The following matches were taped on Thursday night in Hartford, CT. prior to the live edition of WWE SmackDown for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. While they will not air on the WWE Network, they will still be available on Hulu Plus on Friday and will air in some international markets on television this weekend.
– The New Day def. The Miz & Damien Mizdow in tag-team action to kick off the show. Big E. and Kofi Kingston represented The New Day in this one. The finish saw Big E. and Kingston pick up the pin after The Miz yelled at Mizdow outside of the ring, causing a distraction.
– Luke Harper vs. Dolph Ziggler is announced for the main event of the show.
– Erick Rowan def. Curtis Axel in singles competition. This was described as a really solid match, however the fans in Hartford were apparently not making a lot of noise for it. There was a “Rumble winner!” chant directed towards Axel during the match. In the end, Rowan picked up the win with his finisher.
– Roman Reigns is shown on the big screen, which prompted a loud boo response from the fans in attendance. The Arnold Schwarzenegger WWE Hall Of Fame video package was also shown.
– Dolph Ziggler def. Luke Harper in the main event of the show. Ziggler got a great pop from the Hartford fans for his entrance, and the crowd was said to be really hot for Ziggler throughout the entire duration of the bout. In the end, Ziggler picked up the win to end this week’s show.
– Heath Slater returns on the road with WWE at this weekend’s live events. As noted recently, all charges against Slater stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident at a 2011 WrestleMania after-party have been dropped.
– The latest edition of “WWE Top 10,” which you can view below, looks at the ten most dramatic endings to past Royal Rumble matches.
– Below is a video of Dolph Ziggler and Ryback “returning to work” after being re-hired thanks to Sting and John Cena on this past Monday’s RAW.
Below are this week’s “RAW Fallout” videos. The first video shows The Authority, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, storming out of the arena after Sting showed up and helped John Cena win the main event, which allowed Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan to get their jobs back.
In the second video, the New Age Outlaws talk about The Ascension, who they will meet in the ring at this Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
And finally, here’s the third RAW Fallout video, which features Cena gloating about his friends getting their jobs back.
WWE Superstars Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan were all backstage at the WWE RAW Reunion show on Monday night in Dallas, Texas.
None of the four stars were used on television, but are expected to be at tonight’s WWE SmackDown television taping in Austin, Texas.
Since Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan won their jobs back on RAW, it’s believed that they’ll make their official return and be used on tonight’s taping.
As far as Sheamus goes, he has been out with an injury, however he cut a promo that didn’t air on the television show, so his return is imminent as well.
Sting made a surprise appearance at the end of Monday’s WWE RAW Reunion and once again stuck it to The Authority.
The 3-on-1 main event match featuring John Cena vs. Seth Rollins, Big Show and Kane. If Cena lost, he would be removed from the Royal Rumble title match this Sunday. If he won, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan get their jobs back.
When it looked like Cena on the verge of succumbing to the odds, Sting appeared on the big screen. He made his way to the stage and distracted Seth Rollins, allowing Cena to roll him up for the pin.
As a result, Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan get their jobs back.
Make sure to check back this Sunday for our WWE Royal Rumble Live Coverage play-by-play results.
– “Fired” WWE Superstars Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan have been spotted in the Dallas, Texas area—the site of tonight’s Raw—according to PWInsider.com. It was not noted whether they will be appearing on the show.
– WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs … and Stairs, which was released last week on DVD, is the first video title to be released under its home video distribution agreement with Warner Bros. There is a line on the back of the box which reads “Distributed by Warner Home Video.”
– The official WWE website has issued a poll asking fans how many Superstars Roman Reigns will eliminate in the Royal Rumble. Over 50% fans believe he’ll break his own record with 13 or more.
– While the WWE Network has been available in the United Kingdom and Ireland for several days, today marks as the official launch of the video streaming service.
The storyline “firing” of Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan, which took place on this past Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, is expected to be resolved before or during the upcoming WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 25th.
As things stand right now, Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan are all expected to be participants in the 30-man over-the-top Royal Rumble match during the pay-per-view.
– With SmackDown moving to Thursday nights on Syfy, WWE announced changes to the announce teams for both SmackDown and Raw yesterday. Beginning this Monday, Michael Cole, Booker T and John “Bradshaw” Layfield will handle play-by-play and color commentary on Raw. Then, when SmackDown debuts next Thursday on Syfy, Cole, Jerry “The King” Lawler and Byron Saxton will call the action—Tom Phillips is off the announce team. The broadcast team for WWE pay-per-view events will continue to feature Cole, Lawler and Layfield.
While this change appears sudden, in the case of Lawler, WWE officials have wanted to remove him from the broadcast booth at Raw “for a long time.”
“They wanted to get rid of Lawler on Raw for a long time, but after the heart attack, they figured they couldn’t,” stated Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer on the F4WOnline.com message board Thursday night in a thread about the announce team changes. “This relaunch of Smackdown gave them the chance.”
– The official WWE website has issued a poll asking fans which fired WWE Superstar they would bring back if allowed. With over 15,000 votes cast, Dolph Ziggler is leading the poll at 68%. Ryback follows at 26% with Erick Rowan following him at 7%.
– Stephanie McMahon and WWE Chief Financial Officer George A. Barrios will participate in a presentation at the 17th Annual Needham Growth Conference for investors in New York City on Tuesday. Their remarks are expected to being around 5:30 pm ET. You can listen to a live audio webcast on the presentation online at ir.corporate.wwe.com under Events & Presentations.
– As noted earlier this week, WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry Lawler was hospitalized with diverticulitis, which is why he was replaced by Booker T on commentary at this past Monday’s RAW. Lawler was reportedly released from the hospital on Monday, January 5th and is said to be doing a lot better right now.
– Also reported recently, Dolph Ziggler was pulled from the WWE live events scheduled for this weekend as a way to continue the “firing” storyline from RAW. Since then, it has been revealed that both Ryback and Erick Rowan, who were also “fired” on Monday, will not be working the live events this weekend as well.
The latest edition of Michael Cole’s weekly sit-down interview, which features the return of Triple H, is now available.
On this week’s interview, Triple H talks in-depth about the return of The Authority and the angles from RAW, namely the “firing” storyline involving Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan.
HHH also brought up Sting, noting that “he has had his 15 seconds of fame.”
As noted earlier today, Seth Rollins did not appear on “Miz TV” at the SmackDown tapings on Tuesday night as was advertised on Monday’s RAW. HHH revealed during the interview that Rollins wouldn’t be appearing on the talk show segment, because “he doesn’t need to be.”
You can check out the complete Michael Cole sit-down interview with “The Game” above.
In what is likely a follow-up to the “firing” storyline from Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, Dolph Ziggler has been removed from the advertised lineups for this coming weekend’s WWE live events. Ziggler has been replaced on the shows by the new WWE Intercontinental Champion, Bad News Barrett.
As things stand right now, Ryback and Erick Rowan have not been removed from the lineups, despite the fact that they too were “fired” on Monday’s show.
It’s possible that fans at the live events this weekend will be told that Ryback and Rowan are “fulfilling contractual obligations,” or something along those lines, as a way of getting around the television storyline, as that is how WWE has handled similar situations like this in the past.
After being fired along with Ryback and Erick Rowan by The Authority on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, Dolph Ziggler posted the following statement today:
“it’s the same old situation … the authority is back, again. I’m sorry. to all the hard working superstars that spend 300 nights a year on the road, entertaining the fans the only way they know how, by giving them everything they can! I’m sorry. I’ve done absolutely everything in my power to not only deliver every night, but improve my unique skill set, daily. In any other job that would be rewarded, certainly not frowned upon. I may be out of new york, but I have a lot of connections in LA. I will see you all again soon & know that I miss THIS more than anything in the world, ANYTHING! but you don’t know what’s best for you, THEY do. then again, THEY probably think 4/10 is as good as it gets… same old ball and chain.”
After Monday’s edition of WWE RAW went off the air, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan all looked dejected after being “fired” by The Authority. Eventually the three left with their heads hanging and headed to the back while John Cena remained in the ring looking upset.
Cena got on the microphone and said that there was no way he was going to leave “Whataburger’s Hometown” without a fight, which led to him calling out Seth Rollins.
Rollins came out, but ultimately decided to walk off. This led to Cena calling him out again and getting the fans to chant “You Sold Out” at him. Rollins returned to the ring with Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble and the dark match main event of the evening was set.
Mercury and Noble attacked Cena before the match officially got underway. Finally, things settled down and the actual match began. The match lasted approximately ten minutes, with the finish seeing Big Show come out to interfere. Rollins tried to hit Cena with his Money In The Bank briefcase, but Cena moved and Rollins hit Big Show by accident. This led to Cena hitting Rollins with the Attitude Adjustment for the pin.
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.
As noted, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan were all “fired” by The Authority on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. In this week’s RAW Fallout video, which you can watch below, the three “former” WWE Superstars react to their “firing,” all of whom look depressed in the ring shortly after the announcement was made.
Also on this week’s RAW Fallout, Bad News Barrett talks to Renee Young about winning back the WWE Intercontinental Championship. You can check that one out below.
On Monday’s WWE RAW, the first edition of the show of 2015, a “John Cena Appreciation” night, with a sarcastic tone, was promoted throughout the evening by The Authority — Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
As the show went on, it became clear that anyone who was part of Team Cena at the Survivor Series pay-per-view, where The Authority ended up getting fired, was going to be punished and beaten down.
Finally, when the “John Cena Appreciation” main event segment came, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon revealed that Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan, the other members of Team Cena, were all fired.
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 matches took place in Washington, D.C. on Monday night prior to WWE RAW for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars.
– Erick Rowan def. Tyson Kidd in singles competition to open the show. This match was said to be pretty good, with Rowan looking impressive in victory.
– Fandango def. R-Truth in the final match for the taping. The crowd wasn’t too alive for this one, which didn’t last that long regardless.
– WWE broadcast team member Renee Young recently held a Q&A on her official Twitter account. Young noted that her favorite WWE Superstars to interview are Paul Heyman, Fandango, Jack Swagger and The Usos. You can check out more from Young’s Twitter Q&A @ReneeYoungWWE.
– There’s talk that Erick Rowan vs. Titus O’Neil may be in the works for next Monday’s Christmas-themed edition of WWE RAW in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As noted, in addition to the Christmas theme, WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan will be appearing on the show.
On Monday’s post-TLC edition of WWE RAW a match was announced for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. In singles action it will be “Big Red” Erick Rowan against “The Big Red Machine” Kane.
WWE Main Event takes place on Tuesday night on the WWE Network at 8pm EST. Make sure to check back here on the website for complete results of the show.
TLC came and went last night, leaving behind a trail of broken tables, dented chairs, and fried television monitors. There were plenty of highlights last night, but the company certainly took a few missteps as well. Overall, here are the pros and cons from last night’s TLC pay-per-view.
Pros
The show got off to a hot start last night with the ladder match. Ziggler and Harper really gave everything they had, as both were men were bruised and bloodied by the end of the contest. There were a number of memorable spots (especially when Harper catapulted Ziggler into the ropes with the ladder), and overall, it ranked up there with some of the best ladder matches in company history. Amazing way to start the show, and unfortunately for WWE, the rest of the show paled in comparison.
Ambrose and Wyatt also put on an amazing show. This was about as brutal as it gets during the PG era, with Ambrose leaping from the top of a ladder to drive Wyatt through a table on multiple occasions. It was also nice to see the company have the confidence to let these guys close the show, although the ending was less than desirable (more on that later).
As expected, Damien Mizdow was over big time with the crowd, with the fans even booing Miz in his hometown of Cleveland in favor of Sandow. I couldn’t help but crack up when Mizdow started emulating the half crab on the apron. The guy has major star potential, and he and the Miz play perfectly off of one another.
Although the booking was atrocious, Rollins proved why he is a future star during his match with John Cena. Join me in the “Cons” section to read more about this one.
Finally, I thought it was a decent decision to have Nikki Bella retain the title, and honestly, it was far from being the worst match of the night. It seems like the company has being playing hot potato with the Divas Championship since AJ Lee’s long title reign ended so it’s nice to see the title stay around someone’s waist for more than a month.
The final pay-per-view of 2014 is only a few hours away, and there should be enough tables, ladders, and chairs to fill a large dining hall. (I’m not entirely sure that I’ve seen a ladder in a college dining hall, but whatever.) The card will feature a total of nine matches, including a main event featuring Seth Rollins and John Cena. With that said, here are my predictions for this Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view.
The New Day vs. Gold and Stardust
The New Day hasn’t done much since returning from a brief hiatus, as they’ve been largely relegated to SmackDown and other programs that aren’t worth watching. However, they’ve looked impressive the few times they’ve been on Raw and all three are above average workers. The New Day has more to gain from a win here, so I’m expecting Big E finish off Stardust after hitting the Big Ending.
Winners: The New Day by pinfall
Ryback vs. Kane (Chairs Match)
Each December, fans can usually look forward to a Chairs Match at TLC. It’s like receiving a Christmas gift you didn’t request or care to receive. You put a smile on your face, do your best to enjoy it, but nine times out of ten, it ends in disappointment. This year’s edition should be no different. Nobody would want to see these guys square off in a singles contest, and throwing a few chairs into the mix will do little to save it. Ryback will win after a “brutal” match where the two exchange chair shots to the back for ten minutes.
Winner: Ryback by pinfall
The Miz and Damien Mizdow (Tag Team Champions) vs. The Usos
This contest should be an entertaining way to fill ten to fifteen minutes of the midcard. Mizdow is perhaps the hottest thing in WWE right now, so I expect he and the Miz to go over. However, it likely won’t be without some dissension. Overall, this should be an entertaining contest with a lot of back and forth action. If booked correctly, it should advance the tension between Miz and Mizdow, hopefully leading to a payoff at WrestleMania.
WWE will attempt to deliver an early Christmas present this Sunday during its annual TLC pay-per-view. It will be the last pay-per-view of 2014, and should also be the last special event before Brock Lesnar’s return to the ring. The card is set, but how will it play out? Here are 5 potential shockers for Sunday’s TLC.
5. Mizdow Turns on The Miz
It seems obvious that the Miz and his stunt double will be breaking up sooner rather than later, and for good reason, as Mizdow is perhaps the most over superstar in the WWE.
There was tension once again during Monday’s Slammy Awards after the Miz accepted his partner’s award on his behalf. Although their time together seems to be limited, I’d be shocked if the two break up on Sunday. It would make more sense to have the dissolution occur at the Royal Rumble, setting up a WrestleMania payoff that could be one of the top matches on the midcard.