While preparing for his WrestleMania 31 match against The Undertaker, Bray Wyatt reportedly suffered an injury.
Wyatt, who was working out in the ring inside Levi’s Stadium on Sunday afternoon, apparently suffered a sprained ankle and had to be taken to the back by a car.
We will keep you updated on Wyatt’s condition if any new information surfaces.
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com later this evening for the best WrestleMania 31 live results on the web!
WrestleMania is right around the corner. Although the build has been a little subpar, it’s still WrestleMania so it should be entertaining. Here’s how yours truly expects it all to play out.
Tyson Kidd & Cesaro (Tag Team Champions) vs. The New Day vs. Los Matadores vs. The Usos
Kidd and Cesaro really deserve better than the pre-show treatment, but hey, what can you do? This is clearly between the Usos and the champs, as the other two teams are simply jobbers eating up space. Expect a few entertaining spots between the two, with Naomi and Natalya ultimately playing a role in the outcome. In the end, the champs will retain after Cesaro pins one of the Usos.
Winners: Kidd & Cesaro by pinfall
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Remember a few weeks back when Stephanie McMahon was on Raw promoting this battle royal as the most important thing since Hogan/Andre at WrestleMania III? So much for that, as it’s now on the pre-show. Hideo Itami has been added to the match after winning a tournament at Axxess over the weekend. I think they will use this as an attempt to put over NXT and increase viewership by having Itami pick up the win after hitting the GTS. Expect Mizdow to eliminate Miz during this one as well to set up a match between the two next month at Extreme Rules.
Winner: Hideo Itami
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins
This could easily be one of the most entertaining matches of the night, as Orton and Rollins are two of the best workers in the business. It will be filled with multiple near-falls, and J&J will undoubtedly try to help Rollins pick up the win. It’s hard to say what the hell they’re doing with this one, especially considering they blew the payoff for Orton weeks ago. I still think Orton wins and it will be a rough night for Mr. Money in the Bank (more on that later).
WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston recently spoke with XXL Magazine to promote this Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 event at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Below are highlights from the interview.
On his three favorite WrestleMania moments of all-time: “Well, selfishly, I was gonna make all of them include myself, but I’ll only do that for two of them. My favorite one was my first Money In The Bank match. I believe it was in 2009. It was the first time I got to be on Wrestlemania. And you know, ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be a WWE superstar. So I always pictured myself in Wrestlemania matches. So when that happened it was like a dream come true, literally. So that’s probably my top favorite moment.
My second favorite moment is when Shawn Michaels faced the Undertaker. That to me was awesome. I got to watch it from the crowd. It was just an amazing match. Shawn Michaels is one of my favorite competitors of all time. And just to see him in there with Undertaker, them going back and forth, like from their entrances all the way to the end… And again, I got to be out in the crowd to watch that, which I normally don’t get to do.
And my third favorite Wrestlemania moment would probably be the Money In The Bank I was in. I believe it was my second. I’m terrible with years so it was either 2010 or 2011. But I got to walk on stilts. Basically, Kane had split a ladder in half and I got to use those two parts of the ladder to kind of walk myself to the middle of the ring and climb up, which was a pretty cool moment.”
On his thoughts on The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt match: “It’ll be really interesting. If you would have asked me like a year ago I would have said Undertaker because he had never lost at Wrestlemania. But then he lost to Brock Lesnar. So it’s like when Rocky made the Russian bleed. Mick comes out of the corner and he’s like, “He’s just a man. He’s human.” So now I feel like Undertaker is beatable, ya know? Because it has been done. So if anyone can do it again, it might be Bray. Either way it’s gonna be an interesting match with two really cool characters squaring up against each other. It’s kinda like a fantasy booking situation where you’re like, “What would happen if Bray Wyatt faced the Undertaker?” And we’re all gonna find out at Wrestlemania.”
On his thoughts on the Sting vs. Triple H match: “Yeah, man. You know who the real winners are? The fans who get to see it. Because I know a lot of people, myself included, who never expected to see Sting in a WWE ring, and now it is happening. It’s Triple H in there with him, too. So any time Triple H has a match at Wrestlemania, it’s always an awesome match. Now you get to see these guys go up against each other. I’m pulling for Sting. I was always a big Sting fan with the colorful rainbow face paint and also with the Crow-like, black and white stuff. So I’m pulling for Sting, but we’ll see.”
Despite their original plans, WWE will not be running two shows in the United Kingdom on April 13th, the date of the RAW show overseas.
RAW will be taped at the O2 Arena in London, England on the 4/13 date, but will no longer run a live event in Leeds as scheduled.
Advertised for the Leeds house show were Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Bray Wyatt and Dolph Ziggler, which meant they wouldn’t have been available for RAW that night.
The decision was made to move the Leeds live event to Sunday at 1pm, so that everyone can be at RAW on Monday.
Sam Roberts and Katie Linedoll of SIRIUS/XM radio caught up with Bray Wyatt this weekend for an interview heading into Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view and spoke about the fact that The Undertaker is going into this year’s WrestleMania without his undefeated streak.
“What I like about it is there is no Streak now,” Wyatt said. “There’s no reward held over his head anymore, there’s no pressure.”
Wyatt was also asked whether or not winning and losing is important to his character.
“I think a mixture of both,” said Wyatt. “This is something I wanted to get across. I’m not trying to become Undertaker in no way, shape, or form. I’m Bray and I’m trying to create my own legacy.”
Wyatt continued, “Going forward, all these big matches …it all will end with a message that I will be remembered for. I want one day for a young guy to find out that he is going to be wrestling Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania, and I want everyone in the room to come congratulate me, just like you are congratulating me on this epic opportunity to wrestle Undertaker at WrestleMania. I want that.”
You can watch the complete Bray Wyatt video interview above.
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
Due to the fact that WWE is looking at setting the new all-time attendance record at Cowboys Stadium next year, the company is looking at going all out for WrestleMania 32.
WWE is reportedly going to reach out to as many legends that can still work as possible for next year’s show, although Ric Flair is considered to be out of the question, as WWE refuses to have him work a match in their company after giving him the grand send-off for his retirement angle.
For the past few years, the talk has been that Undertaker’s retirement match will be at Cowboys Stadium, both due to the fact that he is from Texas and because WWE feels it’s an angle that will help sell a lot of tickets for a show that they need to sell more tickets than ever before.
When asked about it over the past couple of years, Undertaker has reportedly said that he doesn’t feel he will be able to go that long, although many are under the impression that the ultimate decision will be based off of how he looks and feels after his match against Bray Wyatt at this Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view.
During the WrestleMania 31 “go-home” edition of WWE RAW on Monday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, a big eight-man tag-team match was announced for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
In what will be the final major television show before Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view, Roman Reigns, John Cena, Daniel Bryan and Mark Henry will team up to take on Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Big Show and Kane in one of the main events of this week’s SmackDown.
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on Tuesday evening for live WWE SmackDown spoiler results coverage.
WWE WrestleMania 31 is less than a week away and we’ve got another look at The Undertaker as he prepares for his return to the ring against Bray Wyatt. While many of the recent Undertaker photos we’ve seen have not been very flattering, it’s good to see the Dead Man looking like he’s ready to whoop some ass.
Chris Jericho recently spoke with Scott Fishman of The Miami Herald to promote his new WWE DVD, “The Road Is Jericho.” Below are highlights from the interview.
On working with younger talents and including his Bray Wyatt match on the new DVD: “In this day, most of the guys are newer. That’s just the cycle of wrestling. I’m fortunate enough to be doing this for 25 years and can still do this at a high level. I’m still Chris Jericho. As far as years in the ring, I have more than Triple H. I have more than Kane. I think only Goldust and Undertaker really have as many years in the ring. Just to stay in the company and continue to work, you have to work with the younger guys. I think that is important to do that.
“This is why I included the Bray Wyatt match on the DVD because I thought it was a great match. I think the Randy Orton match I had was a great match. I don’t always want it to be a career retrospective just based around 1999 to 2004 or whatever. I’ve had great matches every year in my career, so I think it’s important to support that and continue to remind people of that. I’ve enjoyed working with Bray Wyatt. I think the cage match we had on Raw was tremendous. One of the best ones I’ve done. I think the match I had with Orton at [Night of Champions] is the best one we’ve ever had.
“So it’s important to work with the younger guys, but it’s not like there is any choice to work with anybody else. I like working with whoever it is that I feel I would have fun with. When I went back to do the live events over the last couple of months, that was one of the things. I would love to come back to do live events, but who am I working with? I need to know that before I get in the ring. The two names they picked were Cesaro and [Luke] Harper. I love both of those guys, so it worked out great.”
On WrestleMania 31 and talents he would like to work with: “I like the concept. It amazes every year. It’s always good. Of course, I want to see Triple H and Sting. I know what kind of match it’s going to be because I’ve seen Sting in TNA for the last 10 years. It’s not like he is going to come back and be different in the ring. The storyline is what counts. I’m excited for Brock [Lesnar] and Roman Reigns. I’m a big Reigns fan. I’ve been a supporter of his for years. I think the [Intercontinental championship] ladder match will be great. There is a lot of stuff on there. I think it’s pretty cool NXT is doing a big building before WrestleMania as well, 5,000 seats.
“There are a lot of guys there I would like to work with. I would like to work with [Finn] Bálor. I would like to work with Sami Zayn and [Adrian] Neville. Even [Dean] Ambrose, [Seth] Rollins and Reigns I would like to work with. I would like to work with Daniel Bryan as a heel. I think I can bring something out of him that he hasn’t been seen. It is one thing the company really doesn’t have is strong heels. Maybe they have strong heels, but not the way Jericho would be if the circumstances were right. That would be interesting to come back as a heel.”
Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.
As previously reported, WWE hired a local casting agency in San Francisco to cast “Russian soldiers” and “scarecrows” for entrances at WrestleMania 31. The soliders are for Rusev’s ring entrance, while the scarecrows could be for Sting or Bray Wyatt’s entrance, but most likely Sting’s.
As it turns out, WWE hired the same casting agency to book both roles and they will be using the same extras for both roles as a way to save money. They are looking for males between the ages of 24 and 33, with no facial hair. The casting agency will be paying extras $1,100 each for three days.
The extras that are hired must be available to train on March 27th and March 28th, then perform the day of WrestleMania 31 on March 29th. The first day of work will consist of costume fitting and a four-hour walk-through. They will then do a late night rehearsal after the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony on Saturday night from 11pm until 3am. From there, they are simply required to be at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California all day and evening on Sunday.
Bully Ray spoke with Alex Obert of the Journey of a Frontman website while at Tommy Dreamer’s “House of Hardcore VIII” event in Philadelphia last weekend. Below are highlights from the interview.
On returning at the WWE Royal Rumble: “Well the Royal Rumble is a lot of fun. As far as the reaction was concerned, it was awesome. To be able to come back to Philadelphia ten years after I had left the WWE to that type of reception, you really can’t put any words to it. I kind of knew in the back of my head that I was gonna get a warm reception from the Philly crowd. Some people might of been shocked just how big the reaction was. It was overwhelmingly positive. If that was my last time that you ever saw me in a WWE ring again, not that I’m saying that I want it to be, but if that was the last time that you ever saw me, that’s a hell of a way to go out!”
On being in the ring with Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt: “I’m a big fan of those guys. I’m a big fan of most guys in the WWE, they’re all extremely passionate about what they do. You can tell that they whenever they go out there, they always strive to be the best and steal the show and do the absolute best that they can. The Wyatt Family is kind of reminiscent of the old Dudley clan back in the day. Big fan of Bray. Big fan of Luke and Erick Rowan. They’re doing a great job. It was fun to be in there with The Miz. It was fun to be in there with R-Truth doing the What’s Up and the 3D. It was all good, lots of fun.”
On possibly appearing at NXT: “I am open to anything that is fun and that would be good business. Me and D-Von have accomplished so much as a tag team and I’ve accomplished more than I thought I ever would as a singles guy. If you listen to the fans, they would love to see the Dudley Boyz back in the WWE and help bring that tag team division back to the heights that it once was. Our school is going on almost ten years now and we’ve been very proud of the students that we turn out. We are very proud of the way we train our students. On a whole, I’m really happy with the way everything has unfolded so far.”
On Rey Mysterio leaving WWE: “Whenever people leave a company or go to a company, everyone will ask what my thoughts are. It goes on every day. People come and go from companies every day, whether it’s wrestling or a bank or a big business or McDonald’s, people come and go all the time. When one person stays in a company for too long, they can sometimes get stagnant or stale. So it’s good because with Rey leaving WWE now, maybe he’ll go do some stuff that will light a fire under his ass even more. And now that opens up a spot for a younger guy in WWE to step up and become the next Rey Mysterio. It’s always good for the business when people come and go and rosters constantly get mixed up.”
On Samoa Joe possibly going to WWE: “That’s awesome for Joe. Great! I would love to see Joe be ultra successful in the wrestling business. WWE is the top of the food chain. When you get into pro wrestling, everybody always wants to wrestle for the WWE. Joe went to Ring of Honor, helped build Ring of Honor and he paid his dues there. He went to TNA and helped build TNA, paid his dues. Now he’s gonna have an opportunity with the WWE and I hope he knocks it out of the park. He’s worked very hard and he deserves it.”
As noted on Thursday, WWE has hired a local casting agency in the Bay Area of San Francisco in an attempt to find males to work as “marching Russian soliders” for a special Rusev ring entrance at WrestleMania 31.
Additionally, we can confirm that the company is also looking to hire some extras to play the part of scarecrows at WrestleMania.
While it’s not confirmed at this point, early speculation is that the “scarecrows” would likely be used for a special ring entrance for Sting or Bray Wyatt, with Sting being the more likely of the two.
– Regarding “The Man Comes Around” message on the titan tron during Monday’s RAW segment with Bray Wyatt and The Undertaker, that is actually the name of a Johnny Cash song. While it’s not confirmed at this point, it’s possible that Undertaker will be using another Johnny Cash song for his entrance at WrestleMania 31 this year.
– Comedian Adam Carolla and former New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer are the guests on this week’s edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast, which is available for download right now at PodcastOne.com.
– As noted over the weekend, Rey Mysterio and former WWE announcer Justin Roberts made surprise appearances at Tommy Dreamer’s “House of Hardcore VIII” event in Philadelphia. The following clip of Mysterio’s appearance has been released via the official House Of Hardcore YouTube channel:
This week’s episode of Raw was held in the greatest city in the world: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Brock Lesnar made his return, the Viper finally decided to strike, and Bray Wyatt received an answer regarding his challenge to the Undertaker. Here are the pros and cons from this week’s episode of Raw.
Pros
Paul Heyman’s promo was the highlight of the night, and boy was it a highlight. In what was quite possibly one of the greatest promos of all-time, Heyman put just about everyone within a thousand-mile radius on blast. He criticized the Reigns video package that aired before he entered the ring, calling it, “nothing short of sheer propaganda” while calling Reigns’ father “one generation removed from cannibal.” He also addressed the Lesnar UFC controversy, saying that no one will take the title from Lesnar and that the Beast would gladly unify the WWE and UFC Championships over the summer if he chooses to do so. He later mentioned the Montreal Screwjob and said that anyone who tries to screw over Lesnar would not leave the arena alive. In all, the promo was a borderline shoot that perfectly blurred the line between fantasy and reality. He really did everything he could to put the main event at WrestleMania over, and he definitely succeeded.
Daniel Bryan vs. Bad News Barrett was a good match with both guys displaying strong fundamentals. Bryan hit the running high knee from out of nowhere for the win after failing to put away Barrett with a backslide. Bad News got the upper hand on Bryan after the match, however, hitting him with a Bull Hammer before being laid out by Dean Ambrose. It was a solid opening contest and a good way to further hype the ladder match at WrestleMania.
Connor “The Crusher” Michalek will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as the first recipient of the newly created “Warrior Award.” This company gives fans plenty of reasons to complain, but even the most cynical fan can’t help but praise them for this move.
Dean Ambrose squared off against Stardust in the second match of the night. The action was largely uneventful, with Ambrose picking up the win after a big clothesline and Dirty Deeds. This goes into the “Pros” column largely due to the post-match brawl, with all of the competitors in the Intercontinental Championship ladder match getting in on the fun. It’s nice to see the company making this into a big deal, and Barrett getting duped by a phony IC strap was also somewhat amusing.
Rusev quickly squashed Curtis Axel and then proceeded to talk some smack on the good ‘ole US of A. Cena had warned him beforehand not to do so in a nationalist rant prior to the match, but the Russian decided to press his luck. Cena absolutely destroyed Rusev, causing him to pass out twice in the STF. Lana granted Cena his rematch in an attempt to call off the dogs. Cena then stood up with an absolutely evil glare on his face, which was actually a nice change of pace. I’d like to see a darker, more ruthless side of Cena as they head into their rematch at WrestleMania.
The opening segment was pretty entertaining, all things considered. Noble sounded like a fool, leading Rollins to declare that they are “J&J Security, not J&J Public Speaking.” Orton was the star of this segment, however, as he went down the line and ripped everyone a new one. He said what we’ve all been thinking for months by calling Kane the “Devil’s Favorite Dumbass,” and continued by insulting Big Show, Rollins, and J&J. It was a solid opening to the show and the crowd seemed to be into it.
The Divas make an appearance in the “Pros” column this week after a solid match between AJ Lee and Summer Rae. They were given about five minutes and the match featured some decent action, with AJ eventually picking up the win with the Black Widow. It didn’t set the world on fire, but it’s definitely an improvement over what we’re used to in the main roster Divas division. I also thought the Bella Twins’ Flintstones outfits were kind of cute.
And, in a shocking turn of events, the Divas are back for an encore. Naomi and Natalya weren’t given much time at all, but the action was solid, with the highlight being Naomi’s excellent counter of the Sharpshooter. I wish this one would have been a little longer, but it served its purpose by advancing the tag team feud and getting the Divas more exposure.
Bray Wyatt finally got his answer after weeks of provoking the Undertaker. After cutting a nice promo, the lights went out and ‘Taker’s music hit. From there, a message appeared on the big screen that said, “At WrestleMania, the man comes around.” Lightning then struck Wyatt’s chair, causing Wyatt to laugh maniacally as it burned. It was the perfect way to have the Dead Man accept Wyatt’s challenge without giving fans too much.
WWE is advertising the return of WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at tonight’s RAW in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In the RAW “Five-Point Preview” at WWE.com, the company wrote the following:
“As WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar returns to Raw and Wiz Khalifa gets set to perform in his hometown of Pittsburgh, what else awaits on WWE’s flagship show? WWE.com has some ideas.”
Additionally, the company is teasing an appearance by The Undertaker. WWE.com wrote the following:
“Not content with The Undertaker’s silence on The Road to WrestleMania, Bray Wyatt is about to make his boldest statement yet, vowing to bring what appears to be The Undertaker’s urn to Raw and “unleash its spirit.” Will The New Face of Fear finally garner a response from The Deadman, three weeks before The Show of Shows?”
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com later this evening for live WWE RAW play-by-play results coverage.
This time, Jericho simply stated that he has a “ton” of thoughts on DeMott stepping down as head trainer in NXT, however he didn’t get into detail.
Jericho put over Bray Wyatt as an “excellent” performer, and also revealed Finn Balor, Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn to be his favorite talents in NXT.
Speaking of Jericho, he will be the subject of next Monday’s post-RAW special on the WWE Network, as WWE will premiere a 30-minute preview of the new “Road Is Jericho” DVD and Blu-ray immediately following RAW.
Below is the official synopsis for the special.
“A first look at Jericho’s new home video! Jump in a limo and ride with Chris as he shares his favorite stories while traveling the country.”
As seen above in a clip from this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, Bray Wyatt revealed that he is in possession of The Undertaker’s sacred urn. Wyatt threatened to unleash the spirit of the urn on this coming Monday’s edition of RAW in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The official WWE website has subsequently run an article that speculates that Wyatt taking the urn may be what it takes to bring The Undertaker back and respond to his WrestleMania 31 challenge.
The article contains the following teaser:
“The WWE Universe knows the history of Undertaker’s urn and the significance that it holds to his eternal legacy. It’s also no secret that the sacred urn has some mystical connection with The Demon of Death Valley. Wyatt knows having the urn in his hands is sure to get under The Undertaker’s skin. So, will Wyatt’s SmackDown reveal compel The Deadman to finally rise from the ashes of his WrestleMania 30 defeat?
If the sight of the urn in Wyatt’s hands doesn’t bring The Undertaker back, maybe whatever the creepy Superstar has planned for this Monday night will. Wyatt professed that he will unleash the urn’s spirit on Raw, making us wonder what he could possibly have planned. Will we witness the “power” of the urn come to life? And, if so, will we finally see The Deadman in the flesh on Raw?”
Raw emanated from the Garden State this week, but it was certainly no walk in the park for Seth Rollins. Fans were treated to two title matches during the show, as well as a special appearance from Jon Stewart. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from this week’s episode of Raw.
Pros
The highlight of the night was Seth Rollins’ phony “Daily Show.” He immediately insulted the crowd by calling Newark the “armpit of America” before recapping his appearance on the real deal last Thursday. Mr. Money in the Bank had J&J rolling with a few corny jokes, while pondering the whereabouts of Mr. Stewart. His question was quickly answered, as Stewart showed up to a nice pop from the crowd. Stewart ripped on Rollins hard while displaying his knowledge of legends past in an absolutely hilarious segment that ended with Stewart delivering a swift kick to Rollins’ nuts. Entertaining top-of-the-hour segment, and it should provide a bit of crossover buzz heading into WrestleMania.
Triple H was so intense during his promo this week, and as always, his delivery was solid. Hunter took a few shots at the “kids” who think they know the backstage politics of the business, while threating: “I will make sure it is as if Sting’s career never existed.” Booker T’s involvement in the segment was refreshing and something new, even if it meant seeing The Game almost hand the five-time champ his walking papers.
Daniel Bryan vs. Luke Harper went into the “Pros” column before it even started. When you get two guys with this kind of talent in the same ring, it’s almost impossible to disappoint. Even though they weren’t given much time at all, the two worked a stiff match that saw both superstars take their fair share of abuse. Bryan was unceremoniously dumped over the top rope to the floor at one point, but was eventually able to counter a modified crossface into the Yes! Lock for the win. Following the match, Ambrose, Harper, Barrett, Ziggler, and R-Truth, all attempted to walk away with the Intercontinental Championship while Bryan looked on. It looks like our lineup for the WrestleMania ladder match is basically set.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Seth Rollins open the show, as he hyped his confrontation with Jon Stewart later in the night. He of course talked a little smack, saying: “Unlike the Daily Show where they give away their tickets for free, every single person in a seat tonight paid to see Seth Rollins.” The only downside to this segment was the involvement of Roman Reigns. He arrived, said a few words that weren’t exactly memorable, performed his two signature moves, and basically stood in the ring hoping to be cheered (he failed miserably, in case you’re wondering). It’s sad that even when the the company is using New Jersey’s own Jon Stewart to get Rollins heat, the crowd still universally boos the thought of Reigns becoming champion. Overall, it seemed like another lame attempt to get Reigns over, but Rollins was money.
The Miz “Niagara” commercial was on point. I loved Mizdow’s involvement in the backstage segment and commercial.
There weren’t many spots during the Ambrose/Barrett match, but it was pleasant. Most of the exciting action took place outside of the ring, with Ambrose diving through the middle ropes to take out Barrett and later delivering a big elbow from the ring apron. He eventually picked up the win after hitting Dirty Deeds following a distraction. It’s nice to see the company getting multiple midcarders involved in this Intercontinental Championship ladder match (including Dean Ambrose, Luke Harper, probably Daniel Bryan as well). With that said, it is absolutely cringeworthy hearing JBL and Cole interact with R-Truth on commentary.
Alundra Blayze was announced as the latest inductee into the Hall of Fame. That’s cool, I guess.
Finally, John Cena cut his usual “inspirational” promo this week. It’s obvious Cena doesn’t possess the necessary credentials to warrant inclusion into the prestigious Andre the Giant Battle Royal, and Stephanie of course quickly shot down his hopes. The two engaged in their typical banter to start the nine o’clock hour. Stephanie declaring, “For once, I actually like this chant” when referring to the Yes! chant was humorous.
Axel was easily the MVP of this segment though, and the crowd was eating it up big time. The two followed up the segment with a quick match, with Cena quickly forcing Axel to tap out to the STF. Rusev once again denied Cena his rematch following the match, keeping us all on edge as to whether this will match occur at WrestleMania.
John Cena spoke with TMZ in New York City this week about Vince McMahon’s “Muscle & Fitness” cover, the Jon Stewart vs. Seth Rollins feud and WrestleMania 31.
Regarding McMahon’s “Muscle & Fitness” cover, Cena said he is an inspiration to anyone who lifts weights. He said that even at age 69, McMahon operates like a 29 year old.
When talking about the Stewart-Rollins feud, Cena said he’s a big fan of “The Daily Show” host, so he would like to see him come to WWE.
Cena also spoke about WrestleMania 31, predicting that The Undertaker will go over Bray Wyatt.
You can check out the complete TMZ interview with Cena at the top of this page.
– The Thursday, February 26th edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 2.624 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. By comparison, last week’s show scored 2.403 million viewers. Thursday’s show marks the highest rated edition of SmackDown for this month.
– WWE has added Brian Kendrick to the official NXT roster page, the same way they did with Rhyno following his NXT debut last week. As things stand now, there has been no word of either Kendrick or Rhyno signing a new deal with WWE.
– The following is Bray Wyatt’s promo regarding The Undertaker from this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
It should be noted, however, that while Undertaker is not currently scheduled for any television tapings leading up to WrestleMania, he will respond to Wyatt’s challenge in some form or fashion, possibly as soon as this coming Monday’s edition of WWE RAW.
WWE.com has an article up today looking at whether or not The Undertaker will accept Wyatt’s challenge.
“It’s a constant in life that everything will eventually come to an end,” states the WWE website. “And despite Bray Wyatt’s cries for a monumental clash on The Grandest Stage of Them All, he may have to look elsewhere for his WresleMania moment.”
The article continues, “The WWE Universe will simply have to wait on the edge of its seat to see if The Undertaker’s WrestleMania reign is truly over.”
– WWE’s Chief Strategy & Financial Officer George Barrios was on CNBC earlier this week to discuss the 1-year anniversary of the WWE Network.
Although WWE’s stock got absolutely hammered last year as a result of widely perceived inflated expectations of the Network’s potential, Barrios said that WWE is still confident they can reach 3-4 million subscribers within the next 3-5 years.
– Variety has published an article looking at the 4 Key lessons WWE has learned after 1 year of the WWE Network.
– Jake “The Snake” Roberts tweeted the following about Bray Wyatt, who appears to be headed for a showdown with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31:
As far as I'm concerned BRAY IS THE SHIT!! Believe that Roman will b the champ at mania. Can he carry the load? Got build, look and smart!!
WWE is gearing up for their annual post-WrestleMania European tour, with the following matches being advertised:
The “A-Crew” will be headlined by John Cena vs. Rusev for the United States Championship, Bad News Barrett vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship and Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins.
For other touring roster will feature Roman Reigns vs. Big Show in the main event, Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt, Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper and Tag Team Champions Tyson Kidd and Cesaro vs. The Usos.
While this doesn’t reveal anything big about what could transpire at WrestleMania, it does give an idea of which feuds will be continuing.