Regarding reports that Vince McMahon doesn’t want a cast member of WWE Total Divas to become WWE Divas Champion, it’s said that it was merely behind-the-scenes chatter until Total Divas cast member Cameron spoke out about it.
Cameron said the following regarding the alleged “rule” during her recent appearance on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast:
“The whole thing we have been fighting is being on the show (means) not being able to have a chance at the title.”
As far as the rule itself is concerned, most believe that WWE officials do not want the Divas title to be confused due to the several month delay in Total Divas being taped and actually airing on television.
Chris Jericho, who reportedly finished up his latest run with WWE at the Night Of Champions pay-per-view, is still advertised to appear at the upcoming WWE European tour in November.
According to the official WWE events page, Jericho is scheduled to appear at the November 10th, 11th and 15th shows, with the 11th being the most interesting, as that is a WWE SmackDown television taping in England.
If Jericho was a full-time guy, it could be chalked up to being a simple mistake. For example, Bad News Barrett was listed for those dates but was eventually pulled off of the advertising when word got out to the proper people. In Jericho’s case, however, the only reason he would be advertised after Night Of Champions is if he was booked to appear.
It’s also worth noting that Jericho teased that he “might be returning sooner than you think” during a recent interview.
– Hideo Itami, formerly known as KENTA, will be making his NXT live event debut this Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida. Tickets for the event are available right now at this link.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently tweeted the following, praising Triple H’s recent appearance on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast:
On the latest edition of his “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, Chris Jericho revealed that he was originally scheduled to wrestle Seth Rollins at the WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
Jericho noted that the plan all along seemed to be Jericho and Rollins, however, Vince McMahon reportedly changed his mind and instead went with Jericho vs. Randy Orton.
You can listen to the full podcast online at PodcastOne.com.
As noted last week, WWE recently ramped up production of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin merchandise.
The latest buzz behind the scenes is that Steve Austin and WWE “working together” again in some capacity will in fact lead to a television return for the Hall of Famer.
Another reason many are expecting an Austin return to WWE TV is due to the fact that the company promoted his podcast on RAW, something that they didn’t do for Chris Jericho even when Triple H was a guest on his show.
– The latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which features Jericho talking about the end of his latest WWE run, is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:
TIJ – EP76 – Y2J Says Bye to WWE & Kevin Smith Pt1
“He’s a pop culture lover, a film director, a die-hard hockey fan, a podcaster, a wanna-be Canadian, and now… he’s on TIJ! The long-awaited Kevin Smith sitdown finally happened and this is part 1! Stick talk (Kevin lingo for hockey talk), Degrassi talk (Canada’s version of 91210), “Clerks” talk, Kevin’s “mad money moment,” twinkies & Canadian Beer, the “Canada of America,” and the genius of Quentin Tarantino. And wait till you hear part 2…coming Friday!”
– The latest edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast, which features an interview with veteran journalist Dave Meltzer, is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:
TRR – Ep32 – Dave Meltzer and Night Of Champions PPV Review
“Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter joins JR to break down the WWE’s Night of Champions PPV. Hear their thoughts on The Usos, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, AJ Lee, Brock Lesnar, the meaning of titles & belts, and long term planning in pro-wrestling storylines.”
On paper, WWE Night of Champions didn’t look like anything special. It was mostly a card packed with rematches, and what would have likely been the best match of the night was cancelled a few days before the event.
With that said, it was hard to come away from last night’s event without feeling satisfied. The action was solid, the booking was logical, and the pay-per-view as a whole was entertaining. Throughout the night, some superstars squandered their time on camera, while others excelled. Here are the 5 superstars who made the most of their time at Night of Champions.
5. Gold and Stardust
The Dust Brothers are finally champions once again. After several months with the Usos at the top of the tag division, it is nice to see a new team carrying the straps. Both Gold and Stardust worked very well during their contest, and it served as an excellent way to start the evening.
It will be interesting to see where the brothers go from here, as they are already teasing a feud with former NXT Tag Team Champions The Ascension and there are few teams on the main roster worthy of a title shot. .
4. Chris Jericho
This was Y2J’s final match of his current run with the company. Although his program with Bray Wyatt fell a bit flat, it is always great to see Jericho back in a WWE ring.
He did not disappoint last night either, as Jericho and Orton put on a show for the Nashville crowd. The contest ended after a memorable spot that featured Orton hitting an RKO on Jericho after he dove from the top rope. Although he came out on the losing end last night, Jericho did everything he could to put Orton and the match over, and it served as an excellent conclusion to his current run.
3. Cesaro
From a wrestling perspective, the match of the night was easily Sheamus against Cesaro. The two worked incredibly well together, with a number of memorable spots and counters. Much like Jericho before him, Cesaro did not come out on top last night, but he showed why he is one of the best workers in the business.
Another United States Title run likely wouldn’t have done much to advance Cesaro’s career, so the loss isn’t really damaging, but it would be nice to see the Swiss Superman sporting a bit of gold in the near future (perhaps the Intercontinental Championship). Cesaro made the most of every second he was given, illustrating why he should be pushed as one of the future stars of the company.
WWE RAW emanates from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee with the fallout from Sunday night’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, who successfully retained his title in his rematch against John Cena on Sunday, is not advertised to be a part of the show. Also expected to be absent tonight are Chris Jericho and Roman Reigns.
Superstars that are advertised for tonight’s show include Dean Ambrose, The Wyatt Family, Randy Orton, John Cena, Seth Rollins, Triple H, Kane, Cesaro, Sheamus, Big E and The Usos.
In the case of Reigns, as noted above, he is not expected to appear, however he is included in the advertisements for the show. It’s worth noting that this is likely a case of advertisements that were released prior to his emergency surgery this weekend.
WWE is focusing on the following points in their “RAW Five-Point Preview” for tonight’s show.
– Who is next for Brock Lesnar?
– Will Dolph Ziggler look for retribution on The Miz tonight?
– What will Goldust and Stardust do next?
– Will Paige and Nikki Bella prey upon AJ Lee now that she’s the Divas Champion?
– Will Dean Ambrose strike at Seth Rollins once again?
– BroBible.com has published a feature looking at “14 Wrestlers From Your Childhood That You Probably Don’t Know Are Dead.”
– With Chris Jericho finishing up with WWE at Sunday’s Night of Champions pay-per-view, he teased on this week’s Talk Is Jericho podcast that he may be back “sooner than you think.”
– As noted earlier, Roman Reigns underwent emergency hernia surgery this weekend and will be unable to compete against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions. According to Bryan Alvarez, there were two scripts being worked on for Night of Champions and one of them included Roman Reigns not wrestling. This was prior to him being rushed to the hospital.
It’s unknown who Reigns’ replacement will be against Seth Rollins, but Dean Ambrose is scheduled to return to WWE TV this week so he could fill in.
Night of Champions is only a few days away. Even though the WWE has been serving up plates of garbage on Raw for weeks now, many still have high hopes for this pay-per-view, as every title in the company will be defended.
With that said, here are my predictions for this Sunday’s Night of Champions pay-per-view, which in case you haven’t heard, can be viewed on the WWE Network for only $9.99 (or $12.99 if you’re afraid of commitment).
Nikki Bella vs. Paige (WWE Divas Champion) vs. AJ Lee
I don’t expect it to be a terrible contest, as two of the three competitors are great workers and Nikki isn’t the worst Diva fans have ever seen. In the end, I believe Nikki will capture the title with help from her sister, reuniting the Bella Twins and putting an end to their horrible feud.
Winner: Nikki Bella by pinfall
Sheamus (United States Champion) vs. Cesaro
This should be one of the more exciting contests of the night, but I unfortunately don’t see it being given a ton of time. Although Cesaro will put up a hell of a fight, Sheamus will retain after hitting a Brogue Kick, possibly setting up a feud with Rusev for the United States Championship in the near future.
– On his latest Talk is Jericho podcast, Chris Jericho confirmed that he’ll be finishing up his current WWE run this Sunday when he wrestles Randy Orton at Night of Champions.
– WWE.com is running a poll asking fans to vote about how they would describe John Cena in one word – inspirational, resilient, loyal, unwavering, intense, tireless, tiresome, stubborn, abrasive, naive, verbose or “other.” With over 8,000 votes, 24% have voted for inspirational & loyal. The next closest are “other” with 11% and “tiresome” with 9%.
What word would you use to describe John Cena? Hit up the comments below, this should be interesting.
– After teasing that he is starting a podcast, WWE ring announcer posted the “first episode” on Instagram:
“The time has come! This is not your traditional podcast! Each week I will be welcoming a new guest on my VIDEO podcast that calls Instagram it’s home. #gamechanger Thank you to my 1st guest: @NatalieEvaMarie ..please enjoy!”
– When the Fozzy touring schedule was released earlier this summer, it noted that Chris Jericho’s final WWE appearance on his current run would be the September 23rd RAW in Memphis. As things stand now, Jericho is expected to finish up at the Night Of Champions pay-per-view this Sunday. While it’s possible Jericho may work RAW the following night, he is not advertised for the show.
– Speaking of advertising, WWE is advertising a match in addition to the “Peep Show” segment with Christian and Chris Jericho at Sunday’s Night Of Champions “Kickoff Show.” The match has yet to be announced.
– The latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which features an interview with The Hardy Boys, is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:
TIJ – EP74 – Matt and Jeff – The Hardy Boyz Pt1
“Matt and Jeff aka The Hardy Boyz aka Team Xtreme are together in-person with Y2J! The real life brothers had their own trampoline ring in the backyard of their family’s 25-acre tobacco farm. They started their own wrestling promotion, sewed their own costumes, came up with some crazy gimmicks, made their way to the WWE, and once there, cemented their legacy with some killer TLC matches! Stories, stories, and more stories… and they share them all with Chris!”
– The latest edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast, which features an interview with “Cowboy” Bill Watts, is also online now. The official description for that one reads:
TRR – Ep31 – Cowboy Bill Watts
“JR’s mentor is on the podcast – Cowboy Bill Watts, tough promoter of the Mid-South territory, who also spent time at WCW and WWE. They talk booking philosophy, selling, heels & babyfaces, Eric Bischoff, Vince McMahon, and the impact of the erosion of the territories on pro-wrestling. Plus, Watts has some strong opinions about some of today’s talent & matches – The Undertaker, Bray Wyatt, John Cena, and Wrestlmania 30.”
WWE revealed via social media that Chris Jericho had to get five stitches to close a cut under his chin after being busted open during his match with Kane on Monday’s WWE Night Of Champions “go-home” edition of RAW.
– It was announced on the WWE Night Of Champions “go-home” edition of RAW on Monday night that at the “Kickoff Show” for this Sunday’s pay-per-view, Christian will conduct a “Peep Show” talk show segment with special guest Chris Jericho.
– Also announced on RAW was a big six-man tag-team match for this week’s SmackDown, which will see Big Show and The Usos vs. Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan.
We are one week away from the WWE’s next pay-per-view, Night of Champions. The card is essentially set and will feature a total of eight matches, with a rematch between John Cena and Brock Lesnar headlining the event.
With every title on the line, the card should provide fans with an exciting event that features a few surprises. Here are five potential Night of Champions shockers.
As seen here last week, the complete script for the September 1st edition of WWE RAW leaked onto the internet and those who watched the show realized how much WWE sticks to the script on their weekly flagship program.
The two key things that weren’t in the script that were clear when watching the show was the back-and-forth between Chris Jericho and Triple H in the opening segment, as well as the fact that John Cena put Seth Rollins through a table with an Attitude Adjustment later in the show.
The former was just off-the-cuff remarks between two veteran performers, while the latter is said to be a perfect example of how something significant can be changed very late in the writing process.
– The top two possibilities for matches on the WWE Night Of Champions “Kickoff Show” right now appear to be either Bo Dallas vs. Jack Swagger or Adam Rose and The Bunny vs. Titus O’Neil and Heath Slater.
– As we reported on Tuesday, Diamond Dallas Page noted during a recent interview that he received a text from Chris Jericho where he claimed he broke his toe during a “Lionsault” spot in his steel cage match with Bray Wyatt on this week’s RAW. Apparently that was a simple case of miscommunication, as Jericho reportedly told DDP that he “almost broke his toe” during the match. Jericho himself quipped via Twitter that he “jammed his toe” during the match.
There is talk in WWE right now of Bray Wyatt feuding with Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Intercontinental Championship as his next program.
The steel cage match Wyatt had on RAW with Chris Jericho was said to be the blow-off to their program.
As far as Wyatt’s status for Night Of Champions is concerned, there is talk that while he may not compete in an actual match on the show, he may shoot an angle of some kind to set up his next feud.
– In addition to the press conference that is scheduled for today to promote this week’s NXT Takeover 2 special on the WWE Network, Triple H will also be hosting a live Twitter Q&A at 3pm EST. on Thursday. Fans can submit questions by using the hash-tag “#NXTTakeover.”
– The cast of Total Divas will be on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast this coming Friday. The show will be available at PodcastOne.com.
– Christian has reportedly been cleared to return for a while now, however the word is that WWE has “nothing for him” at the moment.
– As noted on Tuesday, there were some rumors online stemming from a new Diamond Dallas Page interview that claimed Chris Jericho broke his toe while executing a “Lionsault” during his steel cage match on RAW. Jericho recently chimed in on Twitter to deny these rumors. Below are those tweets.
Heard a rumour that I broke my foot last night in the cage match. Turns out it was just a toe jam…HAHA GET IT? @wwe@MaulerMMA
– Diamond Dallas Page noted during a recent interview that Chris Jericho texted him after last night’s RAW, telling him that while he was fine after doing the dive off of the top of the steel cage during his match with Bray Wyatt, he thinks he suffered a broken toe while doing the Lionsault spot during the bout.
– As noted earlier today, while KENTA will be appearing at the NXT Takeover 2 special on the WWE Network this Thursday, he will not be wrestling an actual match. The belief right now is that they will shoot an angle during the special to set up his first official match, which is expected to take place at the NXT television taping the following night.
– Seth Rollins had a close call during Monday’s RAW. When the steel cage was being lowered, Rollins just made it into the ring in time. You can check out a GIF image of this below.
– The following independent wrestlers were part of Adam Rose’s “Rosebuds” on Monday’s RAW: Thea Trinidad (Rosita), Mandy Leon, Kacee Carlisle and Damien Darling.
– Chris Jericho wrote the following on Instagram regarding his leap off of the top of the steel cage at Monday’s RAW:
“I haven’t done this since an indie show near #Calgary in 1993. Guess I was just waiting for the right time to bust it out again… What’s that? I’m 43 now? NO WAY!!!! #thatshowyadoitkids #baltimorerocks #y2jisbackbaby #wweraw @wwe”
WWE announced via Twitter that the steel cage match between Chris Jericho and Bray Wyatt will be the opening bout on tonight’s “season premiere” of RAW.
The Brooklyn Brawler tweeted the following:
#RAW kicks off with a STEEL CAGE match – it doesn't get better than this! @IAmJericho and @WWEBrayWyatt – you're gonna want to watch this!
Chris Jericho held a live Q&A on Twitter on Sunday night. Below are some highlights.
– He said Triple H was his biggest guest and best interview on his podcast so far. He said the ratings for his HHH interview are insane. He also mentioned that the next 12 weeks worth of “Talk Is Jericho” guests are planned out and he has some “amazing” names scheduled.
– He said Fozzy is working on a huge U.K. tour that will be announced in the near future.
– He confirmed that he will not be part of the WWE’s U.K. tour in November. He also confirmed that he won’t be wrestling at the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view.
– He said if Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero were still alive today they would still be “kicking ass” and “working behind-the-scenes.”
You can check out more from Jericho’s Twitter Q&A at @IAmJericho.
