Big Show recently spoke with MoviePilot.com to promote his new WWE Studios film, Vendetta, which is now on sale. Here are some highlights of what he said:
The Aggression He Showed In The Movie:
“Yeah, that was the Soska Twins, Jen and Sylvia. If you know anything about those girls, they’re really go-getters and are positive on what they want from a character. Which is really cool to work with because they were meticulous about how they wanted the character to be and how dark they wanted it. It was a lot of fun working with them. A lot of times I would leave the set at the end of the day and go, “Wow, that was really, really violent. Holy smokes.” And when I saw it, I was really happy with how it turned out. It’s not a likable character unless you’re into bad guys. If you’re into bad guys, then you’re probably going to like my character in this one. He’s definitely a jerk, first class.”
People Expecting A Gentle Giant, Based On His Previous Movie Roles:
“There’s none of that. There’s nothing redeemable or likable about anything my character does in this movie. My character’s very dark. And if you look at the movie, you have Dean Cain, who’s America’s golden boy that played Superman and is a good guy in real life and he had to do some really dark things to go after me. He had to become a monster to get to the monster. And it was really great to see the arc of his character, too.”
His Favorite Moment In The Movie:
“I think one of my favorite moments of the movie was when I welcomed Dean Cain to jail. That very first interaction between him and I at the lunch table. There was so much animal language going on there, alpha male back and forth kind of deal, the stuff with his tray, letting him know who’s prison it is and what’s going to happen to him and just the looks he was giving back to me, I kept thinking he was going to stab me with his spork. That was one of my favorite moments.”
– Although WWE originally had The Miz scheduled as a third participant in the WWE Intercontinental Championship bout at this Sunday’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view, for whatever reason they decided to make it a straight singles match between Big Show and Ryback.
– While Chris Jericho will be wrestling Neville on the July 4th live WWE Network special from Sumo Hall in Japan, it is not the original opponent he requested. Originally, Jericho specifically asked to work with Hideo Itami, however when he found out Itami was hurt, he asked for Finn Balor. For whatever reason, WWE decided to go with Neville vs. Jericho for the live special on 7/4, however it is believed that Jericho will be working Balor on the non-televised date in the same building on 7/3.
Big Show has been working with the Special Olympics as of late and will serve as a WWE Goodwill Ambassador for the 2015 Special Olympic World Games in Los Angeles in July. He has also been acting as co-captain of the first-ever Special Olympics Unified Relay Across America.
The WWE Superstar recently posted a new blog on HuffingtonPost.com, where he talks about working with the group and how it has been one of the most rewarding experiences in his life.
Below is an excerpt from the blog, which you can check out in full by clicking here.
“Throughout my 20-year career in WWE, I’ve worked with an incredible group of athletes that travel the world, headline major events and have tens of thousands of fans cheer (and sometimes boo) them. Their charisma, athleticism, larger-than-life personalities and ability to connect with an audience is incredible. But as great as they are, none can compare to another group of athletes that I’ve been working with lately, whose boundless energy, passion and dedication to training cannot be matched. These athletes are the true superstars.
WWE has supported Special Olympics for decades. I recently got involved and was immediately drawn to and inspired by the Special Olympics athletes. Over the past two years, I have participated in the Opening Ceremonies for Special Olympics USA Games, attended the Special Olympics Connecticut Summer Games and made various appearances in support of local Special Olympics programs around the world. But no matter how much I could ever give, I get so much more in return from the athletes.
At every event, it is a joy to see their enthusiasm, courage, determination and sportsmanship as they are an inspiration to me and to all of the WWE Superstars and Divas. They motivate us to work harder and above all, to have fun while doing so. To be able to work with individuals who inspire everyone by their dedication and perseverance is an amazing testament to the human spirit. They have big dreams and I am honored to, in a small way, help those dreams become a reality.”
On Monday, WWE confirmed two new title matches for this Sunday’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view event.
Below is the current official lineup for WWE Money In The Bank 2015:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship (Ladder Match)
– Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
Money In The Bank Ladder Match
– Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. Neville vs. Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Kane
WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Ryback (c) vs. Big Show
WWE Divas Championship
– Nikki Bella vs. Paige
WWE Tag-Team Championship
– The New Day (c) vs. The Prime Time Players
– John Cena vs. Kevin Owens
WWE Money In The Bank Kickoff Show
– R-Truth vs. King Barrett
WWE Money In The Bank is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, 2015 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com for live results of the event!
Although the match has yet to be announced, Ryback is scheduled to defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against The Miz and Big Show in a triple-threat match at the upcoming WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view.
Speaking of Ryback, according to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he was not the originally planned winner of the Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber match last Sunday night.
Apparently Sheamus was originally booked to win the match and the title, but for whatever reason, WWE decided to make a late change in plans and put the title on Ryback.
– NXT star Hideo Itami is in Japan this week to promote WWE’s live events tour of the country scheduled for next month. After recently undergoing shoulder surgery, Itami will be out of action 6-8 months.
– Daniel Bryan is scheduled to for tonight’s WWE RAW. Bryan announced last night that his in-ring career is not over and will likely be there to promote his new DVD/Blu-Ray set, which will be released tomorrow.
– Big Show is currently backstage at the site of tonight’s RAW. No word on if he’ll be appearing on TV, but he’s expected to be back in action soon.
– There is currently no timeframe for Rusev’s return. He injured his foot at last week’s SmackDown tapings.
– Former WWE Superstar Trevor Murdoch has been working for Harley Race’s World League Wrestling promotion, which is based out of Missouri.
It was previously reported that Big Show would not be returning to WWE television until it was time to hype up the Money In The Bank pay-per-view due to the fact that he is not scheduled for a match at this Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
It is now official that Big Show is being advertised for the June 15th edition of RAW in Cleveland, Ohio, the June 22nd RAW in Indianapolis, Indiana and the June 29th RAW in Washington, D.C.
Additionally, Big Show is also advertised for all events in the month of July.
– Randy Orton and Big Show have purposely been kept off of WWE television because they are not booked in matches at this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Both Superstars are scheduled to return for the two weeks of build-up between the Elimination Chamber and Money In The Bank pay-per-views.
– The WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida is said to be very understaffed right now. The employees who work at the facility are said to be working endless hours because they have so many tasks and responsibilities. WWE is trying to keep NXT under a specific budget and while the brand and developmental system itself is a money loser, it’s considered necessary for the future of WWE.
– Below are some recent WWE and NXT attendance figures.
May 22nd in Manchester, NH drew 5,000 fans (John Cena tour)
May 23rd in Starke, FL for NXT drew a sellout of 225 fans
May 23rd in Worcester, MA drew 6,000 fans (John Cena tour)
May 23rd in Utica, NY drew 3,500 fans (Randy Orton tour)
May 24th in White Plains, NY drew 3,700 fans (John Cena tour)
May 24th in Binghamton, NY drew 3,700 fans (Randy Orton tour)
May 25th on Long Island for RAW drew 9,500 fans
– It was previously reported that Big Show was scheduled to return to WWE television this week, however that obviously didn’t happen. As things stand right now, Big Show is still scheduled to return imminently, but if he’s not back by the May 31st Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, his return might be pushed back.
– In addition to former MMA fighter Matthew Riddle and Biff Busick, independent wrestlers Drew Gulak and Chuck Taylor are also scheduled to take part in the WWE tryout camp at the WWE Performance Center in June.
– Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:
May 14th in Philadelphia for NXT drew around 2,000 fans
May 15th in Philadelphia for NXT drew around 1,500
May 16th in Albany for NXT drew 2,200 fans
May 18th in Richmond for RAW drew 6,300 fans
– NXT’s Shoot Nation stable is now simply a tag team with Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins. They will continue using the Shoot Nation name, while the former leader Chad Gable is going solo.
– Below, in order, are the top five most-watched shows on the WWE Network for the past week:
1. WWE 24: Roman Reigns
2. Chris Jericho interviews Stephanie McMahon
3. WWE NXT, May 6th episode
4. Jerry Springer Too Hot for TV: Love Hurts
5. Extreme Rules
– Other shows that drew well on the WWE Network include the special on Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show, the previous week’s NXT show, the Culture Shock show with Corey Graves, Unfiltered with Renee Young, Mick Foley’s “Cheap Pops” special, the sneak peek at ECW Uncensored Volume 3 and Jerry Springer’s new show.
– On the other side of the coin, two shows that aren’t getting a lot of views at all are the Cinco de Mayo special with Los Matadores, and pretty much any episode of WWE Superstars.
– Big Show is being advertised for next week’s WWE SmackDown tapings in Norfolk, Virginia. It’s possible this is an outdated event preview, but Show is scheduled to team with Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt against Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Roman Reigns. Big Show has been off TV since losing the Last Man Standing match to Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules.
– The WWE Network is now available on Apple TV in the UK.
– WWE has announced Ryback will square off against Bray Wyatt this Sunday at WWE Payback.
– Big Show is expected back on WWE TV in the next few weeks. He’s been out of action since since losing the Last Man Standing Match to Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules.
– King Barrett tweeted the following after Daniel Bryan surrendered the WWE Intercontinental championship on RAW:
What a load of horse crap from @WWEDanielBryan tonight. I think we all know I deserve my IC Title back. Pathetic scenes. Jog on.
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.
Here’s the complete schedule for WWE Network original programming premieres for this week:
Monday:: Jerry Springer’s “WWE: Too Hot For TV” will be released on-demand after RAW.
Tuesday: King of the Ring live special at 8pm EST
Wednesday: Mick Foley Night kicks off at 9pm EST with a 1-hour career highlights. At 10pm is a special edition of Foley’s “Cheap Pops” comedy show, taped last week from Full Sail University.
Thursday: Chris Jericho’s podcast with Stephanie McMahon following Smackdown at 10pm EST.
Friday: A special on Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show from WrestleMania 24 at 9pm EST, obviously playing off the Mayweather-Pacquaio fight this Saturday.
Next week, a new edition of WWE 24 focusing on Roman Reigns will premiere after RAW.
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.
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.
Roman Reigns was Michael Cole’s guest on this week’s WWE.com sitdown interview. Reigns spoke about how his match at WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar changed him, Big Show’s recent attacks on him and more. Here’s a recap:
WWE put on a six-man tag-team match as the non-televised post-show dark match after taping RAW at the O2 Arena in London, England on Monday afternoon.
The match saw WWE Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan team up with Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler to take on the trio of Big Show, Sheamus and Luke Harper. The fans at the O2 Arena were said to be as loud and enthusiastic for this match as much as any other on the card.
The finish of the match saw the babyface team pick up the win after Bryan forced Harper to tap out to the “Yes! Lock.”
In a related note, with Lilian Garcia on the sidelines recovering from surgery, NXT Diva Eden handled the ring announcing for RAW this week. Garcia noted on Twitter that she will be live-tweeting with fans when the show airs in its’ regular time slot tonight.
For complete RAW spoilers for tonight, click here.
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.
Tonight’s episode of Raw was held in Austin, Texas, and featured the fallout from last week’s epic post-WrestleMania show. Fans saw a new number one contender crowned, John Cena issue another open challenge, and Sheamus solidify himself as a heel. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from this week’s Raw.
Pros
The Authority opening segment is something we’ve all seen a million times before, but it actually worked out well this time around. Rollins gloated about his win at WrestleMania, while Big Show put over the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Randy Orton quickly interrupted the segment, declaring his RKO at WrestleMania to be the “most spectacular RKO of my career.” Damn straight, it was. This also set up the first meaningful main event on Raw in what feels like ages, as it was announced that Orton, Ryback, and Reigns would compete in a triple threat match to determine the number one contender at Extreme Rules. (Although wasn’t it already announced that Orton and Rollins would compete in the main event this past week?)
Seth Rollins was scheduled to face an unnamed opponent. As soon as Neville’s music hit, this was pretty much guaranteed to be match of the night. This was fought at a frantic pace for the most part, with both superstars gaining the upper hand at times. Neville utilized a number of aerial maneuvers during the match, including an awesome dive to the floor that saw him land on his feet. Rollins was equally impressive and showed why he’s the champ, as he worked over the NXT newcomer while hitting all of his signature moves. It was funny to hear JBL slip up and say Adrian Neville before quickly correctly himself. (Sorry JBL, they don’t do first names in the WWE anymore.) This had a few amazing sequences near the end including a rollup from Neville and Rollins countering into a powerbomb into the corner in a match that made both guys look good.
There was nobody in the company in more need of a face/heel change than Sheamus. He was as stale as a year-old loaf of bread as a face and cheesy af. His promo tonight was good and he was definitely over with the crowd. He was talking smack and listing off his measurements (he almost made it to his shoe size) before being interrupted by the World’s Strongest Man. The contest itself was pretty entertaining – with Henry tossing Sheamus around to the delight of his hometown crowd during the opening moments of the match. Sheamus countered the World’s Strongest Slam into a stiff Brogue Kick to end an entertaining segment.
The Prime Time Players were humorous during their Ascension parody promo.
This week’s main event was a triple threat match featuring Orton, Reigns, and Ryback. All three superstars were victorious earlier in the night and the winner of the main event would have a chance to challenge Seth Rollins at Extreme Rules. Orton was the star of the show early, hitting powerslams on both Ryback and Reigns. Ryback then took over for a little while and nailed Reigns with a Meat Hook before countering an RKO into a spinebuster. His momentum was brought to a screeching halt after taking a spear from Reigns, however. The Authority approached the ring and Reigns leapt over the top rope to take everyone out. Big Show would make him pay for his actions by hitting him with the knockout punch. The Authority then focused their efforts on taking out the Viper, and Ryback would get rid of J&J before taking an RKO from outta nowhere and losing the match. Orton wouldn’t have any time to celebrate though, as Rollins quickly delivered a Curb Stomp and stood over Orton to end the show. Even if the outcome was never really in doubt, it was nice to see a main event that had some kind of implications on the storyline, and it did something to further the feud between Orton and Rollins, so this has to be considered a positive.
Finally, say what you will about John Cena, but I think putting the United States Championship around his waist was a great idea. We got a quality match with Dean Ambrose last week, and this week was no different with Stardust rolling out to answer the open challenge. These two went together like beer and peanuts and put on an entertaining match. Cena dominated the match for the most part, but Stardust had his moments, such as when he countered an Alabama Slam into a sunset flip early in the contest. Cena showed his strength on multiple occasions by countering Cross Rhodes into a big power slam. In the end, Cena retained by hitting the springboard stunner he’s been using lately and following it up with an AA. Overall, it was a good match and it’s nice to seeing the title being defended on a weekly basis.
The following matches were taped for tonight’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of WWE SmackDown this past Tuesday in Fresno, California.
– Randy Orton vs. Big Show
– Natalya vs. Naomi
– Roman Reigns interview with Byron Saxton
– The Miz vs. R-Truth
– Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper
– Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus
For complete spoilers for tonight’s WWE SmackDown, click here.
– WWE Superstar The Big Show won his first ever battle royal by becoming the second annual Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner. Big Show won the second annual match, last-eliminating Damien Mizdow during the “main event” of the WrestleMania 31 “Kickoff Show.”
– WWE announced an attendance of 76,976 fans at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California for WrestleMania 31 on Sunday night.
– During WrestleMania 31 on Sunday night it was announced that Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast will air live on the WWE Network on Monday, April 6th. The special will air live immediately after RAW on the WWE Network, with Jericho interviewing John Cena.
Jeff Jarrett recently spoke with Steven Godfrey of SB Nation to share his thoughts on WrestleMania 31. Jarrett predicted that Big Show is going to win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal and The Usos are going to win the WWE Tag-Team titles in the Kickoff Show four-way tag-team match.
Below are some comments from Jarrett regarding other matches on the card:
On Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: “This is one I’m really looking forward to. I think this event has the best chance to become the show-stealer. I like Dolph Ziggler here, he’ll have the opportunity to shine through with those seven guys. There’s plenty of ammunition and plenty of targets. I think Dolph is ready to rise to the occasion; he’s got a chance here to take that next step. Bryan has to be the obvious favorite, if not the fan favorite. But I like this event because each of these seven guys are distinct enough in ability and persona. That diversity in ingredients is what could make this match really special.”
On John Cena vs. Rusev: “John not having to carry the company on his back through WrestleMania season means he can focus only on this. He gets to leave nothing on the table and exceed expectations. Rusev should bring a couple oxygen tanks to ringside because he’ll be absolutely gassed at the end of this. He’s not on Cena’s level in big money matches, at least not yet.”
On Bray Wyatt vs. The Undertaker: “For years you could never bet against ‘Taker at ‘Mania, and that went for not only wins and losses, but also match quality. I think this year’s no different. I would’ve bet you and lost last year [vs. Brock Lesnar] but I’d put the farm on Undertaker this year. He’s always exceeded what’s expected of him and Sunday will be no different.”
On Sting vs. Triple H: “From an emotional standpoint I’m invested in this match more than any other, having such a long history with Sting. I’ve watched his career from the Clash of Champions to the Starrcades to big matches in TNA, but at this stage of his career … For Sting to arrive at the biggest match of his career north of 50 years old is a testament to the man they call ‘Sting.’ I’m excited he’s got this opportunity and I wish him nothing but the best. But: If you’ve ever watched one of Triple H’s WrestleMania matches, Sting has to realize he’s not walking into a traditional wrestling match. He’ll feel the effects of this weeks, if not months to come.”
On Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar: “With the ESPN announcement and Dana White’s comments I believe the proverbial gas has been poured on the fire. There’s a lot of moving parts here: Roman Reigns is very fresh to this dance as a singles wrestler. I would say that he’s got the deck stacked against him in numerous ways. We’ll talk more about that on Sunday, but I’ve also got a funny feeling that Roman comes out of this match as the winner in more ways than a ‘1, 2, 3.'”
The following matches were taped on Monday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for tonight’s WrestleMania 31 “go-home” edition of WWE SmackDown.
– Cesaro vs. Jimmy Uso vs. Big E vs. Fernando in a four-way match
– AJ Lee promo
– Roman Reigns, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, and Mark Henry vs. Bray Wyatt, Big Show, Kane, and Seth Rollins in an eight-man tag match
coming out next month, it will be interesting to see what’s next from UFC’s most dangerous female fighter.