsewomen’ spoke to WWE.com outside Full Sail University following the encounter but were interrupted by the aforementioned WWE superstars.
Rousey approached Charlotte and stated “You name the time, you name the place.” When there was no response from Charlotte, Rousey said, “Oh, not today? We’re waiting to hear from you.”
WrestleMania 34 next April sounds like a logical venue for this high-profile match. Ronda Rousey’s days in the Octagon most likely done and the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion reportedly training in the ring with WWE Cruiserweight Brian Kendrick.
Both Rousey and WWE have spoken publicly about the possibility of working together in recent months. During an appearance on ESPN’s First Take last week, Triple H said WWE is prepared to make Rousey an offer to step inside the squared circle.
“Ronda has been a huge fan of WWE her whole life, she’s been very adamant about that,” he said. “She’s done stuff with us before. She’s a huge fan. It’s something that I think she’s definitely interested in and I’ll throw it out right now, if she’s interested, I’ll give her the opportunity.”
Ex-SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Becky Lynch recently did an interview with Al Arabiya English to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. During their conversation Lynch was asked about the potential debut of Ronda Rousey in the WWE with rumors recently circulating that the former UFC champ has begun training for a career in the field.
For the past few weeks the UFC and WWE have been mentioned in the same breath thanks to feuds between Jon Jones and Brock Lesnar, Becky Lynch and Cris Cyborg, and former UFC fighter Shayna Baszler’s involvement in the Mae Young Classic. Here’s what she had to say:
“I feel like if it’s going to get more eyes on us, then that’s wonderful. What I want to see is women who are passionate about this, and that they’re doing it for the right reasons, and that they care about this business, because we have been busting our tails for the past four years to make sure that women are seen in a different way and women are seen in a different light.
“And of course, Ronda, with all she’s done for UFC, would be a great asset. I can’t diminish her accomplishments at all because she’s incredible in her own right. But this is our sport, and you have to prove yourself in a whole different way”
Becky Lynch was recently interviewed by Inside the Ropes and Lynch once again called out Cyborg and challenged her to show up at WWE SummerSlam this Sunday. Becky also predicted that Conor McGregor would defeat Floyd Mayweather in their fight on August 26th.
WWE having an all-woman show
Becky Lynch was also interviewed recently by the Hindustan Times. During the interview, Becky stated the following about WWE having an all-woman show in the future:
“I don’t see why we cannot have an all-woman show with multiple storylines to keep the audience engaged. We have a lot of strong performers in the roster and if handled well, an all-woman show like the Mae Young Classic can be brilliant for the division.”
Becky also commented on trying to make storylines better moving forward:
“Right now it’s in a bit of a bit of a static period, which is perfectly fine. We’ve come off stuff like two women’s ladder matches, and Hell In A Cells, and we just need the storylines to constantly evolve. As great as all these matches are with the tables and the cages and the ladders, they’re all wonderful, but what we really need is a reason people are emotionally invested.”
– Jeff Hardy’s wife Beth noted on Twitter that Jeff will not be in attendance for tonight’s WWE RAW from Toronto. WWE.com’s original preview for the show teased that we’ll find out what’s next for the Hardy Boyz after being awoken, but that section has since been removed.
– Over the weekend, WWE.com published a feature looking at MMA fighters who have stepped inside a WWE ring. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Cris Cyborg took notice and told Triple H that he can’t hide Becky Lynch forever. The two are rumored to have a segment together at SummerSlam and interestingly, Cyborg used the hashtag #SummerSlam in her tweet.
Brazilians aren't known to be quiet just because they are asked. I have a country that wants their rematch with Ireland at #summerslamhttps://t.co/tggWUbqBCi
Let's make a deal. If I win tonight in cali, and you win tonight in Detroit…you agree to to sign the #summerslam contract. Don't b scared! https://t.co/CMlzPrdw0e
Becky teamed up with Naomi and Charlotte to defeat Natalya, Tamina and Carmella last night at a WWE Live event in Detroit. Lynch responded to Cyborg with the following video of her watching Cyborg’s title fight. Becky warned Cyborg that she was playing with fire and was going to get burned.
Cyborg defeated Evinger last night at UFC 214 by knocking her out in the third round. After the fight, Cyborg posted the following and told Triple H that she wanted to face Becky Lynch at WWE SummerSlam on August 20th:
Mick Foley recently posted about WWE Superstar Becky Lynch and stated that we have yet to see the very best from her. Below is Foley’s post:
STRAIGHT FIRE
I really enjoyed an interview my daughter Noelle did with Becky Lynch, and for me, the charisma, humor, and yes, straight fire Becky displayed in a fun little interview was illustrative of her still untapped potential in WWE. Not that Becky hasn’t done great things already in #WWE, but I just have this gut feeling that we have yet to see the very best from the #IrishLassKicker. It’s a potential that may just be one great angle, one incredible promo, one magic moment away.
One of Paul Heyman’s greatest attributes in #ECW was having the knack of giving the talent just enough guidance, instilling just enough confidence to allow talent to find something more within themselves than they’d previously produced or possibly even felt possible. I saw it in Steve Austin, when Paul tapped into the frustration and anger felt – and within weeks, Steve went from a good, solid mic man to being one of the best promos in the business. I saw it in the way he helped transform Taz from a silent, one dimensional performer into one of the most intriguing characters in the business. Certainly, the guidance Paul lent me helped me find a voice that produced some of the best work of my career.
If Becky Lynch can find her personal Paul E – someone behind the scenes at WWE SmackDown Live who can wind her up…and let her go, I think Ms Lynch is capable of taking her game to a level she herself might not think possible.
Let me know what you think of Becky and what you’d like to see in her future. Give it a share too – it’s such a Badlass photo!
Former SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Becky Lynch recently did an interview with Ringside Collectibles to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. Lynch talked about possibly facing the other Four Horsewomen (Ronda Rousey, Marina Shafir, Jessamyn Duke, and Shayna Baszler), what she’d like to see take place next in the women’s division, and who she thought stood out in the Mae Young Classic. You can check out what she had to say here:
Possibly facing the other Four Horsewomen:
“That would be a competitive match-up, but it’s our sport, not theirs, and that’s what I’ve been saying. I appreciate everything those women have done for their sport, but this our sport and this is our territory.”
Wanting to see a TLC match and Tag Team Titles next in the women’s division:
“Now that I’ve done the Tables Match, I’ve done the Ladders Match – and I got hit with a chair at the end of it – I think it’s only due time I have a TLC match. I would also like to be part of the main event [at] WrestleMania. I would also like there to be a women’s Royal Rumble. I would also like there to be women’s tag titles.”
Who stood out to her at the Mae Young Classic:
“Watching that warmed my heart and I’ll tell ya why, because when I started wrestling all of those years ago, we’re talking about being on the independents. We’re talking 12, 13, 14 years ago and seeing women who were there at the time and working – with no light at the end of the tunnel – and they kept working and they kept progressing. So, Mercedes Martinez was one and she did so well and it was so great to watch her, having worked all that time and now get the platform she deserves.”
