The following matches were taped prior to Monday’s RAW in Montreal for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars:
– Adam Rose def. Titus O’Neil in the opening match. This was said to be a bit longer than most usual Rose matches.
– Curtis Axel def. Tyson Kidd in the main event of the show. Ryback was in the corner of Axel, while Natalya was in Kidd’s corner.
Following Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown, here is the updated list of official participants in the WWE Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal at the upcoming WWE Battleground pay-per-view:
– Cesaro
– Kofi Kingston
– Damien Sandow
– The Great Khali
– Rob Van Dam
– Dolph Ziggler
– Big E
– Ryback
– Curtis Axel
– Alberto Del Rio
– Bo Dallas
Below is the latest edition of “SmackDown Fallout,” which features WWE United States Champion Sheamus:
The following is the final card for tonight’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view:
Money In The Bank Ladder Match
(WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
– John Cena vs. Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton vs. Cesaro vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
Money In The Bank Ladder Match
(Briefcase For Title Shot Up To One Year)
– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Bad News Barrett*
WWE Tag-Team Championship
– The Usos (c) vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
WWE Divas Championship
Paige (c) vs. Naomi
Divas Match
(Special Guest Referee: Fandango)
– Summer Rae vs. Layla
Tag-Team Match
– Goldust & Stardust vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel
Singles Match
– Rusev vs. Big E.
* – Barrett suffered a separated shoulder during the SmackDown taping this past Tuesday, however WWE has yet to announce whether or not he has been pulled from his match.
Make sure to join us here later tonight for the absolute best live play-by-play results coverage of the fifth annual WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view!
The WWE’s brightest stars will attempt to cash in at this Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Two ladder matches will main event the program, with one being held to declare a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. In addition, former champion Daniel Bryan will address the WWE Universe during the pre-show.
Here are my predictions for this Sunday’s event.
Summer Rae vs. Layla (Fandango Guest Referee)
I was never the biggest Fandango supporter, but I definitely thought he would be doing something bigger than referring a divas match a year ago. He has regressed over the past year and lost a lot of momentum. This will likely be the bathroom break match of the night, and Fandango will play a major role in the outcome, of course. Summer Rae will win this one by either rejoining Fandango or using him to influence the outcome of the contest before abandoning him.
Winner: Summer Rae by pinfall
Rusev vs. Big E
These guys performed well together at last month’s Payback, even though they were given less than four minutes total. They will hopefully get a little more time during this one, allowing both superstars to showcase their strengths.
I think Rusev will ultimately win this one, but Big E will also look strong during the match. Big E cut a passionate promo on last week’s Raw, so it appears the WWE wants to showcase him a bit more. Both guys will look good, but Rusev will force Big E to tap out in the end.
Winner: Rusev by submission
Stardust and Goldust vs. Ryback and Curtis Axel
The Rhodes Brothers storyline has been moving slowly over the past few months. It first looked as if the two brothers were going to feud with one another, with Cody searching for an adequate replacement because he felt Goldust deserved better.
He eventually rebranded himself as Stardust and the two have been on a winning streak ever since. They will continue to look strong on Sunday, picking up the win after Cody hits his Diamond Dust finisher on Curtis Axel.
Winner: Stardust and Goldust by pinfall
– The dark match before Tuesday night’s WWE TV tapings saw Natalya defeat Rosa Mendes.
– The dark match in between Main Event and the SmackDown tapings saw Los Matadores defeat Ryback and Curtis Axel after El Torito distracted Ryback.
– After the SmackDown tapings concluded, Bray Wyatt called Seth Rollins to the ring. It looked like they were going to start fighting, but instead they attacked Dean Ambrose, who was still in the ring following the Wyatt vs. Ambrose SmackDown main event.
Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Luke Harper and The Usos then hit the ring and a huge brawl broke out. Reigns and Ambrose both grabbed steel chairs and went after Seth Rollins as the ring cleared out. The night ended with Reigns and Ambrose playing to the crowd.
The following are highlights of a new City Pages interview with Curtis Axel:
On the state of Minnesota producing many quality pro wrestlers: “If you look at the guys who have come out of our state — my dad, Rick Rude, the Road Warriors, and the whole AWA, really — we produce tough guys. We’ve got a good stock in Minnesota.”
On being a third-generation wrestler: “It’s always tough to live up to having a famous father and grandfather, but I’m not trying to be the next Mr. Perfect or Larry the Ax; I’m trying to be the first Joe Hennig. With a lot of third generation guys, their fathers are still around to give them advice. Unfortunately, my dad isn’t around anymore. I wish he was, and I still get good advice from my grandfather, but I think the fact that my dad isn’t around drives me even more to get out there and do it for myself.”
Check out the complete interview at CityPages.com.
WWE kicks off their European tour today with their first stop in Glasgow, Scotland. With Daniel Bryan off of the tour due to injury, here is the updated list of talent that is scheduled for this part of the tour: Kane, The Shield, Big E, Rob Van Dam, Bad News Barrett, Big Show, Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Ryback, Curtis Axel, Paige, Layla, Fandango, Cameron, Naomi, Jack Swagger, Zeb Colter, Sin Cara, Rusev, Lana and more.
Originally, Bryan vs. Kane in a “Last Man Standing” match was being advertised, but with Bryan’s injury, that is obviously off the table. As of right now, no new opponent or match for Kane has been announced.
Also advertised for this leg of the tour is a six-man tag-team match featuring The Shield vs. Randy Orton, Ryback and Curtis Axel.
The following are highlights of a new Miami Herald interview with Ryback:
On the roller coaster ride of being a WWE Superstar: “I came in 2012 and burst on the scene. I believe I was the most popular thing. Before the ‘Yes Movement’, there was the ‘Feed Me More’ movement. I took the WWE by storm. I was undefeated for some time, sometimes taking on two guys at one time. I jumped in the main event scene very quickly and stayed very popular with the WWE Universe for a long time. We made the switch and went an opposite way and took it all away. Not that I necessarily agreed with it at the time, but I feel it was a good move.”
On Ryback in and out of the ring: “Through Twitter and everything else like that I’m just myself. A lot of people like to see that. When I’m in the ring I’m very intense. I consider myself a modern-day gladiator when I go out there. Social media and things like WrestleMania Axxess, this is my whole personality. On TV you can only catch so much. When I’m in the ring performing I’m a gladiator. Outside of it is different. If look at guys like Kurt Angle, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and The Rock, they were very diverse characters. Ryback is a very diverse character as well.”
On his time with Paul Heyman: “I got absolutely nothing [from that]. It’s a time period I will not even think to look back on.”
On Curtis Axel: “Curtis Axel is a great, amazing human being. Working with him is the most fun I’ve had in wrestling in some time. The only positive thing from Paul Heyman was getting to be around Curtis Axel and getting that out of it. Me and Curtis go back to developmental together. I’m very happy we are getting a chance to mesh and gel on TV and come together as RybAxel.”
Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.
The following is a non-spoiler match listing for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which was taped on Tuesday night and will air on Friday, May 2, 2014 on the SyFy Network.
– Rob Van Dam vs. Jack Swagger
– Alexander Rusev vs. R-Truth
– The Wyatt Family vs. Sheamus & The Usos
– Damien Sandow vs. Dolph Ziggler
– Big E. vs. Titus O’Neil
– Dean Ambrose vs. Ryback vs. Curtis Axel vs. Alberto Del Rio
For a complete spoiler report for this week’s WWE SmackDown, click ahead to page two …
– It was confirmed on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW that on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which is taped on Tuesday night and airs on Friday night on the SyFy Network, WWE United States Champion Dean Ambrose will be defending his title in a three-on-one handicap match against Ryback, Curtis Axel and Alberto Del Rio.
– Jim Ross tweeted the following about the opening segment on tonight’s edition of WWE RAW:
The opening segment on #RAWSTLOUIS was memorable..creepy..provokes thought.
Like a blind date…
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) April 29, 2014
The WWE Extreme Rules “go-home” edition of WWE RAW takes place tonight in St. Louis, Missouri. Advertised for tonight’s show, among other things, is the return of Daniel Bryan.
Also scheduled for tonight’s show is the final round of the WWE Intercontinental Championship contender tournament between Rob Van Dam and Bad News Barrett. The winner will go on to face Big E. for the title at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view this Sunday night.
A WWE Tag-Team Championship match between The Usos and the team of Ryback and Curtis Axel will take place tonight on the show, as well as the return of WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair.
Finally, a segment has been advertised for tonight that features Stephanie McMahon apologizing to Daniel Bryan for the attack he suffered at the hands of Kane on last week’s show.
Make sure to join us here tonight at SESCOOPS.COM for live WWE RAW play-by-play results coverage.
WWE has announced a title match for this coming Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, which takes place in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Usos, who are the current WWE Tag-Team Champions, will be defending their titles against the team of Ryback and Curtis Axel.
As previously reported, it is expected that both teams will compete against each other at the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which takes place on May 4th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. We also noted previously that the match will likely serve as the solo bout on the pre-show for the event.
It is expected that Monday’s match will set the stage for the PPV pre-show bout.
– Brie Bella has been given the weekend off by WWE to be with Daniel Bryan and spend time with he and his family during their time of mourning. As previously reported, Daniel Bryan’s father recently passed away.
– As of right now, it’s believed that the WWE Tag-Team Championship match between The Usos and the team of Ryback and Curtis Axel is going to be the featured match on the WWE Extreme Rules pre-show.
Veteran pro wrestling journalist recently caught up with D-Von Dudley for an exclusive WWE.com interview. Below is an excerpt from the interview.
APTER: Paul Heyman was, of course, the extreme ringleader. He riled the troops up and got everyone in an extreme mood, didn’t he?
DUDLEY: He sure did. I met Paul after I had a tryout for ECW. He was at the Pelham, N.Y., production studio they used for editing and doing the commentary. I got in there, Paul was sitting down, and we wound up talking and hitting it off great. I will admit right now that I am a Paul Heyman guy! When a lot of us wrestlers back in those days were looking for work and were not looked at by WWE or WCW, Paul was the one who gave us a shot. He believed in us. He saw things in us that we didn’t know we had and it brought out the best in us. Paul knew how to get certain things out of us to make us better. I used to call him Dr. Frankenstein because he created so much talent that came out of ECW that no one else would have been able to create.
APTER: What do you think of the current Paul Heyman?
DUDLEY: It’s the real Paul Heyman! He does things that make you hate him, but a minute later you want to marry him and love him. [laughs]
APTER: Who do you consider extreme on the current WWE roster?
DUDLEY: Daniel Bryan, for one. Most people wouldn’t put him in that category because he is such a technician in the ring, but I can see him getting down and dirty. Sheamus could be in that category as well. Put Randy Orton there, too. We beat the hell out of each other many times. I know a lot of people cheer him and a lot boo him, but I would put John Cena on that list as well. I had many brawls with him when I was in WWE and he was working himself up in the ranks.
APTER: So much of your career was as a tag team competitor with your partner, Bubba Ray. What is your current view of the WWE tag team scene?
DUDLEY: I think it’s great that WWE is strengthening the tag team division. If given the opportunity to go back to WWE, I would love to have a partner to take on The Usos, Cody Rhodes & Goldust, Ryback & Curtis Axel, The Shield, The Wyatts.
Check out the complete interview at WWE.com.
According to one source, Bad News Barrett is scheduled to defeat Rob Van Dam, possibly with interference from Cesaro, on next Monday’s RAW in the finals of the WWE Intercontinental Championship contender tournament. This would mean Barrett will be the challenger for Big E. at the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 4th.
Also expected for Extreme Rules, in addition to the previously reported matches, is a three-way between Cesaro, Van Dam and Jack Swagger, as well as a WWE Tag-Team Championship match between The Usos and the team of Ryback and Curtis Axel.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The following is a non-spoiler match listing for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which was taped on April 22nd in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and will air this Friday, April 25th on the SyFy Network.
– “The Great Debate” between Paul Heyman and Cesaro.
– Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger
– Natalya vs. Tamina Snuka
– Curtis Axel vs. Jey Uso
– Luke Harper & Erick Rowan vs. Goldust & Cody Rhodes
– Fandango & Layla vs. Santino Marella & Emma
– The Shield vs. 11 WWE Superstars
For a complete WWE SmackDown spoiler report for this week, click ahead to page two …
The following are results of this week’s WWE Main Event, which aired on the WWE Network on Tuesday, April 22nd from Hershey, Pennsylvania.
– Big E. def Alberto Del Rio in the opening match of the show. The finish comes when Del Rio goes for a tornado-DDT, which Big E. reverses into his “Big Ending” for the 1-2-3. After the match, Bad News Barrett pops up on his podium. He’s afraid he’s got some bad news. He informs Big E. that he’s only got 12 days remaining as WWE Intercontinental Champion.
– Hornswoggle def. El Torito in singles action. The finish comes when El Torito goes for his finisher, but Hornswoggle moves and hits him with his Tadpole Splash for the 1-2-3.
– Sheamus def. Titus O’Neil in another one-on-one contest. The finish in this one saw Sheamus nail O’Neil with a big headbutt and follow it up with his Brogue Kick for the pin and the 1-2-3.
– Ryback def. Jimmy Uso in the headline bout of this week’s Main Event. Both Jey Uso and Curtis Axel were at ringside and after a bunch of distractions, Ryback eventually hits Jimmy with his Shellshocked finisher for the pin and the win.
– It was announced during the WrestleMania XXX pre-show on the WWE Network that the pre-show match for the WWE Tag-Team Championships, which features The Usos defending the titles against The Real Americans, Los Matadores and Ryback & Curtis Axel, will now be an elimination style match.
– The following is a photo of the Hogan family in attendance at the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony on Saturday night.
@HulkHogan & With his Family #WWEHOF
#wwe #WWENetwork #WWEHallOfFame #WrestleMania30 @MBoone420 @RyanClarkWZR #WM30 pic.twitter.com/rV6C99Nsuj
— Jorge Romero (@Jromer0) April 6, 2014
Upon glancing at this year’s WrestleMania card, fans may notice a glaring omission: championship title matches. After unifying the titles at last year’s TLC, there are a total of five championships in the WWE. Of the five, only two are being defended on the actual telecast and the tag team titles will be relegated to the pre-show.
Ignoring championship titles is nothing new in the WWE, as it has become pretty much standard in recent years, especially at WrestleMania. The previous two WrestleManias featured three championship matches on the actual telecast, and the twenty-seventh edition was even worse, with only two championship matches on the entire four-hour program.
This is a far cry from a decade ago at WrestleMania XX, where there were a whopping seven title matches and the belts were used to build up superstars and did not simply remain stagnant for months at a time.
Steve Austin and The Rock were both elevated to the main event scene after battling for the Intercontinental Title.
The perfect example of the diminished value of titles is the United States Championship. A decade ago at WrestleMania XX, John Cena won his first championship by defeating Big Show for the United States Championship. His win helped launch Cena into the main event by putting gold around his waist and making the title seem important.
Fast forward a decade and the United States Championship is completely irrelevant, with Dean Ambrose only defending the title a handful of times since October of last year.
The same holds true for the Intercontinental Title as well. During the Attitude Era, the Intercontinental Title was one of the most important ways to elevate a superstar from the midcard to the main event, with Steve Austin and The Rock’s epic battles for the IC strap serving as an illustration of how to use a midcard title to put an up-and-coming superstar over with the crowd.
Now the title is thrown around the waist of whichever flavor of the week the WWE is trying to make seem important. It was Curtis Axel for a while after he was repacked and paired with Paul Heyman. After they realized he was not getting over with the crowd, they decided to give the belt to Big E and he has done next to nothing.
– WWE announced today that the WWE Tag-Team Championship match between The Usos, The Real Americans, Los Matadores and Ryback & Curtis Axel has been moved to the WrestleMania XXX pre-show. The match, as well as the pre-show in general, will air live on the WWE Network.
– WWE has added a new “30 Greatest WrestleMania Moments” video to their official YouTube channel. You can check that out below:
The following is a non-spoiler match listing for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown. For complete spoiler results, click ahead to page two.
– Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal
– Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel
– Damien Sandow vs. Sin Cara
– Goldust vs. Fandango
– Batista vs. Sheamus
– The Bella Twins vs. AJ Lee & Tamina Snuka
– Jack Swagger vs. Jimmy Uso
– The Miz vs. Mark Henry
– Bray Wyatt vs. Big Show
For complete spoiler results for this week’s WWE SmackDown, click ahead to page two …
Following their debut at the 2012 Survivor Series, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns, collectively known as the Shield, quickly became one of the most dominant and influential stables in recent memory.
The group primarily acted as heels throughout their successful run, although they were frequently cheered as well. In particular, Roman Reigns would frequently receive huge pops from the crowd, as seen during his breakthrough performances at the 2013 Survivor Series and 2014 Royal Rumble.
After attacking Director of Operations Kane, the group officially turned babyface and the crowd has been eating it up in recent weeks, with their celebration following their beat down of Ryback and Curtis Axel on this past week’s RAW serving as evidence of the group’s popularity.
After a tumultuous few weeks, the Shield appears to be reunited, but for how long can the Hounds of Justice keep their respective egos in check?
The group now seems to be reunited and stronger than ever after there was serious tension between the Hounds of Justice. So why did the WWE decide to turn the Shield face after it seemed they would dissolve just a few weeks prior?
The Wyatt Effect
One of the primary reasons the Shield were forced to turn face was the emergence of the Wyatt Family. There is only so much room on the roster for stables, and the Wyatt Family are without a doubt the predominant heel group on the roster today.
With the Wyatt Family serving as the main heel stable on the roster and essentially adopting the same M.O. as the Shield (appearing out of nowhere to savagely destroy unsuspecting foes), it only makes sense that creative would not want two stables acting in a similar manner, even if their gimmicks are stark contrasts of one another.
WWE confirmed a few new matches for WrestleMania XXX on this week’s edition of RAW, which took place on Monday night from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
As previously reported, WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee will be defending her title on the show in a “Vickie Guerrero Diva Invitational” against Naomi, Cameron, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Eva Marie, Emma, Aksana, Alicia Fox, Summer Rae, Rosa Mendes, Layla and Tamina Snuka.
Also confirmed on Monday’s RAW was the fact that Ryback and Curtis Axel will be part of the WWE Tag-Team Championship match at WrestleMania XXX against the current champions, The Usos.
Finally, WWE announced The Shield vs. Kane and The New Age Outlaws in a six-man tag-team contest for the show.
The WWE Tag-Team Championship match at WrestleMania XXX on April 6th will now feature current champions The Usos defending in a three-way match against both The Real Americans, as well as the team of Curtis Axel and Ryback.
Originally, Axel and Ryback were going to be part of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The change was made, however, at the last minute to move them over to the tag-title match instead.
Another match that is reported to be added soon, but has yet to be officially announced, is a match featuring The New Age Outlaws and Kane against all three members of The Shield.
Apparently The New Age Outlaws wanted to work a program with The Shield before they split up. It’s also being reported that they will likely serve as the new henchmen for The Authority.
There is expected to be eight matches on a four hour WrestleMania show, which would leave plenty of time for the top matches to run long, giving the guys an ample opportunity to have a number of great pay-per-view style matches.
Additionally, there is expected to be at least one match on the pre-show, which as announced on Wednesday, will be a two hour hype show. While nothing is official, the match will likely feature some of the odd men out of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal match, or an NXT match of some kind.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– There appears to be plans to bring back the Los Matadores into the main tag-team scene in the near future. Following their victory over Ryback and Curtis Axel at WWE Main Event, the Los Matadores were pushed as possible tag-title contenders due to the win.
– During recent promos, NXT star Adrian Neville has been knocking his physical appearance and making fun of his own accent. Apparently the creative idea for Neville is for him to be somewhat of a NXT version of Daniel Bryan.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)