The following are results of the matches taped for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars. The matches took place prior to Monday’s WWE RAW show, which was taped in the afternoon at the O2 Arena in London, England.
– Big Show def. Titus O’Neil in the opening match of the evening. Show ended up picking up the win via pin fall after hitting O’Neil with a chokeslam.
– Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter) def. Cody Rhodes (with Goldust) via submission in the main event of the show. The finish saw Swagger lock Rhodes up in his Patriot Lock submission hold, forcing him to tap out.
It seemed as if the tag team division had been revitalized last year. However, almost as soon as fans started to become excited about the division again, half of the teams were broken up and it has been largely ignored.
The Usos are the current champions, and I think their pay-per-view exposure shows how confident the WWE is that the Uso brothers will draw. After all, they defended their tag titles on the pre-show at WrestleMania and did not appear in any capacity at Extreme Rules.
With that said, it would not take much effort to get the division back to where it was at the end of last year. Here are five current or potential tag teams that could help make the division relevant again (or at the very least, get it onto the pay-per-view card).
5. Rybaxel – At first, this team seemed like it would go nowhere. They had both just basically flopped while under the tutelage of Paul Heyman, so why would anyone believe that they would fare well without him? Surprisingly, both have improved since leaving Heyman, especially Ryback. He is hilarious on the microphone and can actually be pretty entertaining when he’s allowed to speak. I think the WWE still has plans to push both guys in the future, and a run with the Tag Team Championships could help elevate both superstars.
4. Damien Sandow and Dolph Ziggler – These guys have adopted similar personality traits in recent weeks, most notably because both guys seem disgruntled, annoyed, and displeased that their talents are not being properly utilized. Sandow and Ziggler would make a great team if paired together, as both are impressive in the ring and on the mic. There were rumors a while back of a possible stable of disgruntled superstars being formed, including Ziggler and the Miz, but a team of Sandow and Ziggler would work even better and could make the tag title picture exciting again.
3. Jack Swagger and Cody Rhodes – It is no secret that Zeb Colter has been trying to recruit a new member to the Real Americans since Cesaro betrayed him a few weeks back. With Cody being the son of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, it would make sense for him to become a Real American. Cody and Goldust are definitely going to part ways soon, with Cody likely being the one to turn heel, so it would provide the perfect opportunity for Cody to align with Swagger and Colter afterward.
The following are highlights of a Huffington Post interview with Jack Swagger:
We have home-grown Divas, US and Intercontinental Champions but we’ve never had a British WWE champion nor a PPV in some time – aren’t they overdue? “Absolutely. Being a Real American I can admit that the British talent roster is amazing. It keeps getting deeper and deeper every year and I think we have more UK superstars on our roster than ever before. I think it’s only a matter of time before there’s a British WWE champion.”
Hulk Hogan is in the UK for your Smackdown television taping at the London O2 arena, which WWE Hall of Famer or legend would you like to face and why? “That’s a good question. I have always been a fan of Scott Hall (Razor Ramon). He’s always been one of my favourites and he has one thing that you just don’t get on TV anymore… and that’s chest hair! I think we need tons and tons more chest hair. I can’t grow any so don’t expect it from me. But seriously, I think a Scott Hall/Razor Ramon and Jack Swagger would have an unbelievable match.”
Adam Rose from NXT is new to the main roster and has been causing you trouble in recent weeks. Are you worried that he might make his name at your expense – like divas champion Paige did with AJ Lee – or do you see this as a tribute to you as a ‘guy to beat’? “I don’t really see this as him making his name at my expense, rather I see this as about the future. WWE is going to continue to develop young talent from NXT and that will be driving the competition up on the main roster. I’m always a firm believer that competition makes everyone better, makes our product better, makes our roster better and it’s going to make the matches and what we deliver even better – so only good things can come from such competition.”
Who should we look out for at NXT as a future WWE star? “They’ve got so much amazing talent down at NXT. The one I’m most familiar with is Sami Zayn. I’ve been in the ring with him personally and was very impressed by his talent, athleticism and charisma- so he’s going to be one to look out for.”
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.
– According to one source, Adam Rose likely won’t be making his official main roster in-ring debut for WWE until the upcoming Payback pay-per-view on June 1st. It’s being rumored that Rose’s first opponent will be Jack Swagger.
– The new WWE United States Champion Sheamus is featured on the latest edition of “SmackDown Slam of the Week.” which you can check out below.
– According to one source, Adam Rose’s in-ring debut on the main WWE roster is expected to take place at the WWE Payback pay-per-view on June 1st, where Rose will compete against Jack Swagger.
– The WWE SummerSlam themed edition of “Chasing Maria Menounos” debuts tonight on the Oxygem channel. You can check out a video promoting the show below:
– The WWE Network’s next ‘Beyond The Ring’ special will premiere this Saturday night at 8pm EST and features the Big Show.
– Former NXT star Adam Rose made his WWE television debut on Monday’s RAW in a brief segment with Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger. Rose did not wrestle and his physicality was limited to clearing Jack Swagger from the ring. According to PWInsider.com, the decision for Rose to not wrestle in his first appearance was made so his character can be slowly introduced to the audience. While the debut came off as somewhat flat on television, fan reports have stated that he was very over.
– WWE Intercontinental champion Bad News Barrett tweeted some ‘good news’ on Tuesday:
After intense negotiations (and much groveling from the @WWEShop staff) the first #BNB T-Shirt will be unveiled next week.
– It was announced during Monday’s post-Extreme Rules edition of WWE RAW that the new WWE United States Champion Sheamus, who won the title by winning a 20-man battle royal to open RAW, will have his first title defense this Friday night on WWE SmackDown.
– Adam Rose made his WWE debut on Monday’s RAW. He appeared in the third hour in a segment with Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter. While Colter was reading his “deportation list,” Rose’s music interupted him. He came out partying with his friends. He told Colter not to be a lemon, but instead be a Rose-bud. Colter ordered Swagger to attack him, but Rose caught him with a big boot and threw him out of the ring. Rose and his friends partied in the ring to end the segment.
It has been announced that the triple-threat match between Rob Van Dam, Jack Swagger and Cesaro, which is scheduled for this Sunday’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, has received an added stipulation.
Instead of being a straight triple-threat match, the bout between Van Dam, Swagger and Cesaro will be a two-fall elimination match. This means that all three competitors will start off in the match and when the first pin fall takes place, that person will be eliminated, leaving the other two to battle it out in a regular one fall contest.
WWE Extreme Rules takes place on Sunday night, May 4th, from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Make sure to join us here at the website for live play-by-play results coverage of the pay-per-view event.
– John Cena is advertised to appear on Tuesday’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which emanates from Buffalo, New York. Daniel Bryan, however, is not scheduled to appear on the post-Extreme Rules edition of SmackDown.
– The following are the updated online betting odds for this Sunday’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Odds are courtesy of BetFair.com. The favorites are listed in bold.
The following are the betting odds for Sunday’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view according to PaddyPower.com.
Alexander Rusev is the biggest favorite on the entire card as of right now, as he comes in at -1800 for his handicap match against R-Truth and Xavier Woods. In this case, you would have to bet $1,800 on Rusev to earn $100 profit on the bet. On the flip-side of the coin, Truth and Woods, who come in at +650, would earn you $650 profit if you placed a $100 bet.
It should also be noted that these odds are indicative of much until the actual “smart money” comes in on the show, which is generally hours before the event starts on the day of the show.
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 …
– As we reported last week and reiterated earlier tonight, it’s very likely that Rob Van Dam vs. Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger will be taking place as a triple-threat match at this Sunday’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which takes place from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Apparently this match was confirmed during the RAW post-show on Monday night, which airs live on the WWE Network after RAW every week.
– Following Monday’s Extreme Rules “go-home” edition of WWE RAW, which took place in St. Louis, Missouri, it was announced to the live crowd in attendance that this year’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view, which takes place on November 23rd, will take place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Following Monday’s Extreme Rules “go-home” edition of WWE RAW, here is your latest official WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view lineup for this Sunday night.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
– Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kane
Faction vs. Faction
– Evolution vs. The Shield
WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Big E. (c) vs. 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
Pre-Show “WeeLC Match”
– Hornswoggle vs. El Torito
Rumored
– Rob Van Dam vs. Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger
Make sure to join us here this Sunday night for the absolute best live WWE Extreme Rules results coverage.
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.
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 …
– 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.
The following are highlights of a new interview with Jack Swagger:
On how he signed with WWE: “I got very lucky with how I got signed by the WWE. I had met Jim Ross and Jerry Brisco before I was even in college and they always told me to get your degree first and then we’ll give you a shot if you want to come try your hand with the WWE. I graduated in May 2006, flew out to Atlanta for a week to tryout, and by July 2006 I was signed and training in Atlanta. I took a little bit different path than most WWE superstars have taken. I’m one of the few superstars who have gone through all three of the developmental camps.”
On enjoying wrestling as a kid: “I loved all forms of wrestling growing up. Any type of wrestling I could get my hands on I loved, so professional wrestling went well with me. Jim Ross has a great eye for talent and Jerry Brisco as well. It’s pretty impressive the group of talented guys they’ve brought into this over the years from amateur wrestling. Hopefully when I’m done my name is considered up there with the greats they’ve brought into the WWE.”
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.
– Jack Swagger briefly won the WWE Intercontinental Championship during his match with Big E. at the WWE live event in Hidalgo, Texas this weekend. The decision ended up being overturned, meaning Big E. is still officially the WWE Intercontinental Champion. Swagger posted the following photo of his brief celebration on his official Twitter account.
The following news was revealed during tonight’s post-WrestleMania XXX edition of WWE RAW:
Big Show vs. Cesaro will take place on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
The Wyatt Family will take on The Shield in a six-man tag-team match on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event.
NXT stars Alexander Rusev and Paige debuted. Rusev defeated Zack Ryder with his “Accolade” submission finisher, while Paige defeated AJ Lee to become the new WWE Divas Champion.
Vignettes aired hyping the pending WWE main roster debuts of NXT stars Bo Dallas and Adam Rose. The Rose vignette featured the NXT star on an “Erotic Express” bus.
Rob Van Dam made his return to WWE. He returned in a match against Damien Sandow, which he ended up winning.
Cesaro was revealed as the newest “Paul Heyman guy.” Cesaro turned on Zeb Colter, aligning himself with Heyman and defeating his former “Real American” tag-team partner via count out.
As many expected, WrestleMania XXX turned out to be a memorable and newsworthy event on Sunday night. A number of legendary moments took place, titles changed hands and surprises unfolded throughout the evening. Below is a quick rundown of some of the notable moments from the show.
The show opened up with a “WrestleMania Moment” type segment, as Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock shared the ring for a promo segment.
The Undertaker’s legendary undefeated streak was broken. Undertaker lost via F-5 to Brock Lesnar, making his new WrestleMania record 21-1.
Daniel Bryan finally had his “big moment,” as he defeated Triple H in the opening match on the pay-per-view and would go on to defeat Randy Orton and Batista in the main event to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
The Real Americans broke up during the WWE Tag-Team Championship match on the WrestleMania XXX pre-show. After The Usos retained their titles, last eliminating The Real Americans, Cesaro ignored the orders of his manager Zeb Colter and attacked Jack Swagger.
Additionally, Cesaro pulled off an upset by winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He last eliminated The Big Show in what will go down as his first true “WrestleMania Moment” when he body slammed the giant — with ease — over the top rope.
– According to one report, there’s a decent chance that the split between The Real Americans (Cesaro and Jack Swagger) will either take place at WrestleMania XXX on Sunday night, or on the post-WrestleMania edition of WWE RAW on Monday night.
– The following are photos of Undertaker out-of-character at WrestleMania Axxess in New Orleans on Saturday:
