– Monday’s RAW took place in show GM Kurt Angle’s hometown of Pittsburgh, and during the opening segment of the show he was interrupted by Paul Heyman and his client Universal Champ Brock Lesnar. Before Heyman left, he threatened that if Lesnar loses the Universal Title at SummerSlam, Lesnar will leave WWE and take Heyman with him. WWE uploaded a video to YouTube after RAW where Angle talks about how big of a loss Lesnar would be for RAW, and he defends his choice of a Fatal Four Way stipulation at SummerSlam.
The Olympic gold medalist added that it felt great to be in his hometown on Monday, and said the feeling reminded him of why he loves the wrestling business.
– There was no dark main event after Monday’s RAW went off the air, despite a street fight between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar being advertised locally. It was announced that WWE will next return to the PPG Paints Arena in Philly on Thursday, December 28th for a SmackDown brand house show with a pre-sale password of HOLIDAY.
– WWE’s latest Celebrating Champions video features Special Olympian Justin “JJ” Jones and WWE Ambassador Dana Warrior. JJ and his family were in the crowd at Monday’s RAW and got a standing ovation from the fans.
RAW GM Kurt Angle kicked off this week’s episode of RAW and was greeted with a great reaction from his hometown crowd in Pittsburgh. Angle guaranteed that RAW would be a great show. Angle announced that Big Cass will face Big Show, his son Jason Jordan will be on Miz TV and the Triple Threat match between Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns & Samoa Joe for tonight’s show.
Angle stated that today marked the 21st anniversary of him winning a gold medal with a “broken freaking neck”. Angle said that he had his ups and downs, but he wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for everyone in the WWE Universe. Angle went to exit the ring but Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman interrupted. Lesnar and Heyman circled the ring and then finally joined Angle in the middle of the ring.
Heyman accused Angle of wanting to take the Universal Championship of Brock Lesnar because he placed him in a Fatal 4-Way at WWE SummerSlam. Heyman said that he believes all three Superstars will gang up on Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Heyman insisted that Angle has been told by his bosses that Lesnar must lose the title at SummerSlam. Heyman then stated that if Brock Lesnar loses his WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam, Lesnar and Heyman are leaving the WWE. Heyman then guaranteed that Brock Lesnar is walking out of SummerSlam still the Universal Champion.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross published a new blog on his website and here are some of the highlights:
Brock Lesnar possibly returning to UFC to face Jon Jones:
“Interesting sound bytes from Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones regarding the potential of a UFC fight between the two perhaps some day in the future. Both men were accomplished amateur grapplers from their college days, and both are bad ass alpha males, but make no mistake about it that this surprising, and not so timely dialog. Jones fights Daniel Cromier this Saturday on PPV is all about selling a big money fight for UFC who is in need of as many new, marketable fights as they can create while their rising stars continue to ascend. With the investment in purchasing UFC so lofty, the new UFC needs to produce some revenue ‘hits’ and there is no doubt that a Lesnar-Jones fight would generate north of 1 million PPV buys quite easily, I’m thinking.
Yes, I do think that Brock Lesnar will again fight in the UFC because he can generate a giant, payday(s) for his family and, I assume, would still maintain a positive relationship with WWE. Seems like this matter of Lesnar’s return to UFC is inevitable and should be a win/win for all involved as it relates to the cash (and it’s all about the cash).
Winning or losing a UFC fight won’t hamper Lesnar’s value to WWE in the least to my way of thinking. Based on what I know, I see no reason that a Lesnar return to UFC would cease Brock’s WWE paydays over the long haul. I still think that a Lesnar return to UFC with a fight against my AXSTV broadcast partner and the youngest UFC Heavyweight Champion ever, Josh Barnett, is also a ‘money fight.’ Because both former Heavyweight champs can’t realistically – and for promotion purposes – afford another loss if they want to truly regain main event relevance in the future.”
The Fatal 4-Way match for the Universal Championship at WWE SummerSlam
“Love the booking of the SummerSlam main event featuring a four-way with Lesnar, Reigns, Strowman, and Joe. As a fan, I’m curious as to how it would play out if the four-way featured elimination rules? Nonetheless, is there a way for this match to be so well executed that every man in the match enhances their TV personas to some degree no matter the outcome? Absolutely.”
There have been a lot of rumors circulating around recently that WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar could drop his title at SummerSlam next month to return to mixed martial arts (MMA) competition in the UFC. Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer recently joined The LAW to discuss this, claiming that there’s “definitely fire to the smoke”:
Meltzer stated that “The Beast” could be entering back into the USADA drug testing pool in order to resume fighting when his WWE contract is up in April. He also reports that the UFC is hoping for a Lesnar return in late December (most likely their New Years Eve PPV which Lesnar has main evented before) but he must be back in the USADA testing pool to be eligible to do so. He also has a remaining five months left on his suspension for his previous violation, which was frozen when he announced his retirement:
“Well, UFC wants [a Lesnar fight] because UFC’s having a bad year,” said Meltzer. “I’d heard a couple weeks ago they wanted Ronda Rousey back and they want Brock Lesnar, they want another Conor McGregor fight this year. They’ve got a budget and this year has been terrible. They want some drawing power for the end of the year.”
As for who Lesnar would fight upon his return, Meltzer said the UFC is aiming for a superfight of sorts against former UFC light heavyweight champ, and fellow freakish athletic specimen, Jon Jones:
“Their idea is Jon Jones,” said Meltzer “That’s the name I was told.”
Interestingly enough, Jones will fight this weekend (Sat. July 29, 2017) in an attempt to reclaim the 205-pound championship against Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 214.
As we’ve previously reported, Brock Lesnar is set to work a couple of SmackDown Live Events these next few weeks. “The Beast” is set to work this Saturday’s (July 29, 2017) event from the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. He will also work the August 12th show from Tampa, Florida. His opponent for both of those shows will be none other than Samoa Joe.
Lesnar and Joe worked together earlier this month at the Great Balls Of Fire pay-per-view (PPV) where the pair put on and epic back-and-forth fight for the Universal Championship. Although he put up a heck of a fight, Lesnar was able to capitalize on a mistake from “The Destroyer” and hit an F5 for the win. Joe will be part of a Fatal Four-Way match at SummerSlam, along with Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Lesnar for the Universal Title.
The former UFC heavyweight champ is also set to appear at Monday Night RAW next week from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Here is Lesnar’s full confirmed updated WWE schedule:
* WWE live event – July 29th in Detroit, MI
* Monday Night Raw TV event – July 31st in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* SmackDown live event – August 12th in Tampa, FL
* Monday Night Raw TV event – August 14th in Boston, MA
* SummerSlam PPV – August 20th in Brooklyn, New York
* Monday Night Raw TV event – August 28th in Memphis, TN
* Monday Night Raw TV event – September 11 in Anaheim, CA
Last month, former NXT Champion Samoa Joe downed Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Bray Wyatt in a Fatal Five-Way match to become the new No. 1-contender for Brock Lesnar’s WWE Universal Championship. For weeks leading up to the bout Joe and Lesnar engaged in some great back-and-forth prior to their meeting, and it lived up to the hype when the pair finally collided in the center of the squared circle during the main event of the Great Balls Of Fire pay-per-view (PPV) earlier this month.
Joe recently joined Tampa Bay’s 102.5 The Bone to talk about what it was like to work with Lesnar, comparing him to a ‘shaved gorilla’ who doesn’t know his own strength:
“Not a lot of people get into Brock Lesnar like I did.” Joe continued, “Brock is every bit as intimidating as you’d imagine he would be times two. No, I mean, he’s a shaved gorilla. It’s just he’s stronger than strong. I don’t even think he even realizes how strong he is. I mean, he [has] got great control, but he is ‘The Beast’. He’s a big dude.”
“The Destroyer” then divulged the fact that Lesnar doesn’t like to put too much time into planning out a match:
“When you’re going in there and you’re going to get into it with Brock,” Joe said, “Brock isn’t going to work on a lot of stuff; he’s going to want to go out there and he’s going to want to get down, so like Brock’s not a preplanned dude at all, man, so you’ve just got to go out there and do it. For some people it trips them out, but for me, I’m like, ‘if we’re going to scrap, we’re going to scrap.'”
Samoa Joe sends a message to Brock Lesnar by way of Paul Heyman
Joe compared Lesnar to a ‘bigger Kurt Angle’ and noted that his past run-ins with the former Olympic Gold Medalist was a good ‘primer’ for his meeting with Lesnar:
“Like, honestly, a lot of getting ready for Brock was realizing he’s basically a bigger Kurt Angle. But Kurt is… he’s crazy, man. We just had the documentary about him and everything I said is true. If Kurt Angle’s leg fell off, he’d hop twice as fast to make up for the loss of mobility, man. There’s no quit in him. It was kind of a nice primer to get ready for Brock.”
Fatal 4-Way for Universal Championship announced for SummerSlam
RAW kicked off Kurt Angle coming down to the ring. Angle stated that his son, Jason Jordan, will have first match tonight on the RAW roster. Angle was about to reveal who Brock Lesnar would be facing at SummerSlam when Braun Strowman interrupted. Strowman told Angle that he better be the one that faces Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. Samoa Joe interrupted and made his way down to the ring. The crowd chanted “Joe!” as he walked down the entrance ramp. Joe got right in front in Strowman’s face and said that he was the man that does not fear Lesnar. Joe then claimed that he definitely doesn’t fear Braun Strowman. Roman Reigns then came down to the ring.
Reigns started talking the crowd started to boo. Reigns claimed that neither Joe or Strowman have done anything in WWE. Reigns listed off his accomplished and brought up how he won the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia. Roman said that the crowd was certainly loud that night, making light of the fact that the crowd was basically silent last night at WWE Battleground at the Wells Fargo Center. Kurt Angle announced that it will be a Fatal 4-Way at SummerSlam. Brock Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship against Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman.
RAW GM Kurt Angle then went to leave the ring and Samoa Joe started yelling at him. Joe stated that he is the only Superstar that deserves to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Braun stated that he doesn’t care about anything else besides stacking bodies. An epic brawl then broke out. Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns teamed up for a moment to beatdown Strowman. Joe had the Coquina Clutch locked in on Strowman and Reigns connected with a Spear onto both Joe and Strowman. Several WWE Superstars then came down to the ring to try to break up the brawl. Strowman beat them all down and then started whipping security guards out of the ring. Strowman then planted Reigns with the Running Powerslam.
Bayley earns a shot at the RAW Women’s Championship at SummerSlam
On tonight’s episode of RAW, Bayley faced Sasha Banks to determine who will get a shot at the RAW Women’s Championship at Summerslam. It was a back and forth match, but in the end Bayley was able to roll-up Sasha for the victory after Banks connected with a Frog Splash. After the match concluded, RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss entered the ring and raised the title in Bayley’s face.
WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz recently did an interview with Mike Jones of DC 101 to promote next week’s Monday Night RAW in Washington D.C. Miz covered a number of topics including Roman Reigns having the ‘it’ factor, wrestlers backstabbing each other in WWE, his Miz-tourage, Brock Lesnar, and much more. Here are the highlights from their conversation:
Roman Reigns having ‘it’:
“Right now, he’s a really big good guy or a really big bad guy, it all depends on the way you look at it. He’ll walk out and get booed out of the building or he’ll walk out and get cheered out of the building. But the one thing that Roman Reigns has is the “it factor” and he’s a bonafide star who can go in a WWE ring.”
Wrestlers backstabbing each other in WWE:
“That’s the problem with everyone, like everyone’s not honest around WWE. I’m the person that will tell you straight up to you face, whether you like it or not, and most of the time people don’t like the things that I say. But what I say is the truth and sometimes the truth hurts and I guess people can’t take it. And so if you can’t take it then I guess you shouldn’t be in the ring with me with a microphone, you should just get away from me. That’s why I’m the Intercontinental Champion, my job is to make it them most prestigious, most relevant title in all of WWE and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel joining his Miz-tourage:
“It’s two talented individuals, not getting a chance. I’m a person that will give you a chance, and not only that, I will provide everything that possibly can for you. I even told Heath Slater that I wanted him as a part of The Miz-tourage. He didn’t want to be a part of it, he wanted to be the Intercontinental Champion. So then he goes up against me as the Intercontinental Champion and he loses, now where is he? You don’t really get to see him that much. Now where is Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel? They’re both on tv, each and every week, on Monday Night RAW.”
The reason Brock Lesnar is at the top of WWE:
“There’s a reason they call Brock Lesnar ‘The Beast’. This guy is to be reckoned with. He is a person who has been successful in WWE, he’s been successful in UFC, anything he steps into, he’s a bonafide star. So when you go up against him, you’re going up against someone and it could be your last match.”
His next acting project almost being ready to be announced:
“I think WWE’s a great training ground for that, and it’s helped me with my career in doing so much and I plan on doing more. You’ll just have to keep posted on the next thing that I’m doing because I have something in the works. It’s going to be pretty big and a lot of fun but I haven’t dotted the I’s yet. I don’t want to get the word out too soon but definitely keep an eye out. You’ll see what I’m up to in a few months.”
Listen to The Miz’s full interview with Mike Jones of DC 101 here.
There was a ton of speculation yesterday regarding Brock Lesnar re-entering the USADA drug-testing pool. The rumor originally started by the @TalkMMA Twitter page that has been correct about MMA news in the past. Here are the original comments by TalkMMA that started the speculation of Brock Lesnar possibly returning to the UFC:
“Paul Heyman and Brock were at the UFC HQ during (International Fight Week), had a meeting with the UFC brass. Brock’s return is eminent. Most likely at MSG on Nov. 4. I just had a second person tell me that Brock Lesnar is back in the USADA testing pool. Rumor around WWE is Brock is dropping the belt at (SummerSlam).”
Pro Wrestling Sheet then stated that they spoke to sources that confirmed that Lesnar is re-entering the USADA drug-testing pool for MMA. Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that Lesnar was re-entering the drug-testing pool in order to prepare for when his WWE contract expires after WrestleMania 34.
Jeff Novitzky, who serves as UFC’s Vice President of Athlete Heath and Performance, spoke to MMAJunkie and refuted those claims. Here is what Novitzky told MMAJunkie:
“(Lesnar) is not currently enrolled in the USADA testing pool, nor has there been any inquiry on his part to do so,” Novitzky said.
Brock Lesnar’s last UFC fight took place at UFC 200. Lesnar defeated Mark Hunt by unanimous decision. Lesnar then tested positive for the banned estrogen blocker clomiphene and was subsequently suspended for one year by USADA. Lesnar’s victory over Hunt was then reversed and ruled a no contest. Lesnar then retired from UFC, and as a result of that his suspension was frozen. If Lesnar were to re-enter the USADA drug-testing pool, he would still have five months left of his suspension to serve.
Earlier today there was a rumor that Brock Lesnar is re-entering the USADA drug testing pool, which then lead to a bunch of speculation as to if Brock Lesnar was considering returning to UFC for another fight. The original rumor came from the @TalkMMA Twitter account, which is known for providing some insider information. Here are what his sources told him:
“Paul Heyman and Brock were at the UFC HQ during (International Fight Week), had a meeting with the UFC brass. Brock’s return is eminent. Most likely at MSG on Nov. 4. I just had a second person tell me that Brock Lesnar is back in the USADA testing pool. Rumor around WWE is Brock is dropping the belt at (SummerSlam).”
Pro Wrestling Sheet confirmed that Brock Lesnar is re-entering the USADA testing pool for MMA. However, it is not because he is planning for a fight at Madison Square Garden this year. Brock Lesnar’s WWE contract expires shortly after WrestleMania 34 and he has apparently already made it known to backstage officials that he currently does not intend to re-sign with WWE.
Lesnar has re-entered the testing pool so that when his WWE contract is up, he can make the best decision for his career, which could be a return to MMA. Lesnar has to re-enter the testing pool and fulfill the rest of his suspension before he is allowed to compete in UFC again. Lesnar defeated Mark Hunt at UFC 200, but was subsequently suspended for one year due to failed drug tests. Lesnar’s suspension was frozen back in mid-February, so he still has 5 months left of the suspension to serve.
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is set to return to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at a WWE Live Event later this year.
“The Beast” has been added to the September 30th scheduled Live Event from Winnipeg per a report from The Winnipeg Sun. Also scheduled for the event are fellow WWE Superstars Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Cesaro, Sheamus, Alexa Bliss, Bayley, The Hardy Boyz, Sasha Banks, Enzo Amore and Big Cass amongst others. You can get your tickets here.
Lesnar’s last appearance at a WWE House Show game against Kevin Owens at Madison Square Garden, which he won. He is currently scheduled for two upcoming Live Events with two of them being for SmackDown. You can check out Lesnar’s updated WWE schedule here below:
– WWE SmackDown live event: July 29th (Detroit, MI)
– WWE Monday Night RAW: July 31st (Pittsburgh, PA)
– WWE SmackDown live event: August 12th (Tampa, FL)
– WWE Monday Night RAW: August 14th (Boston, MA)
– WWE SummerSlam: August 20th (Brooklyn, NY)
– WWE Monday Night RAW: August 28th (Memphis, TN)
– WWE Monday Night RAW: September 11th (Anaheim, CA)
– WWE No Mercy: September 24th (Los Angeles, CA)
– WWE RAW live event: September 30th (Winnipeg, MB)
Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe tore the house down in the main event of Sunday’s Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view. Lesnar retained the WWE Universal Championship after a hard hitting match that will only strengthen Samoa Joe’s spot in the upper echelon of WWE.
Fans are giving the match rave reviews and friend of the site Sean Ross Sapp notes that Brock Lesnar was said to be “really, really happy” with how the match went.
Paul Heyman’s Reaction to Lesnar vs. Joe
Paul Heyman posted the following early this morning:
Big Cass thinks he can defeat Brock Lesnar and become the next Universal Champion
Big Cass was a guest on RAW Talk after WWE Great Balls Of Fire went off the air. Cass defeated Enzo Amore in convincing fashion earlier in the night. Cass was asked about facing Lesnar and here was his response:
“It would be a tough task to go up against The Beast but if there is anybody out there that can do it, I think it is me. I think I can handle The Beast, I think I can go toe-to-toe with The Beast and I think I can beat The Beast. I think I can be the Universal Champion, in fact I think I am the next Universal Champion.”
Tye Dillinger invites The Miz to SmackDown
The Miz defended his Intercontinental Championship at Great Balls Of Fire against Dean Ambrose. The Miz was able to retain his title thanks to constant distractions and interference from Maryse, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. Tye Dillinger sent out the following tweet after The Miz retained his Intercontinental Championship and invited him to SmackDown:
The Miz and Maryse were also guests on RAW Talk last night. The Miz claimed that WWE was doing nothing with Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas, but he saw something in them while filming The Marine 5. Bo Dallas revealed that it had been two years that he has been involved in a WWE PPV in two years and that The Miz has given him an opportunity. You can check out a clip of the interview in the video below.
– WWE is advertising Universal Champion Brock Lesnar for its upcoming No Mercy pay-per-view event taking place on September 24 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California.
Tickets to the event, which will feature Raw Superstars, go on sale next Saturday.
– Here are up-close highlights of the Independence Day Battle Royal from SmackDown LIVE.
– Ahead of his appearance at tonight’s (Fri. July 7, 2017) Dinsmore’s Midwest All Pro Map Mania event, former WCW President and WWE Monday Night RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff reunited with his storyline nephew Nick Dinsmore (Eugene) from their time in WWE. Check out the picture here:
— "Eugene" Nick Dinsmore (@UGeneDinsmore) July 7, 2017
– Former WWE Champion Randy Orton took to Twitter and retweeted the following jab at Universal Champion Brock Lesnar’s schedule:
WWE 2K18 is so realistic that you can only play as Brock Lesnar five times a year #Merch
— WWE Creative Humor (a sub of TKO Creative Humor) (@WWECreative_ish) July 6, 2017
– You can find the full card for tonight’s RAW exclusive live event from Madison Square Garden here below. The show will feature two matches from SmackDown Live, and it should also be noted that Cedric Alexander will be replacing Austin Aries in the Cruiserweight Championship match against Neville:
* Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt
* Dean Ambrose vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz
* The Hardys vs. RAW Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus
* AJ Styles vs. WWE United States Champion Kevin Owens
* Cedric Alexander vs. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville
* Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
* Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
* Karl Anderson vs. Finn Balor
* R-Truth vs. Goldust
* RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax & Alicia Fox vs. Bayley, Sasha Banks & Mickie James
Former Impact Wrestling star and NXT Champion Samoa Joe has made a huge impact since being called up to the main roster, already having won a huge match at the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV) when he defeated Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Bray Wyatt in a Fatal Five-Way match to determine the new No. 1-contender for the Universal Championship.
That title is currently held by “The Beast” Brock Lesnar, who will defend his title against Joe in the main event of the Great Balls Of Fire PPV this weekend. Joe recently did an interview with ESPN to promote his match against Lenar, talking about his decision to sign with WWE, already being in the main event, and getting the opportunity to face Brock Lesnar:
Signing with WWE full-time:
“After I made my initial debut at NXT TakeOver, they looked at the interest and merchandise sales and decided I would be better signed full-time than not. I had a pretty full calendar regardless, so for me there wasn’t much of an inherent risk in originally signing because there was other work in place if they didn’t sign me full-time. But it didn’t surprise me when it happened as fast as it did.”
Already being in the main event scene:
“There’s no timeline you can put on these things, but that I’m in the main event this quickly is a welcome surprise — but it’s not a surprise that it has happened. When you look around and see how many people I’ve worked with in former companies that are here now, it’s not surprising. Talent is one of the few things that can’t be created. It can be enhanced, it can be coached and brought out of people, but you can’t deny it.”
Getting the opportunity to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title:
“Some people want to be called up as quickly as possible, but I’ve been around the industry long enough to know that timing is one of the most key and important things. Brock was at the top of my list of guys that I wanted to work with. There are certain special guys in this industry and Brock is one of those special guys, and to be able to go out there and work with guys like that, that’s where legacies are built.”
If you’d like to read Joe’s full interview with ESPN you can do that by clicking this link here.
Just a few weeks ago the WWE was teasing the possibility of a program between WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and Finn Balor. Prior to the Fatal Five-Way match at the WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV), Balor had a brief confrontation with Lesnar’s advocate, Paul Heyman, teasing the possibility that “The Beast” and “The Demon King” could come face-to-face down the line.
That match-up was on the WWE’s schedule for later this year, but according to a recent report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, that is no longer in the cards. Meltzer noted that Balor is currently embroiled in his feud with Elias Samson on Monday Night RAW to simply kill time. He also stated that it’s unlikely we see Lesnar vs. Balor anymore, as WWE officials have changed their minds regarding that program.
Brock Lesnar has been advertised as appearing for several dates leading up to SummerSlam. Following the Great Balls of Fire PPV, Lesnar is scheduled to appear the following night on Raw, but then be absent until a Detroit house show later this month.
His opponent that night was recently revealed to be the current Money in the Bank champion, Baron Corbin.
Why is Brock Lesnar Wrestling a Smackdown Live Event?
As we saw this weekend, when Rollins replaced Nakamura in Vancouver, the brand-split doesn’t always apply to house shows. Lesnar is scheduled for another Smackdown Live event on August 12th in Tampa. The dates most likely work conveniently for Lesnar, or WWE has particular interest in drawing a larger than average house those nights.
Brock Lesnar’s Upcoming Schedule
Lesnar is also scheduled for the July 31st, August 17th and August 28th episodes of Raw, as well as the August 20th SummerSlam PPV. Strangely, he is not scheduled to be at Raw the night after SummerSlam on August 20th, despite being scheduled for the PPV the night before.
Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe are in the midst of what is arguably been the rivalry of the year thus far. Joe won a No. 1-contenders match for the WWE Universal Title back at Extreme Rules when he defeated Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Bray Wyatt in a Fatal Five-Way match. Now “The Destroyer” will collide with “The Beast” at Great Balls Of Fire next month for the Universal title in the main event.
For the past few weeks on RAW, the pair have been going at it via verbal exchanges and physical altercations, and things really got heated last night (6/26) when Joe jumped Lesnar from behind while he was making his way to the ring, and locked in the Coquina Clutch on the Universal Champ.
The rivalry has been well received by the WWE Universe, and former WCW President Eric Bischoff took to his podcast, Bischoff On Wrestling, to praise the work between Lesnar and Joe. Bischoff even compared the feud to the program between Lesnar and Goldberg earlier this year:
“I love that match-up,” he said. “I can’t say enough about Samoa Joe and I think just chemistry wise and intensity wise that’s a very natural match-up. So was Bill Goldberg, by the way, but Bill Goldberg and Brock Lesnar had history attached to it.”
Bischoff continued, “They did a great job with that history. They had a great angle in WWE but Joe is fresh. This has never happened before and Joe is a guy who can go toe-to-toe with Lesnar with character, intensity and the ability to make me believe it in the ring. When they are standing there eye-to-eye and chest-to-chest I believe it. I think it’s great.”
The confrontation between Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe could come to a head once again tonight (Mon. June 26, 2017) on Monday Night RAW.
A few weeks ago, Lesnar and Joe engaged in an all out brawl in the middle of the ring that needed the entire WWE locker room to come out and help separate. Joe is riding high after his Extreme Rules Fatal Five-Way match victory against Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Bray Wyatt to become the new No. 1-contender for “The Beast’s” Universal Title. Lesnar and Joe will lock horns in the main event of the WWE’s Great Balls Of Fire pay-per-view (PPV) next month (Sun. July 9, 2017).
Tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW will go down live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and Lesnar’s advocate, Paul Heyman, took to Twitter to reveal that his client plans on calling out Samoa Joe in the middle of the ring – and he’s looking for a fight:
Brock Lesnar is not scheduled to appear on RAW this week. However, Lesnar is scheduled to appear on the next two episodes of RAW leading up to Great Balls of Fire on July 9th. Lesnar is set to defend his Universal Championship against Samoa Joe at the PPV and is scheduled to appear the following night on RAW on July 10th.
Here is a list of Lesnar’s upcoming appearances for June and July:
RAW June 26th in Los Angeles
RAW July 3rd in Phoenix
WWE Great Balls of Fire PPV July 9th in Dallas
RAW July 10th in Houston
New Southpaw Regional Wrestling episodes on the way
According to PWInsider, WWE has recently filmed a new batch of Southpaw Regional Wrestling episodes. There is no news on when those episodes will be released at this time.
James Franco at Pro Wrestling Guerilla event
Actor James Franco was spotted at a PWG event on Friday night.
Road Dogg responds to fan criticism of Shinsuke Nakamura’s entrance not being aired last night on SmackDown
Former WWE Superstar and now SmackDown producer Road Dogg responded to fan criticism of Shinsuke Nakamura’s entrance not being aired during SmackDown last night. A fan tweeted directly at Road Dogg to voice his displeasure in the decision to not show the entrance. Road Dogg responded with the following:
Thanks. We run a television show, they have commercials. See how sarcasm sounds?!
Fans have also been critical of Shinsuke Nakamura’s entrance being altered since joining the main roster. Pyro sounds have been added to Nakamura’s entrance since Nakamura made his WWE main roster debut following the Superstar Shake-Up. The pyro sounds can be heard during Nakamura’s entrance in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F54g3QFJX3A
Jim Ross says Brock Lesnar versus Samoa Joe at Great Balls of Fire is going to be a classic
Jim Ross recently spoke to Busted Open about the upcoming Universal Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe at Great Balls of Fire. In regards to the match, Jim Ross stated the following:
“I believe those two guys are gonna have a whole hell of a lot to say about their presentation in Dallas. I really do. I also believe that each guy is an alpha male. They’re going to bring each other their best, there’s gonna be locks up that would make some people leave wrestling school. So, I believe Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar is going to be a classic.”
Jim Ross also stated in the interview that he still wants to call their match at Great Balls of Fire.
Last night’s Raw from the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA opened with Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar. They addressed Joe’s attack on Heyman from last week. This brought out Joe and led to a pull-apart that has garnered strong reactions from fans and those in the pro-wrestling community.
Highlights of the segment have already been viewed over 2 million times on YouTube:
Reactions to Samoa Joe/Brock Lesnar Segment
Dropped you twice. Next time bring a blanket , you're getting slept. #andNew
Former Impact Wrestling star and former NXT Champion Samoa Joe has found a tremendous amount of success since making his main roster debut in the WWE. Joe won a Fatal Five-Way Match against Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Bray Wyatt in the main event of Extreme Rules earlier this month, and became the new No. 1-contender for Brock Lesnar’s WWE Universal Championship.
Joe has done plenty of people proud since jumping up to Monday Night RAW, and that includes former WCW President Eric Bischoff who took to his podcast, Bischoff on Wrestling, to comment on “The Destroyer’s” newfound success. Bischoff stated that he ‘loves’ the decision to put Joe against Lesnar at Great Balls Of Fire, and wishes him nothing but the best:
“Love it. Joe is one of the coolest people I know. I saw Joe at WrestleMania a couple months ago and I just couldn’t be happier. That’s all. I couldn’t be happier. It warms my heart in such a great way. He’s such a good guy and such a talented guy. He’s stuck it out and put up with so much crap. People saying, “Bro! You’re too fat, bro! You’ll never get over, bro!” He’s emerged. He took all the criticism. He’s an amazing talent and, God, I just wish him the best.”
The WWE Universe is getting quite the ‘dream match’ at the upcoming Great Balls Of Fire pay-per-view (PPV). After defeating Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, and Finn Balor in a Fatal Five Way Match in the main event of Extreme Rules earlier this month, former Impact Wrestling star Samoa Joe will challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship.
WWE Hall Of Famer and former WWE Champion Edge recently took to he and former tag team partner Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to comment on the Lesnar vs. Joe match-up, and explains why he believes the company may have rushed the pairing:
“You want my take? Here’s my take. I’m assuming that they wanna go Reigns and Brock at WrestleMania — I personally would have gone Brock and Joe at WrestleMania because it’s different. It is fresh, it is believable. You have this 300 pound Samoan you know, beast and then The Beast Incarnate. So I don’t know — I think that to me it would have been a fun match to get at WrestleMania and I think people would have been excited to see that too.”
“But this is what bothers me about it. It just seems like everything is hot-shotted and not thought out far enough. Because if it were and you knew you were gonna go Brock/Joe — you don’t have him lose to Seth Rollins at the pay-per-view the month before. You have him win and just keep winning. Joe keeps barreling through people. And he can cheat, he can use heat, you know there’s nothing wrong with that — but have him keep winning. Have him build to Brock. Now — oh my god — which tells me they didn’t think far enough ahead. I don’t know, I’m just guessing but that’s what it seems like to me. Or you know what happened? You know, [Joe] dropped the match to Seth. It just doesn’t make sense to me. Build him up as a juggernaut to meet this other juggernaut and now [makes sound of a rocket falling] boo-ya, here we go.”
