On Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Denver, Colorado, we saw the beginning of several programs leading into the first ever WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view, which emanates live from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee on Sunday, February 22, 2015.
Below are some confirmed and rumored matches for the show:
Confirmed
– John Cena vs. Rusev
– Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan (#1 Contendership Match)
– Nikki Bella (c) vs. Paige (WWE Divas Championship)
– Triple H and Sting face-to-face confrontation
Rumored
– Bad News Barrett vs. Dean Ambrose (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Make sure to visit us here on the website on Sunday, February 22, 2015 for the best WWE Fast Lane live results coverage on the web!
– The following is a behind-the-scenes video of the new WWE Immortals mobile video game.
– As noted earlier, Dean Ambrose called out Bad News Barrett on Monday’s RAW, telling him he has his sights set on the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Bad News Barrett responded to Ambrose on Twitter, likely starting a feud between the two for a match at the upcoming WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view. Barrett tweeted the following:
You don't just 'call out' a champion of my calibre. Dean Ambrose can sod off. Get to the back of the line ya dipstick. #BNB
– As seen on Monday’s WWE RAW, Dean Ambrose made it clear that he is going after Bad News Barrett and the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Ambrose is scheduled to begin a program with Barrett, which will likely culminate in an Intercontinental Championship match between the two at the WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view.
– The Miz “fired” Damien Mizdow on RAW this week. He then re-hired him and made him his “personal assistant.” As noted recently, there is a good chance that Miz and Mizdow will split and end up feuding with each other heading into this year’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view.
On Monday’s RAW, WWE COO Triple H will make a major announcement regarding the controversy surrounding last weekend’s Royal Rumble match.
With Triple H teasing that the announcement could shake the foundation of WWE to its core, WWE is now hinting that Dean Ambrose could be involved. WWE posted the following on Instagram:
– The dark match main event after last night’s live editio of WWE SmackDown saw John Cena and Dean Ambrose defeat Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt in tag-team action.
– The first of a three-part SmackDown Fallout for this week, which you can watch below, features Goldust telling Stardust to get his head on straight. Whether or not this is the beginning of a Goldust vs. Stardust feud, which has been rumored for quite some time, remains to be seen.
– In part two of this week’s SmackDown Fallout, which you can see below, Seth Rollins complains about Ryback, Dolph Ziggler and Erick Rowan getting into his business again.
– Finally, in the third and final portion of this week’s SmackDown Fallout, Kane rises from the casket after being defeated by Daniel Bryan.
As noted, Titus O’Neil’s four second elimination at the WWE Royal Rumble match this past Sunday night was supposed to be a one second elimination to tie Santino Marella as the shortest Rumble reign in history. Due to a timing issue between O’Neil, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, he wasn’t eliminated until the four second mark. Vince McMahon was said to be furious over the mistake, as it was the only spot in the match that was supposed to be timed perfectly.
Speaking of the Rumble match, WWE contacted Chris Jericho on January 19th about being a surprise entrant in the match, however he declined the offer. Jericho is working some non-televised live events for WWE lately, but doesn’t want to return on-camera unless it has meaning and value behind it.
As seen during the Royal Rumble match on Sunday night, Titus O’Neil was eliminated in just four seconds by Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.
O’Neil’s role in this year’s Royal Rumble match was to be eliminated in just one second, tying Santino Marella’s record for the shortest reign in Royal Rumble history.
The blame for the missed spot is said to be shared, as many are calling it a timing issue, with Reigns and Ambrose being off with their double-clothesline and O’Neil being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Being eliminated in four seconds, O’Neil is now tied with Jerry Lawler (1997) and Bushwacker Luke (1991), who were also eliminated in four seconds. In 1995, Sir Mo and Owen Hart were both eliminated in three seconds, and in 1989, The Warlord was eliminated in two seconds.
WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose recently spoke to Philly.com to promote tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, which takes place in “The City of Brotherly Love.”
Below are highlights from the interview..
On fond memories he has of Philadelphia, the site of tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view: “I was living in Philadelphia when I got signed by WWE. I was sitting there one afternoon, I just woke with a headache or something. I got a call from WWE that I thought was a prank, so I blew it off. Later in the day, I got more phone calls and I realized they were trying to hire me. It was completely out of the blue. I had figured if it was my career destiny to be an indie cult hero, then so be it.”
On his preparation for the lengthy Royal Rumble match: “I’ll take long, long runs and long bike rides. I’m always training for stamina, anyway, because I’m never going to be the biggest guy or the strongest guy. I train for endurance and agility. I’m not going to throw 27 people over the rope at one time, but I am prepared to be pounded on for 60 minutes or so.”
A lot can change over the course of a year, especially in the WWE. At last year’s Royal Rumble, Batista earned the opportunity to headline WrestleMania, going from fan favorite to Bootista in a matter of moments.
It will be Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, and a whole slew of others hoping to earn that opportunity this time around, as the card for this Sunday’s Royal Rumble appears to be officially set. Here is a look at the superstars who have taken a leap forward over the past year, as well as those who have taken a step backward.
Progression
1. The Shield
Nobody has progressed over the past year more than the three men who formerly comprised The Shield. Roman Reigns set the record for the most eliminations at last year’s Rumble, although he was never really seen as a serious threat to win it all. This time around, he’s the odds-on favorite to win the Rumble and headline WrestleMania.
Reigns eliminated his former partners at last year’s event as a means to tease tension between the former Hounds of Justice. Both of those men have moved onto better things. Seth Rollins will be challenging for the title this time around, and Ambrose is seen as one of the most credible entrants in the Royal Rumble match. Believe that.
2. Brock Lesnar
Lesnar destroyed Big Show’s back at last year’s Rumble, walloping him with a chair about 50 times in a match that lasted two minutes. His character’s direction was unclear at the time, having engaged in various feuds in 2013 that didn’t really go anywhere, largely due to Lesnar’s limited schedule.
A few accomplishments have been added to his resume since last time around. Most importantly, he apparently broke some sort of WrestleMania undefeated streak that fans held dear to their hearts. Cena and Rollins will attempt to slay the Beast this year, as he comes in as WWE World Heavyweight Champion and undisputed top dog in the company.
– The advertised dark match main event for next week’s WWE SmackDown television taping, which takes place in Boston, is John Cena, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Kane, Seth Rollins, Big Show and Bray Wyatt.
– WWE returns to Austin, Texas, which was the site of this past Tuesday night’s SmackDown taping, on April 6th for a live RAW show. The pre-sale code for tickets to the event is WWEAUSTIN.
– Philly.com is reporting that the city of Philadelphia is still interested in hosting a future WrestleMania event. Philadelphia was unable to make a bid for WrestleMania 31 or WrestleMania 32 due to scheduling conflicts with local venues, but claims they will be bidding on future events.
Last night’s Raw was held in Dallas, TX and was the final episode before the Royal Rumble. There were plenty of surprises, and after weeks of terrible programming, perhaps the biggest shocker was that the company put on an episode of Raw that wasn’t half bad. Without further ado, here are this week’s pros and cons.
Pros
There were a few highlights to choose from, but for me, the final segment easily takes the top spot. The action during the contest was commendable, but the real excitement occurred after the match. Sting’s appearance was completely unexpected, especially an in age where nearly everything is spoiled online beforehand. The Stinger looked great (much better than he did at Survivor Series, imo) and held the pose long enough to make everyone wonder if it was a picture to distract the Authority, or whether he was really in attendance.
Fans quickly found out the answer, making a match between Triple H and Sting at WrestleMania all but official. Sting’s appearance, followed by Lesnar’s destruction of everything in sight, was an amazing way to end the show and sell Sunday’s Rumble. Speaking of Lesnar, the crowd is dying to cheer this guy. He could have a monster face run if he decides to stick around after ‘Mania.
A close second goes to the nWo reunion. The Ascension is completely laughable and unconvincing as intimating heels (Hall was straight-up laughing at them throughout the segment). I predict they will be dancing on the WWE comedy circuit within a year. With that said, it was awesome to see JBL finally take out his anger on these fools. It was hard not to mark out at the Clothesline From Hell, and it was pleasant to see actual planning and some sort of payoff for once.
The legends panel was decent, even if it’s the same three guys that are there every time a group of legends rolls into town. However, it was nice to see three Rumble winners talk about their victories, with Shawn Michaels saying, “There would be no Mr. WrestleMania without the Royal Rumble.” It was also humorous to watch Big Show bring up talking points from about two decades prior and refer to anyone as “three washed-up has-beens.”
In terms of wrestling action, the best match of the night, in my opinion, was Dean Ambrose and Bad News Barrett. These two had good chemistry and pulled off a number of impressive spots. In particular, Ambrose’s reversal of Wasteland into Dirty Deeds was an awesome way to end the match. I wouldn’t mind seeing these guys work a program for the IC Title at WrestleMania.
Finally, Sandow posing as X-Pac backstage was absolutely hilarious. This guy deserves bigger and better things. Hopefully the company comes to the same realization before it’s too late.
As noted, independent pro wrestler Mike Dell was the performer used as the “psychiatrist” for Dean Ambrose on this past Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. Dell is a Louisiana independent wrestler who often works for Luke Hawx’s “WildKat” promotion.
Several other talents from the local indy promotion were featured on RAW as well, as WildKat wrestlers Spade, Wild Card J, Curt Matthews and Purple Haze were used as part of Adam Rose’s “Rosebuds” on RAW.
Finally, the two “local wrestlers” who The Ascension squashed on RAW this past Monday night were Socoro and Bu Ku Dao, two more performers from the WildKat promotion.
It’s worth noting that Bu Ku Dao was under a developmental deal with WWE last year, but was ultimately cut from the roster. He was the member of the tag-team against The Ascension that took the bigger bumps on RAW this week.
It was reported a while back that WWE officials were contemplating doing a John Cena vs. Rusev feud for WrestleMania 31. The idea at that time was to have Rusev cost Cena his chance at recapturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
As of right now, WWE is advertising a tag-team main event of John Cena and Randy Orton vs. Rusev and Seth Rollins for the live event in Madison Square Garden on February 27th. Some view this as a possible sign that WWE is going forward with their original plans for Cena vs. Rusev at WrestleMania.
Thus far, there has been no interaction between Cena and Rusev that would indicate that match being booked. Some are of the opinion that Cena and Rusev is simply a live event program for WrestleMania season, possibly because Brock Lesnar doesn’t work non-televised events.
In related news, other matches advertised for the aforementioned 2/27 live event at MSG include Daniel Bryan vs. Kane, Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro and an appearance by Chris Jericho.
Last night’s episode of Raw was held in the Big Easy, and it’s obvious that the company knew they were going up against the CFP Championship because they seemed to be holding something back all night. Anyway, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Raw.
Pros
The best thing to come out of last night’s show was the announcement that the “Macho Man” Randy Savage will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. It’s about time one of the most talented and influential superstars of all-time takes his rightful place amongst fellow legends. Some will probably complain about the choice to have Hogan induct Savage, but as someone who loved the Mega Powers as a child, I think it’s a good choice and has the potential to be a touching and heartfelt tribute to one of the company’s most iconic figures.
I wasn’t expecting a ton out of the New Day vs. Kidd/Cesaro matchup, but it turned out to be one of the better contests of the night. Kidd and Cesaro worked well together, with the Cesaro Swing into a dropkick spot being particularly impressive. It would have been nice to see Kidd and Cesaro pick up the win, but I guess it’s a minor victory just to see them on television.
The recurring promos featuring Dean Ambrose and the doctor were certainly humorous. Ambrose seems like a natural actor and really at ease on camera, so it’s nice to see him get a chance to show off his talent. The promos were entertaining and it was an original way to have Ambrose gain entry into the Royal Rumble.
Finally, it was nice to see Daniel Bryan back in the city where he captured the title at last year’s WrestleMania. The interactions between Bryan and Stephanie were on point, especially when she tried to present Bryan with her crappy workout DVD. It was finally announced that Bryan would make his return to the ring against Kane on SmackDown this Thursday. As Kane approached the ring, Bryan dove threw the ropes and took out the Devil’s Favorite Demon before celebrating with the crowd.
– After an angle on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, which saw Stephanie McMahon force Dean Ambrose to get papers signed by a doctor after a mental health evaluation, Ambrose is now officially confirmed as an entrant into the 2015 WWE Royal Rumble match.
– Below is a video promo for this week’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network, which airs on Wednesday, January 13th at 8pm EST.
There were people who were said to be pretty shocked when Bray Wyatt picked up a clean victory over Dean Ambrose in their “Ambulance Match” on this past Monday’s edition of WWE RAW.
While some feel it’s possible that Ambrose is turning heel in the near future, others feel that WWE simply isn’t focused on protecting him in the booking right now, as their attention is in protecting other WWE Superstars. One of those Superstars, as we have noted in the past, is Wyatt.
WWE wants to keep Wyatt strong in the booking in case The Undertaker decides to work a match at WrestleMania 31. When Wyatt defeated Ambrose in clean fashion this past Monday on RAW, some took it as a sign that certain top-level WWE executives are under the belief that Undertaker is in fact coming back for a match at WrestleMania 31 later this year, and if so, likely in a match against Wyatt.
Last night’s Raw was the first of 2015 and the company started the year not with a bang but with a whimper. The show was held in Corpus Christi, TX, and it’s unclear whether the audience was drugged prior to filming, because it was probably the most silent crowd I’ve ever heard at a WWE event. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
Pros
The clear highlight of the night was the Ambulance Match between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt. As always, the two worked pretty well together and delivered a few memorable spots. The ending felt just a bit sloppy, but the rest of the match more than made up for it. In all, it was good to see Wyatt come out on top, as he needed the win more than Ambrose. This program has been one of the only good things going over the past few weeks, so it’s kind of sad to see it come to an end.
Another clear highlight was the Intercontinental Championship match. It was a good way for the Authority to exact revenge against Ziggler, and the 2-out-of-3 falls swerve was decent. It’s also nice to see that the company still has confidence in Bad News Barrett, and this hopefully means that Ziggler will move into the main event picture permanently.
It was nice to see the program actually have an intro and pryo again. This is a minor complaint, but the intro-less format felt really cheap, with it simply going to a lifeless Michael Cole saying, “Welcome to Raw” while panning over the crowd. Unfortunately, the intro and pyro will probably be gone next week due to budget cuts.
Adding Seth Rollins to the main event at the Royal Rumble was brilliant. With Rollins essentially having two chances to win the title in a few weeks, it provides many booking possibilities. My interest level in the main event went from nonexistent to moderately intrigued in a matter of seconds.
Booker T on commentary was a nice change of pace. Hopefully King is well soon, but they really need to shake up the commentary team. I wouldn’t mind seeing Booker become a regular at the table again.
The Kane/Rollins vs. Ryback match was somewhat entertaining but nothing to write home about. The double Curb Stomp was at least a decent finish.
Finally, it was nice to see the company giving guys more time to cut backstage promos. Rusev, Reigns, Ambrose, Wyatt, and possibly a few superstars whom I’m forgetting all received promo time last night. Good to see the company letting the talent speak instead of filling that time with ads or plugs for the Network.
The WWE is always harping on about the Attitude Era. If they’re not plugging their “critically acclaimed” Monday Night War series, they are gloating about past successes while subtly bashing a long-dead company. However, despite the company’s love of the Attitude Era, there’s a considerable lack of attitude anywhere within the company.
When the company first announced the WWE Network, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to cash in on nostalgic fans eager to relive the glory days. After all, those kids that grew up in the 90s watching Austin and the Rock were now adults with college degrees and full-time jobs, so it seemed like a no brainer to try to reel in old fans that departed over the past decade.
Cena is still the top guy in the company, but at age 37, it’s obvious his days are numbered.
During the lead-up to the Network launch, it was promised that every pay-per-view and episode of Raw would be available within a few months of launch. Nearly a year later, the Attitude Era is practically nonexistent. Sure, the pay-per-views are all there, but the most controversial and memorable moments of that era typically occurred on Raw.
By even the most conservative estimates, the Attitude Era started in 1997 (some would say it started at the 1996 King of the Ring, but I won’t go back that far). As of today, there are 20 episodes in total from the years 1997 through 2001, including the episode where Vince McMahon purchased WCW, which essentially marked the end of the era. A lot of the most controversial and memorable moments are also conveniently missing, such as Brian Pillman pulling a gun on Austin, the infamous Bret screwed Bret promo, and Bret Hart’s profanity-laced tirade in March of 1997.
In contrast, there are 45 episodes from 1993 alone, and it’s not like the company is uploading the episodes in order because they also uploaded the entire year of 2012 and random episodes from various years. It undoubtedly takes time to convert old episodes of Raw into a format that is suitable for widescreen televisions, but it seems like there is really no rush to upload the content.
Instead of creating the same episode of Monday Night War 20 times, they should instead show the stories that inspired the mind-numbingly boring series. While uploading the content, the company should also take a moment to revisit the past, because there are a lot of similarities between today’s product and the era that immediately preceded the Attitude Era, which I refer to as the In Your House Era.
For better or worse, it’s a new year. Everyone starts with a fresh slate, New Year’s resolutions are in effect, and generally speaking, people try to better themselves for the first week of the year before giving up the futile expedition.
Things are no different in the WWE, as every superstar will be trying to reach the next level in 2015. Here are ten superstars who will strike gold in 2015 by capturing a title that was previously unattainable.
10. Charlotte
Although her debut on the main roster was less than memorable, Charlotte has the potential to revolutionize the Divas division. As seen in NXT, the daughter of the Nature Boy can easily put on entertaining 15+ minute matches any night of the week. It’s now up to the WWE to let the talented women of NXT show what they can do on a regular basis. Charlotte will help to legitimize the Divas division a bit in 2015 by capturing the Divas Championship.
9. Sasha Banks
Charlotte and Sasha Banks put on one of the best Divas matches in the history of WWE a few weeks back at R Evolution. It appears “The Boss” is next in line for the throne in the NXT Women’s division, meaning she will capture the title after Charlotte leaves NXT in 2015.
The following are highlights of a new WNS Podcast interview with Roman Reigns:
ON RETURNING TO IN-RING ACTION: “Man, I’m happy to do a lot of things. Having that hernia surgery and the first couple of weeks of recovery was something I had never experienced before. I’ve had some injuries in my day and I’ve been able to work through the rehab process but I mean the requirements for hernia surgery is sit on the couch and do nothing. Which you know, it sounds like what’s he complaining about? But for the first couple of weeks it was pretty cool. I’m not going to lie I did some pretty good couch work. Til about two and a half, three weeks oh man. You start getting so antsy you just want to get out. I want to get in the gym and I want to work ad sweat and I just couldn’t do anything like that. It’s nice to be able to move around. run, jump, wrestle, everything man. I’m very fortunate.”
ON WETHER OR NOT 2015 WILL BE HIS YEAR: “I think so. I think everyone’s thinking that. I think everybody goes into these type of matches thinking they’re going to be the guy. It can happen. Whether it’s 30, 40, 100 people in this match. Everybody should be going in with that mindset. “I’m the guy. I can change my whole career. I can change my whole life if I just dominate tonight and that’s what I’m going to do. Fortunately for me I have some experience with this match. I have a record of eliminations and I’m taking last year making it all the way to the end and coming up short as a mistake I can learn from. As a good experience. Hopefully, I can capitalize on it this year and correct that wrong and go onto the big one.”
ON BEING COMPARED TO JOHN CENA: “When I first started wrestling, I got a lot of comparisons to a lot of different people. Razor Ramon, The Rock. I had a bunch of different qualities and characteristics of former guys. I’m not trying to be the next anybody. I’m trying to be the very first Roman Reigns that’s all I can do. I’m not out to be somebody that I’m not. I know who I am and I know where I come from and I know where I want to go. It’s very flattering to be compared to someone who’s worked so hard and been so successful. I don’t want what he has, I want what I’m going to get.”
ON THE TRANSITION FROM BEING PART OF THE SHIELD TO SINGLES COMPETITION: “I was fine with it. People don’t realize that I was wrestling singles towards the end of The Shield’s run. I main evented a whole year of fighting Randy Orton while I was still in The Shield. I had multiple matches without the boys. It’s just one of those things, I’m a sports entertainer. I’m a wrestler. I’m a worker. I can wrestle in a team situation. Before I got in The Shield I was wrestling singles so you gie me a squared circle, ropes and someone to beat up and I can do it.”
ON ANY COUNTRY HE’S NOT YET GOT TO PERFORM IN BUT WOULD LIKE TO: “There’s quite a few places I’d like to go. I’ve been so lucky to go to so many different cool places all over the world. Places I never would have thought of going or even knew about. But I think the one continent that I haven’t been to would be South America. So, I would love to get down there and just do antour and go country to country and tear it up for the South American WWE Universe.”
ON THE MOST BIZARRE THING THAT’S HAPPENED WHEN HE’S WALKED OUT THROUGH THE CROWD: “There’s been a couple of situations. There’s one time a few months ago this little girl came out and wave slapped me. Just a big bear hug on me and I didn’t even notice. She was on me before I even knew so when I looked down this 7-8 year old little girl who was as cute as can be. Not too long ago, I think last week i saw those little short films they do on the internet some girl just feeling my arm up and holding my hand. There’s so many people and I’m trying to take in the crowd and see what I’m working with with the people that sometimes I don’t even notice things like that. We have an awesome job, they’re so fiesty and emotional and outspoken. But they’ve been awesome with me. They haven’t done anything too crazy to where we put the entrance in jeopardy.”
ON POSSIBLY BEING A COMIC BOOK FAN AND SOME OF HIS FAVOURITES: “As a younger kid, I’ve read comic books. I was really into the Spiderman vs Venom and the Superman comics and things like that. But I’m not one of those grown men comic book guys like a few people I know. I got a kid, I don’t do little kid stuff. I like to think I emulate a comic book character with the things that I do. My look, my gear, the moveset that I have. Try to emulate that of a Superman-Spiderman mix or something like that.”
ON FACING RUSEV IN BEAUMONT, TEXAS: “I think it’s a great opportunity. What better place to win the U.S Title then right there in Beaumont, Texas. I think he’s been on a bit of a hot streak. I don’t even think anyone’s beaten him thus far.”
ON THE EMOTIONS GOING THROUGH HIS DAY OF WRESTLEMANIA: “It’s unlike anything else in the world. Our first one one was in New York/New Jersey and last year down in N.O. and it was awesome and just the whole tour, the whole week we get to do a lot of different things at Axxess and do a lot of meet and greet and signings with the fans. So, to have. To be able to interact and hang out and have a lottle time not only with the fans but your family it’s almost like a bit of a vacation up until it’s time tomkind of get your game face on and remember why you’re there. To perform on the grandest stage of them all. For us it was cool because you can feel all those people and you know they’re out there. Fortunately for us, going through the crowd we legitimately got to walk through them.”
ON HIS FAVOURITE MATCH AND FANTASY OPPONENT HE’D LIKE TO FACE: “Yea, i’d have to say my favourite match wzas the first Wyatt match we had on pay per view. I still haven’t watched ot back. I want to leave it to what I remember. The vibe and the emotion we had out there. The reponse. The manipulation of the crowd just going in and out of stuff. All the different chants and things like that. It was an unbelievable match. Also, I gotta say for me personally. I really dig my match I had with Randy Orton at Summerslam. I thought we did some pretty cool stuff especially down towards the end of the match. Incredible exchanges, signature moves and stuff like that. He had an RKO caught me out of the Superman Punch no one’s ever done that and that just speaks to the type of competitor that guy is and not only that I had enough in me to beat a guy like that.”
ON FEELING PRESSURE BEING THE AMBASSADORS FOR NXT ALONG WITH DEAN AMBROSE AND SETH ROLLINS: “I don’t know if it was extra pressure. There’s always pressure. Pressure almost becomes like another emotion. Most people are happy, sad, angry just all the different emotions you can feel and pressure is just one of them. That time I’m alive. If i’m not nervous or feeling butterflies then like what am I doing. For me, it was a cool responsibility to be given, to take on. I think that’s just part of the process. Being the first few to come out of NXT, we felt it but everyone behind us all the way from The Wyatts to Rusev and the list is just going to continue to go on. You’ve got great talent down there that are going to come up and make a big name for themselves. The Ascension, sami Zayn, Adrian Neville. There’s even newer guys,international stars from the independant scene so it’s a good time to be a wrestling fan.”
ON HIS REACTION TO BEING NAMED SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR: “To be honest I was shocked. I didn’t even look at it like I was going to win. I was in The Shield for a little bit of the year. When I came out of there, I came out with a rocket on me and I was able to do some cool stuff with the Rumble and Survivor Series. What you saw on live TV, was what I was going through at the time.”
The final weekly sit-down from Michael Cole of 2014, which features Dean Ambrose, has been added to the official WWE YouTube channel.
Check out the video below to hear Ambrose talk about his feud with Bray Wyatt and their upcoming “Ambulance Match” on next week’s RAW, his thoughts on The Authority returning to power in WWE and his plans for New Year’s.
On the final RAW of 2014, a big segment was announced for the first SmackDown of 2015, as there will be a second-ever “Cutting Edge Peep Show.”
Edge and Christian, who were guest hosts on RAW this week for the first ever “Cutting Edge Peep Show” talk show segment, will be returning on this week’s SmackDown with the second edition of the talk show, with Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose serving as the special guests.
A big match for next week’s RAW, the first of 2015, was announced on this week’s edition of the show.
Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose in an Ambulance Match is announced for next week’s show, with Michael Cole going into detail on the stipulation for the match.
To win, Wyatt or Ambrose must take their opponent to the ambulance, load him in the back, close the door and drive away.
– WWE executives have been planning on making the announcement that NXT star Corey Graves was going to be retiring from in-ring competition and moving to his new announcer role since the summer.
– WWE officials are said to be afraid of hurting Bray Wyatt by having him lose to Dean Ambrose in their series of matches recently. The plan is to keep Wyatt strong in case the rumored match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31 comes to fruition.
MAJOR Backstage Heat On AJ Lee For Her Slammy Awards Speech AND A Separate Incident (Full Story)
(News from The Wrestling Observer was used in this post. Visit F4WOnline.com for subscription information.)
As we noted recently, WWE will be releasing a new DVD and Blu-ray set called “The Destruction of The Shield” on February 17, 2015. According to WrestlingDVDNews.com, there will be a documentary, as well as an interview with Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose airing before and after each match on the set.
The following matches are confirmed thus far for the project.
– Roman Reigns on FCW Triple Threat Match
– Triple Threat Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins vs. Leakee, FCW • February 5, 2012
– Dean Ambrose on United States Championship
– United States Championship Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Kofi Kingston, Extreme Rules • May 19, 2013
– Roman Reigns on WWE Tag Team Championship
– Tornado Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship: Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins vs. Team Hell No, Extreme Rules • May 19, 2013