– 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.
– Below is a photo of Triple H holding his NXT talent meeting in Florida earlier tonight:
– The following is the WWE Extreme Rules “All Access Pass” video, which comes courtesy of WWE’s official YouTube channel:
At first glance, Alexander Rusev seems like a rehash of a character WWE fans have seen countless times: the monster foreign superstar who feasts on unworthy foes while being accompanied by a manager who serves as his mouthpiece.
Some have contended that the character is so unoriginal that it was completely lifted from a Rocky movie of all places, as he has drawn comparisons to Rocky IV villain Ivan Drago and his wife Ludmilla.
Despite the fact that many believe he is a recycled, cliché character, Rusev has managed to make his way through the WWE’s NXT division and to the main roster in a relatively short amount of time.
Rusev has been booked as a monster, but do fans actually view him as one?
Since making his debut on the main roster, Rusev made a brief appearance in this year’s Royal Rumble and has been feasting on jobbers ever since. Unlike some of his critics, I believe that Rusev can be successful at the main level, but only if he is booked differently from similar heels in the past.
In recent years, the WWE has chosen to rely upon the tried-and-true formula of debuting a monster heel and serving him a hearty portion of heels (see Ryback for example). They expect that if the heel is shoved down fans’ throats long enough by competing in squash matches, they will eventually realize his dominance and he will be over in no time.
It appears they are attempting to take the same course of action with Rusev, as he has competed against only jobbers and will face R-Truth and Xavier Woods in a handicap match at Extreme Rules. Hell, they even threw Rusev into the coalition of jobbers that worked to beat down the Shield during the 11-on-3 handicap match a few weeks back on Raw.
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)
– John Cena remains the king of WWE merchandise sales by a long shot. According to Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Cena reportedly sells five times more merchandise than the second most popular merchandise mover, believed to be Daniel Bryan.
– On Monday’s RAW, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan was temporarily written off television after being brutally attacked by his Exteme Rules opponent, Kane. According to a report at PWInsider.com, WWE told Daniel Bryan he could take the night off after the tragic news that his father had passed away. Bryan insisted on appearing on the show, but was taken out during the first segment so he could leave and be with his family.
WWE.com is reporting that Daniel Bryan is adamant about defending the WWE World Heavyweight championship at Extreme Rules, despite the storyline that he suffered a stinger at the hands of Kane.
The ticket sale advances for several of WWE’s upcoming pay-per-views are looking strong. The WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 4th is set up for 14,000 seats and is already nearly sold out.
The WWE Payback event, which takes place in Chicago, Illinois on June 1st is set up for 11,000 seats and is also nearly sold out.
WWE Money In The Bank, which takes place in Boston, Massachusetts on June 29th has sold 10,000 tickets already, with only approximately 2,000 tickets still available right now for a show that is more than two months away.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
When the Shield debuted over a year ago, Roman Reigns was like the shadowy muscle of the group. He was the least featured member of the trio. He was given few lines during their promos. Yet he was always there to deliver a devastating spear or triple powerbomb when needed.
With the rich indy wrestling history of both Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, it is no surprise that they were expected to carry most of the load during the early days of the stable. After all, Roman Reigns was a former football player and started wrestling in 2010, whereas both Ambrose and Rollins had been wrestling since the early 2000’s.
Reigns does have a rich family history though, as he is a member of the famous Anoa’i family that includes past superstars such as Yokozuna, Rikishi, and The Rock, so it is not like he was a complete stranger to the world of wrestling.
After his dominating performance at last year’s Survivor Series, it seemed obvious that there were big plans for Roman Reigns.
A little over a year ago, it appeared that Dean Ambrose was the member being groomed for a breakout solo career. He was considered the de facto of the group and is the only member of the group to win a solo title while Rollins and Reigns shared the Tag Team Championships.
Something changed last fall, however, and it appeared that Reigns was the one gaining momentum in the Shield after Ambrose seemed enter a lull. Coincidentally enough, it was as soon as Rollins and Reigns lost their championships that his push began. The first hint that he was going to be a breakout star was at last year’s Survivor Series, where he was the sole survivor and dominated the competition, eliminating four opponents during the contest.
Reigns later eliminated the most competitors in Royal Rumble history during the 2014 contest and he has not looked back since. With the Shield now entering into a program with the newly reformed Evolution, there are reports that the ultimate goal of the feud is to set up a matchup between Triple H and Roman Reigns at this year’s SummerSlam. The reports make one wonder: is Roman Reigns ready for a massive solo push?
It was announced on Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW that Alexander Rusev will be facing R-Truth and Xavier Woods in a handicap match at the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday, May 4th.
With that now known, here’s a look at the latest lineup for the show.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
– Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kane
Faction vs. Faction
– Evolution vs. The Shield
WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Big E. (c) vs. Rob Van Dam or Bad News Barrett
WWE Divas Championship
– Paige (c) vs. Tamina Snuka
Steel Cage Match
– John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt
Handicap Match
– Alexander Rusev vs. R-Truth & Xavier Woods
– It was announced on Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW that on next week’s RAW, which takes place from St. Louis, Missouri, the finals of the WWE Intercontinental Championship contender tournament will take place. The final match in the tournament will feature Rob Van Dam vs. Bad News Barrett for the right to face Big E. for the title at WWE Extreme Rules.
– Also announced on RAW is Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
It was announced by Stephanie McMahon on Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW that Daniel Bryan would be defending his newly won WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Kane at the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
The match was announced by Stephanie as a “wedding gift” to Bryan, who just recently married his longtime girlfriend, Brie Bella.
After the announcement, Kane, who is once again wearing his mask, attacked Bryan, hitting him with three Tombstones. One of the Tombstone piledrivers was on the ringside steps, while the other was on top of the RAW announce table.
WWE Extreme Rules takes place live on May 4th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Batista is expected to take some time off following the WWE Extreme Rules event on May 4th. “The Animal” is not currently advertised for any of the WWE live events following that show, including WWE RAW the next night in Albany, New York. Additionally, he is not advertised for the big European tour that begins in May.
As we reported when Batista first re-signed with the company, he was expected to take time off to do some promotional work for Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” film that he is featured in. However, that movie doesn’t open until August 1st.
WWE RAW returns live tonight from the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The show is scheduled to feature the return of WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan, along with his new bride Brie Bella.
Bryan and the return of “masked Kane” are expected to begin their feud heading into the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view on May 4th.
Also on tonight’s show is the semifinals of the WWE Intercontinental Championship contender tournament. The second round matches on tonight’s show will feature Cesaro vs. Rob Van Dam and Sheamus vs. Bad News Barrett.
On their official website, WWE is focusing on the following five points for tonight’s show:
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com tonight for live WWE RAW results coverage.
As previously reported, AJ Lee asked WWE for time off. As a result, the plans for the WWE Divas Championship match at the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which originally featured Paige vs. AJ Lee, now appear to be Paige defending against Tamina Snuka.
Another match scheduled for the show is Big E. defending his WWE Intercontinental Championship against the winner of the ongoing contender tournament. The original plan was for Cesaro to win the tournament, and that may still be the case.
Other matches scheduled for the show include Evolution vs. The Shield, which was talked about as the official main event going into WrestleMania, Daniel Bryan vs. the masked Kane for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a steel cage match and Alexander Rusev in a squash match.
WWE Extreme Rules takes place on May 4th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The Big Red Monster is back, and it appears he is on a collision course with Daniel Bryan. After reclaiming his mask last week on Raw, Kane vowed to take care of the WWE Champion and send him to the depths of hell.
In true WWE storytelling fashion, they had a Kane video package queued up and ready to go about five minutes later, leading me to believe that he will be featured prominently in the storyline in the coming weeks.
With Evolution set to take on the Shield at Extreme Rules and seemingly no other contenders in line, it appears that Daniel Bryan’s first pay-per-view title defense will be against his former tag team partner.
Kane has temporarily retired his suit in favor of his signature mask in an attempt to exact revenge.
The thought of Kane headlining a pay-per-view in 2014 and competing for the WWE Championship could leave some fans scratching their heads, but I believe it could work well if planned appropriately. With other storylines, particularly the Shield/Evolution program, eating up a good portion of the main event roster, creative was left with few options for Bryan’s matchup at Extreme Rules.
Randy Orton still holds a rematch clause but is fighting with Evolution, not to mention that Orton/Bryan headlined three pay-per-views last year and most fans would like something fresh. I think Brock Lesnar is being built up to eventually challenge Bryan for the title, but it would be too soon and neither superstar could afford a loss immediately following WrestleMania. Lesnar needs to continue winning to validate his win against the Undertaker and Bryan cannot lose the title just one month after finally winning it. A no contest would also leave the crowd unsatisfied with the outcome.
Therefore, I think Bryan and Lesnar will both be built up over the coming months to set up a blockbuster showdown at SummerSlam. Bryan’s first victim will almost assuredly be Kane. It is no secret that Kane is past his prime, but he can still put on a decent match if paired with the right opponent.
At the very least, the two have been involved with one another in the storyline over the past several months and creative can rely on that to tell a decent story. It certainly works a little better than randomly choosing someone like Sheamus or Alberto Del Rio to challenge for the title.
The #WWE Divas Championship #1 Contender! #ExtremeRules http://t.co/QG6txyrCc7 pic.twitter.com/rs4cTKnuYV
— WWE (@WWE) April 16, 2014
On Tuesday’s episode of WWE Main Event on the WWE Network, Tamina won a Battle Royal to earn a title shot against Divas champion Paige at the upcoming Extreme Rules special event. With that match set, here’s the updated card for WWE Extreme Rules 2014:
Steel Cage Match:
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt
Divas Championship:
Paige (c) vs. Tamina
Intercontinental Championship:
Big E (c) vs. Tournament Winner
As previously reported, it was announced on WWE RAW this week that John Cena will be squaring off against Bray Wyatt in a steel cage match at the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
Also announced for the show, which takes place on May 4th from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is a WWE Intercontinental Championship match between current title-holder Big E., and the winner of the ongoing number one contender tournament. The semi-finals of the tournament takes place next Monday night and features Rob Van Dam vs. Cesaro, as well as Bad News Barrett vs. Sheamus. The Superstar who advances to the finals will challenge Big E. for the title on May 4th.
Additionally, rumored for Extreme Rules is a faction vs. faction match between The Shield and the reunited Evolution group. As previously reported, it is unclear yet as to whether or not Daniel Bryan and Kane will be added to the match.
The following news and notes were revealed during this week’s edition of WWE RAW, which took place on Monday night in Birmingham, Alabama.
– Next week on RAW, the rest of the WWE Intercontinental Championship number one contender tournament will take place. Advancing in first round matches on Monday night were Rob Van Dam, Cesaro, Sheamus and Bad News Barrett. Squaring off next week in the semi-finals will be RVD vs. Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Bad News Barrett.
– Taking place on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, which airs live on the WWE Network on Tuesday night, will be Big Show vs. Jack Swagger.
– Announced for the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which takes place on May 4th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a steel cage match.
– Confirmed as the main event of this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which will be taped on Tuesday night and airs Friday night on SyFy, is “The Animal” Batista vs. Sheamus.
– Finally, it was announced that on next week’s edition of WWE RAW, the returning Daniel Bryan will square off against Kane, who is returning as a masked Superstar.
The following is the official WWE “special event” (aka pay-per-view) schedule for the remainder of 2014.
WWE Extreme Rules on May 4th in East Rutherford, New Jersey
WWE Payback on June 1st in Chicago, Illinois
WWE Money In The Bank on June 29th in Boston, Massachusetts
WWE Battleground on July 20th in Tampa, Florida
WWE SummerSlam on August 17th in Los Angeles, California
WWE Night Of Champions on September 21st in Nashville, Tennessee
WWE Hell In A Cell on October 26th in Dallas, Texas
WWE Survivor Series on November 23rd in St. Louis, Missouri
WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 14th in Cleveland, Illinois
While nothing has been officially announced at this point, the plan for the main event angle heading into the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which takes place on May 4th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is The Shield vs. Evolution. The angle was shot for this rumored match during the post-WrestleMania edition of WWE RAW this past Monday night in New Orleans.
The actual match itself is unknown at this point, although it is expected that Ric Flair will not be involved in the Evolution side of things.
The only question coming out of the angle shot at RAW, is whether or not Kane or Triple H will be the third person on the Evolution side, or if both are part of the equation and Daniel Bryan will be added to The Shield team to make it an eight-man tag-team match. Based on the RAW angle, one would assume it is the latter.
Also rumored for Extreme Rules is a rematch between John Cena and Bray Wyatt.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan is front and center on the official pay-per-view poster for Extreme Rules 2014.
Extreme Rules takes place on Sunday, May 4, 2014 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
– ESPN cameras was at the WWE Performance Center over the past few days taping footage for an upcoming episode of E:60.
– Tickets for WWE’s upcoming Extreme Rules PPV at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey go on sale this Saturday. There will be an online pre-sale later this week and we’ll post the details when they are available.
– Next Thursday’s “NXT: Arrival” event on the WWE Network will feature a 30-minute pre-show. Renee Young will host a legends panel during the pre-show, which will likely feature Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, who are advertised to appear.
The 2014 WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view will take place from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, May 4th.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on February 22nd, with an online pre-sale taking place a days before that.
There had been reports that the event would be taking place from the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The official Facebook page of the Key Arena posted a message denying this, but deleted that message earlier this week.
– As reported yesterday, Seattle’s Key Arena posted a message on Facebook denying online reports that the venue is hosting WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view on May 4th. They have since deleted that message.
– The WWE Network Facebook page made a post yesterday detailing how the Network will be accessible on Apple TV. That post has also been deleted.
– WWE continues to scrub all traces of CM Punk from its product. As seen on last night’s RAW, CM Punk has been removed from the “Then. Now. Forever” montage that airs at the start of WWE shows. He has been replaced by Kane.
Footage of CM Punk talking about Paul Heyman was also removed from WWE’s video package hyping the “Countdown” series that will air on the WWE Network.
As noted earlier, Punk’s image has been removed from the WWE App home screen and he’s been pulled from his WrestleMania AXXESS VIP signing (replaced by Ric Flair).
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin taped an episode of his “Unleashed” podcast today where he took phone calls from fans on current WWE controversies, such as the CM Punk and Daniel Bryan situations. Austin was joined during the show by Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer. The episode is expected to air this Thursday.
– The Key Arena website has removed their Facebook post regarding WWE Extreme Rules not being booked for May. The post, which is no longer featured, originally read as follows:
“Unfortunately we do not have WWE on May 4th. We are aware of the rumors that have been circulating. We love having the WWE and WWE Fans in our building and can’t wait to have them back!”
– It’s been reported for a few weeks that the May 4th WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view will be taking place at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The official Facebook page of the Key Arena has posted a statement denying that they are hosting the show:
“Unfortunately we do not have WWE on May 4th. We are aware of the rumors that have been circulating. We love having the WWE and WWE Fans in our building and can’t wait to have them back!”
– After winning the Super Bowl on Sunday night, the Seattle Seahawks tweeted, “@wwedanielbryan In the words of one of @wwe’s finest…” and a photo that said, “YES! YES! YES!”
During the Seahawks’ locker room celebration after winning the Super Bowl, Seahawks General Manager John Schneider was photographed shirtless wearing a WWE Championship belt:
https://twitter.com/BrianMFloyd/statuses/430381464408965121