– Following this week’s SmackDown Live, teams still in the tournament to crown the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions include American Alpha, The Usos, The Vaudevillains, The Hype Bros and the team of Rhyno & Heath Slater. Another team will be added next Tuesday night as they will face Slater & Rhyno. The Ascension and Breezango were both eliminated from the tournament last night.
The finals of the tournament will take place on 9/11 at the Backlash PPV and new champions will be crowned.
Here are backstage reactions to the tournament announcement from American Alpha and the Hype Bros:
Baclash will also feature Natalya vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi vs. Nikki Bella vs. Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss to crown the first SmackDown Women’s Champion. Becky talks to Charly Caruso about standing out and about winning the championship in this backstage video:
John Cena, Enzo and Cass vs. The Club and Becky Lynch vs. Natalya are now official for the 7/24 WWE Battleground PPV. The current card looks like this:
* WWE Title Triple Threat: Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns
* John Cena, Enzo and Cass vs. AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
– Sunday at Money in the Bank, Natalya attacked her own tag team partner, Becky Lynch, following their loss to WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and Dana Brooke. This was not WWE’s original plan.
Bryan Alvarez revealed Monday on Figure Four Daily that WWE had planned for Lynch to turn on Natalya. His claim was corroborated by Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com on Tuesday.
The angle was followed up on Raw last night as Natalya ambushed Lynch backstage. “The Queen of Harts” explained that she’s worried about just one person: herself.
– Stephanie McMahon was not at Raw last night because she is in Cannes, France for the Cannes Lions festival. The festival kicked off over the weekend, and she will be joined by John Cena on Thursday to talk about how WWE “has kept audiences engaged the past 50 years.”
Last week, Becky Lynch’s feud with Emma got taken to the next level with the surprise debut of NXT Women’s performer Dana Brooke. Lynch was ambushed by “EnD” (Emma ‘n’ Dana) and now WWE is teasing that Becky may have some sort of reinforcement with her tonight.
WWE.com’s official preview for RAW includes this item:
“Big shakeups are happening in the Women’s division, as Dana Brooke’s Raw debut officially turned Becky Lynch’s beef with Emma into a 2-on-1 affair. The Irish Lass Kicker caught a pair of lass kickings from the newly-christened “EnD” (Emma ‘n’ Dana), with Dana notching her SmackDown debut victory at Lynch’s expense. With the powerful pair poised to make life hell for Maiden Ireland, Lynch might find herself in need of some extra #straightfire — or, failing that, a tag team partner will do.”
Join us here tonight our for our live coverage of WWE RAW to find out who Becky brings to settle the score.
Comment on this article and tell us who you think will side with WWE’s Lass Kicker in her feud with EnD.
Former WWE & TNA star Lisa Marie Varon recently spoke with the UK’s Total Wrestling Magazine.
Varon spoke about there being extra pressure on female wrestlers. Even with a stronger emphasis on the in-ring product, appearances are a big part of being successful. She said “Even something as simple as a haircut needs careful consideration because if you are on TV every week you can’t get something too drastic and as for a girl, well God forbid you age! We can’t get wrinkles we can’t put on weight so there is so much pressure. ”
When she was on the road and competing regularly, her body could take a beating and it didn’t affect her that much. After some time away from the ring, she feels aches and pains from wrestling 15-years straight.
Here’s what she said about the influx of talent in WWE’s Women’s division:
“You know I’m very lucky I’ve wrestled some of the greatest and I’m still wrestling now so yeah who knows who I may hook up with next. If you look at the match that Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Sasha Banks had at WrestleMania I think people are taking the women more seriously now. A lot of people said it was their match of the night. Hopefully the days of bra and panties matches are a thing of the past and we can concentrate on the wrestling.
I love Charlotte she would be so much fun to wrestle and I am a huge Sasha Banks fan. She’s got it, the reaction she gets from the crowd is amazing and she is going to go far in this business. I’d have to say though Paige is a given for me. I’d love to wrestle her. I’m friends with her mom but I think there are a lot of little subtle similarities between us and I’m sure we would have a great match.”
WWE COO Triple H was recently interviewed by Dublin, Ireland’s 98FM and spoke very highly of Irish Superstars Sheamus and Becky Lynch.
The Game said both athletes have amazing work ethic. He doesn’t know if it’s a Dublin thing, but they’re both hard workers and that’s what it takes to climb the ranks in WWE.
He’s known Sheamus for a long time and says the Celtic Warrior is like a sponge for the business – constantly learning. Regarding Becky Lynch, he said,
“Becky, from the time I met her and we brought her into the Performance Center, through her time at NXT. Her rate of change and how she’s grown as a performer and a character, just captivated the crowd [with] her energy. I always say Becky’s energy is infectious. You can’t talk to her more than 5 minutes without feeling hyped up and jazzed up. I think that’s what works for her, is her personality.”
NXT heads to Dublin next month as part of the brand’d upcoming UK tour.
Becky Lynch recently spoke with Ashley Benson of XObenzo.com. Here are the highlights:
– She still gets nervous before her matches. “Every single time. There were two matches I wasn’t nervous for, and they were the worst matches ever. Every time I get the butterflies I thank God.”
– Life on the road makes it difficult for her to date. “It is not easy because of the constant travel, being on the road five days a week is very tough. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to find someone who gets it.”
– She’s already got a plan for when her days inside the ring are over. “Eventually I would love to open a café or restaurant in New York City. I want to create a good life for myself and the people I love, stay true to myself while making the world a little better.”
On their official preview for Monday’s episode of RAW, WWE.com is teasing a match between Becky Lynch and Emma. Here’s what they had to say in the official preview:
Much like Becky Lynch is now, Emma was once beloved by the WWE Universe – a relationship that, she claims, got her nowhere in WWE. With a ruthless demeanor and a brutal offensive style honed in NXT, Emma is back on the WWE roster, determined to teach The Irish Lass Kicker that “nice girls finish last.”
Viciously defeating Paige on SmackDown, the Australian aggressor aimed to send a pointed message to the fiery fan-favorite. How will Becky Lynch respond on Raw?
Monday’s show takes place at the O2 Arena in London. Join us on Monday night for live RAW coverage and discussion.
– The Undertaker is now being advertised for the March 28th episode of WWE RAW, the final show before WrestleMania. He’s also scheduled to appear next week (3/14).
– Kalisto’s WWE United States Championship will be defended at WrestleMania. He’ll be working triple threat matches against Alberto Del Rio and Ryback at upcoming live events, but Del Rio has been ruled out as his Mania opponent. With the recent push Ryback has been getting and Kalisto’s role as the consummate underdog, we could see The Big Guy getting the title shot on April 3rd.
– Becky Lynch will be rocking some special ring gear for the Divas Championship triple threat match at WrestleMania.
Designers Julie Youngberg and Mikai Mosley are collaborating on the costume, which will include “some cool mechanical things.”
I am so excited to be working with @AnJewelsBrand to help make an some awesome WRESTLEMANIA gear for @BeckyLynchWWE
— TheRealMikalMosley (@Themikalmosley) March 6, 2016
– Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch has been announced for Monday’s RAW from Nashville. The winner will challenge Charlotte for the WWE Divas Championship at WrestleMania.
As noted last night, The Undertaker will also be appearing on RAW to address his Hell in a Cell match against Shane McMahon at WrestleMania.
– Today marks the 2-year ‘birthday’ of the WWE Network, which launched on February 24th, 2014.
– Becky Lynch recently spoke with Ontario, California’s Press Enterprise to promote Tuesday’s Smackdown TV taping. When asked if she thinks Divas will ever main event WrestleMania, Lynch said:
“I think so. I don’t see a single reason why not. What Bayley and Sasha did, they weren’t the main event because of a movement or because it was cool. It was because they’re that good. No one else could follow them. That’s what we’re moving to. It’s pure equality as long as you’re that good and you’re that much of a draw, I think you have every right to be the main event,” she said. “Look at Ronda Rousey and I guess now Holly Holm. It’s a new time and it’s great to be part of it.”
– Congratulations to WWE Diva & Total Divas star Rosa Mendes, who gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Saturday named Jordan Elizabeth Schubenski.
A topic that’s gotten some attention this past week on wrestling websites and social media has been the continuing discussion of WWE’s treatment of women both behind the scenes and in terms of their storytelling. While this has been brewing for a while because of the whole NXT Women’s Division vs. WWE Divas’ Division dynamic, it came to a head this past week because of two moments on WWE programming:
Ric Flair forcibly kissing Becky Lynch as a distraction spot and the announcers laughing it off as a comedy spot.
The Rock’s entire interaction with Lana, who was returning to TV after a noticeable absence, being about the idea that she cheated on Rusev with him when he last appeared on Monday Night Raw.
Today, the topic was explored in an article at Vocative by Alex Groot titled “WWE’s Looming Sexism Problem.” When asked for comment on the piece, WWE issued the following statement:
WWE programming, which features fictional characters that cover a range of personalities similar to movies and television shows, tells stories of good versus evil. In addition, as our on-going storylines develop, we will continue to position women as both strong competitors and compelling individuals.
Of course, as mentioned by Groot, even if you can argue that at least Flair was an evil villain doing evil things, The Rock was the babyface and Lana was the heel.
Mick Foley recently took to social media to write about a fantasy booking scenario he’d like to be involved with in a perfect world.
When asked by a fan if he could manage anyone currently in WWE, the WWE Hall Of Famer said he’d like to manage Becky Lynch to counter Ric Flair being with Charlotte in the current Lynch-Charlotte program, which has seen the second generation Diva turn heel on her former “Team P.C.B.” teammate.
“The Hardcore Legend” posted the following on his official Facebook page:
HEARD ANY GOOD RUMORS?
During my Q&A in Greenville, SC on Thursday, I was asked a simple question: “If you could manage one person in WWE, who would it be?”
So, I gave a simple answer: “Becky Lynch”, along with my explanation of why – and by the next morning, it had become a genuine news story. I really wasn’t trying to make news; I was just answering a question honestly. But who knows – maybe the attention will lead to something in the future – and to quote my friend DDP, “That’s not a bad thing; it’s a good thing.”
Maybe Manager isn’t quite the right term – but it’s obvious Becky needs someone to neutralize “Nature Boy” Ric Flair – and given my real life history with Ric, and my real life friendship with Becky, I think I could do a good job, if asked.
How would you feel about a possible Lynch/Foley collaboration? I think we would make a ?#?Bexcellent? duo.
WWE will be taping this week’s edition of SmackDown on Tuesday night in Laredo, Texas for the first episode of the show to air in its’ new home on the USA Network.
WWE previously announced that John Cena would be appearing on the show and that Mauro Ranallo would take over as the new voice of SmackDown on the show, and following Monday’s WWE RAW, the following title matches are now confirmed for the show as well:
* Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Kevin Owens (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
* Charlotte (c) vs. Becky Lynch (WWE Divas Championship)
After some online speculation heading into tonight’s WWE RAW, WWE Divas Champion Charlotte revealed her status for what will be the final 2015 episode of the show.
As we reported on Monday morning, Charlotte was among those advertised to appear at the non-televised WWE live event in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is scheduled on the same day, and as advertised, that’s exactly where the WWE Divas Champion will be.
However, Charlotte also alluded to the way WWE may keep her angle with Becky Lynch alive on the show this evening without her physically being at the Barclays Center to do so herself.
Charlotte posted the following on Twitter late Monday afternoon, which has led to speculation that Lynch and her father, Ric Flair, will keep the Lynch-Charlotte storyline alive on RAW this week.
Can't be there tonight at #Raw but this is a perfect opportunity for @BeckyLynchWWE to #DoItWithFlair. Time to go to work woman! ????
WWE Diva Becky Lynch recently appeared as a guest on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast and spoke about the Four Horsewomen, the evolution of the Divas Revolution and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On a writer coming up with the Four Horsewomen name and not knowing the other Horsewomen prior to joining NXT:
“Well, we didn’t start calling ourselves that and then we did an interview and then we were called the Four Horsewomen.”
“I didn’t know any of them and I remember just being at home and I looked them up on the internet, but I didn’t know them. I hadn’t seen them work before. I think I saw a few of [Sasha Banks’] independent matches, but that was it. That was it. I certainly never saw Charlotte work before.”
On the Four Horsewomen chemistry growing over time and the evolution of the Divas Revolution:
“[Chemistry] developed slowly. We were just all so passionate about it. We just really love wrestling. All of us just love wrestling and that’s it. It wasn’t a thing where we were like, ‘oh, we’re going to build this!’ It was just that we loved it and everybody wanted to get better constantly and everybody was so willing to help each other out. Like, when I arrived, Lord, have mercy, I couldn’t do my makeup and hair and these are all the little things that you need.” Lynch continued, “Sasha really helped me with all those things and everything like that.”
“It just slowly chipped our way up there [to having longer matches in NXT]. A lot of it started, you know, Paige and Emma had a really good match on the first [NXT] TakeOver, Arrival. And then, [Natalya] and Charlotte upped the bar. And then, Sasha and Charlotte upped the bar. And then, it kept going, kept going, and then we had the fatal four-way [at NXT TakeOver: Rival]. And then, it was me and Sasha [at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable]. And then, Sasha and Bayley at [NXT TakeOver] Brooklyn, which is one of the best matches, hands down, I’ve ever seen.”
On moving to main WWE roster and being in no hurry to leave NXT:
“I was never in a rush to get up here [to the main roster] because NXT was so amazing. I think before with the whole developmental thing, it was all, ‘oh, I [have] got to get up to the main roster’, but with NXT, we were building this, just like [Jericho] said, this incredible entity and you can feel it and everybody was so passionate and so excited and the women’s division was unparalleled. It’s just absolutely amazing.”
“I was actually out injured when I got the call because I had sprained my hip flexor, my hip becsor. I sprained that when we were in Pittsburgh [Pennsylvania] and I was out. This was shortly after the match I had with Sasha at [NXT] TakeOver [Unstoppable], but I was just starting to get better.”
– Featured above is the latest edition of “Eden’s Style,” which features Nikki Bella, Corey Graves and other stars talking about the fashion at this year’s Slammy Awards. Renee Young, who is also featured in the clip, jokes to Eden about haing “the body of a young boy.” Young was also told by Kevin Owens that she looks ridiculous this week.
– The WWE Tribute To The Troops 2015 special, which aired on the USA Network on Wednesday, December 23rd, drew 1.802 million viewers. The show finished second on the night in cable viewership and in the 18-49 demographic, trailing only college football.
– As seen below, Mick Foley and his children, Noelle, Dewey, Hughie and Mickey Foley all participated in a family Christmas photo parodying the Four Horsewomen of NXT — Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Bayley. Also featured are comments from Becky Lynch and Bayley regarding the photo.
WWE has announced a Divas match for the TLC pay-per-view “Kickoff Show” live tonight on the WWE Network.
In singles action, former Team P.C.B. member Becky Lynch will square off against Team B.A.D. member and former NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks during the 60-minute WWE TLC pre-show at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
WWE Diva Becky Lynch recently appeared as a guest on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho and spoke about the process of getting into WWE, picking her ring name and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On moving to Orlando to have TNA as a “Plan B”
“Orlando was where TNA was at the time, so I was like, ‘oh, okay. If I’m in Orlando studying, I’ll have a Plan B and also I’ll be close to TNA.”
On the origins of the Lass Kicker nickname:
“I didn’t [come up with ‘Lass Kicker’]. I had my match with Sasha [Banks at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable] and then I woke up. And I was looking at my tweets that morning and there was a t-shirt with ‘Lass Kicker’ on it and I thought maybe Sheamus had a female version and then I thought, ‘but that’s kind of a bit weird if he has a t-shirt that’s ‘Lass Kicker” and I had no idea until I actually went on WWE Shop and saw that there was a ‘Lass Kicker’ t-shirt and I was like, ‘oh, that’s for me!'”
On studying the art of clowning:
“What I loved about wrestling was just being foolish, so I studied clown. I studied clown. I studied the art of clown. I actually did my thesis on clown.” Lynch added, “I feel like you just become very vulnerable and it’s very honest.”
“Well, everybody thinks that you just do tricks and learn to juggle and this, that, and whatever, but no! It’s actually [a] really powerful acting technique because you put on this little red nose and it’s like an arrow to your eyes and they say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. It’s like people can see through you or you feel like that. There’s just this thing that comes over you when you have that little red nose on you.”
On her WWE tryout in Birmingham, England:
“It was just lots of drills, lots of rolls, [and] a lot of it came down to just cardio and just how you moved in the ring. And then promos, and so, promos are like my favorite thing in the world. And then just telling your story. And I think because I’d worked on my promos so much I just felt so happy to be back in the ring, whether I was good or not, it was just an energy.”
On getting signed right away but being told that Vince McMahon might only be looking for models:
“They said that they liked me and that I did well. They said, ‘we never know. They might just be looking for models, so it depends what day you show up on Vince [McMahon]’s desk’ and I was like, ‘okay’, but I had faith.”
On the origins of her WWE ring name and other choices she considered:
“I kind of wanted to keep my own name. Yes, my real name is Rebecca and I’ve got twenty-something years of putting my name into other words.” Lynch continued, “and then ‘Lynch’ was, they just needed Irish names and then ‘Lynch’ was just one that came up, but I remember the owner of the gym that I was training out of before I got my tryout. The name of the gym was Raw and his name was Lynch and I thought that was kind of a good omen.”
“Robin Daly was one of the names I wanted to pick because I could be all like, ‘I’m Robin Daly, like, I’m robbing daily.’ It could be a ‘daily thing’ [or] a ‘daily habit’.”
– Becky Lynch is featured in the above RAW Fallout video from last night’s TLC “go-home” show. Lynch reacted to the Miz TV segment with her two former Team PCB members Charlotte and Paige, who will once again be competing against each other for the WWE Divas Championship.
– The official Twitter page for “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” posted the following tweet to promote John Cena’s appearance the show tonight.
– Speaking of Cena, in addition to his scheduled late night talk show appearance tonight with Jimmy Fallon, he also appeared on “The TODAY Show” once again this morning. Cena posted the following about his morning schedule thus far today.
Spent a long day at #AmericanGrit just landed in NYC straight to @TODAYShow for some morning hi jynx!
– WWE.com is running a poll asking fans which championship belt needs a redesign. With over 45,000 votes cast, 53% say it’s the Divas championship that needs a makeover, followed by the WWE Tag Team titles (19%) and the WWE World Heavyweight title (12%).
– WWE continues to tease a possible heel turn for WWE Divas Champion Charlotte. They wrote the following in their official preview for tonight’s edition of RAW:
“We’re seeing a different side of Charlotte lately, and it’s not one that agrees with the Divas Champion’s longtime friend, Becky Lynch. On Raw, the daughter of two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair took a page out of her dad’s playbook when she feigned an injury to take Becky off her game and steal a victory over The Lass Kicker in what was supposed to be a friendly bout. Then, on SmackDown, a hot-headed Charlotte got Becky disqualified in her match with Brie Bella. Although Charlotte’s interference was in retaliation after Brie accidentally knocked the Divas Champion down at ringside, the second-generation Diva seemingly had no regard for how her actions would affect her friend. Are we now seeing the “real” Charlotte?”
– After being sent home last week due to a “bad flu bug,” WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens is expected to make his WWE television return on tonight’s RAW. Owens made his in-ring return at the WWE live event on Saturday evening in Fayetteville, North Carolina, losing to Dean Ambrose.
Make sure to visit SEScoops.com later this evening for live WWE RAW play-by-play results coverage!
The crew at WrestlingDVDNetwork.com continued their week of match reveals for the upcoming NXT’s Greatest Matches Vol. 1 DVD and Blu-Ray set today by announcing that these three will be included:
NXT Championship Finals: Seth Rollins vs. Jinder Mahal (NXT August 29, 2012)
Ladder Match for the NXT Championship: Bo Dallas vs. Adrian Neville (NXT ArRival February 27, 2014)
NXT Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens (NXT Takeover: Rival February 11, 2015)
– Sasha Banks and her Team BAD buddies Naomi and Tamina are featured in this week’s RAW Fallout video, which you can check out above. Banks tells Eden she did not tap out and insists Naomi and Tamina did not cheat to help her out. The segment ends with Eden running away from Tamina.
– Speaking of the Banks-Lynch match, WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley took to Twitter after the match on RAW to express his disappointment in WWE for not giving them enough time to steal the show. Foley noted that he traveled 12 hours to NXT TakeOver six months ago to watch Banks and Lynch and it was “worth every mile.” Foley tweeted the following: