– Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle website has an exclusive gallery of 2014 World Cup models, including former WWE OVW Diva Bobbi Billard.
– After Monday’s WWE RAW from Montreal went off the air, the Wyatt Family entered the ring and attacked John Cena and Roman Reigns. Cena and Reigns quickly fought them off, cleared the ring and celebrated to end the show.
The advertised dark match main event (Cena/Reigns/Ambrose vs. Orton/Wyatt/Rollins) didn’t take place.
– John Cena tweeted the following on Tuesday morning:
Tonight’s episode of Raw took place in Montreal, Canada and featured a total of eleven matches, including a first ever one-on-one meeting between the WWE World Heavyweight champion John Cena and Money in the Bank briefcase holder Seth Rollins.
Canadian icon and WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart graced the WWE Universe with his presence and cut a promo. Of course, he brought up the Montreal Screw Job, but it was a nice moment. Also, WWE continued to promote current on-going storylines leading up to Battleground.
Last week’s episode of Raw was one of the best and most exciting in recent history. Did this edition live up to last week’s high standards? Without further ado, here are highlights, lowlights and my random thoughts on the 7/7/2014 edition of Monday Night Raw:
BEST MATCH: The opening bout between the Usos and the Wyatt Family was the best match of the night. There were two other matches that could have stolen the show, but they failed to do so for a couple of reasons. First, Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose gave it their best effort, but it was clear to see that the two didn’t have very much chemistry, at least when it comes to singles action. Also, the Dean Ambrose botch wasn’t a crowd-pleasing moment.
Chris Jericho vs. the Miz could have been special, but the match didn’t last as long as I hoped. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins had the most promise, but they weren’t given enough time to do anything memorable and the obvious interference by Kane and Randy Orton ruined the match for me.
What was your favorite match of the night?
WORST MATCH: AJ Lee/Paige vs. Naomi/Cameron was the worst match of the night. Aside from the main event and the tag team match between the Usos and the Wyatt Family, there weren’t any real standout matches. However, this bout stood out for all the wrong reasons and it was a poor showing amongst the four Divas involved. Bo Dallas vs. El Torito was a close second for the worst match of the night award because at least the crowd was somewhat into it.
The worst segment of the night was the Nikki Bella/Alicia Fox disaster, but I don’t think there was an opening bell and nobody was declared the winner. Therefore, Idon’t consider this to be a match; otherwise, it would have won the award.
UPSET OF THE NIGHT: Kofi Kingston defeating Cesaro was the upset of the night. I know that Kofi defeated Cesaro last week on Raw, but I didn’t expect him to do it again and I don’t think the fans/crowd did either. I see Cesaro winning the Intercontinental Title at Battleground and Kingston falling into obscurity once again, but at least Kofi is living in the moment now.
To quote the great Mike Adamle, Kofi be Jamaican me crazy.
MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: I expected Randy Orton to defeat Dean Ambrose in their match tonight, but I was anticipating Seth Rollins to screw Ambrose over, resulting in Ambrose losing cleanly. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Ambrose has been really hot as of late and Rollins costing him the match would have protected Ambrose a bit more. Also, it would have spiced things up and furthered the Ambrose/Rollins feud.
– It’s worth noting that as soon as WWE became aware that Daniel Bryan was going to have to be stripped of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship due to his neck issues, they immediately decided to put the belt on John Cena again. While Bray Wyatt may have been a popular candidate to win the Money In The Bank ladder match, he was never legitimately considered, as they already knew that they were going with Cena.
– Bully Ray noted during a recent Opie & Anthony radio appearance designed to promote TNA’s television tapings in New York City that he would jump-ship to WWE if given the opportunity. Bully mentioned that he would return to WWE in a “heartbeat” if Vince McMahon called him.
As noted previously, the top four matches planned for this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view include Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt vs. Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon vs. Brie Bella.
Another match that was originally under consideration for the show is a “Buried Alive” match between Daniel Bryan and Kane. That match is considered unlikely at this point, as it depends on Bryan’s condition, which doesn’t seem to be approving at a rate that would allow him to perform in time for SummerSlam.
It’s been noted in the past as well that WWE will be stacking the deck for Night Of Champions, the pay-per-view following SummerSlam, as that is when they will be needing something big to lure subscribers to the WWE Network, as their six-month subscriptions will be expiring at around that time.
Today is the all-important day where Americans celebrate their independence by consuming large amounts of alcohol and grilled fare. No WWE superstar claims to have America’s best interests in mind more than Jack Swagger.
The so-called Real American, accompanied by his founding father Zeb Colter, has advocated an isolationist domestic policy that is free of illegal immigrants. Along the way, Swagger has made national headlines by entering into a feud with conservative radio host Glenn Beck.
It appeared that Swagger was in the midst of a massive push while bickering with Beck, having just defeated accomplished stars such as Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Daniel Bryan to earn a chance to compete against Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29.
Swagger and Colter made national news in 2013 after attracting the attention of Glenn Beck.
Unfortunately for Swagger, he was arrested for DUI and possession of marijuana, ending what could have been a classic feud between a border-protecting nationalist and an immigrant Mexican. Del Rio defeated Swagger at WrestleMania and the Real American was quickly shifted out of the main event scene.
Since aligning himself with Zeb Colter, Swagger has always acted as a heel, often using cheap heat as a way to get his character over. However, it seems as if a face turn could be just around the corner.
In recent months, Rusev has been dominating the WWE roster, taking out superstars such as Big E, Kofi Kingston, and R-Truth. Much like Swagger, Rusev has also used cheap heat as a way to build his character, praising Vladimir Putin and Russia along the way.
Rusev was up to his usual antics this past week when the crowd actually started chanting for Jack Swagger. Colter and Swagger defended America by taking out Rusev and acting as faces for the first time since joining one another. Unsurprisingly, Colter cut an amazing promo on Rusev and Lana, perfectly setting up what could be an entertaining feud.
– Darren Young recently noted via social media that he is planning to return soon with a new look and longer hair.
– WWE has confirmed our earlier reports that John Cena would not be part of the upcoming tour of Australia, likely due to filming commitments. Roman Reigns will be replacing Cena on the tour.
There continues to be talk within WWE that Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns will headline WrestleMania 31 next year. The belief is that Lesnar will defeat John Cena to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at SummerSlam, building to the moment that he drops the belt to Reigns as Reigns’ crowning moment as the new top baby face in the company.
While there has been no confirmation that Lesnar is defeating Cena at SummerSlam, the word going around is that it is going to be a big show and that September’s Night Of Champions pay-per-view, which will also feature Lesnar, will be just as big to try and persuade people to renew their expiring six-month WWE Network subscriptions.
Chris Jericho will not be working WWE’s upcoming tour of Japan. Instead, he will be on the July 13th show in Wildwood, New Jersey and July 12th event in Madison Square Garden, where he is scheduled to do a Highlight Reel segment.
Speaking of the upcoming WWE MSG show, the main event will feature John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a Lumberjack Match, with Ric Flair and Triple H as the leader of the two teams of lumberjacks. Also on the show will be a triple-threat match for the WWE United States Championship, with Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio.
The following are highlights of a new Miami Herald interview with Kevin Nash:
Hulk Hogan’s nWo heel turn and heels today: “[Hulk] was watching the show, and he saw the momentum really shifting. He saw Scott and I as heel personas were perceived as being cool. He thought if there was a time to switch, it was now, because he could see the momentum going with Scott and I. So when he jumped, it was a shock, but it was a tsunami that pushed the thing for almost three years. It’s so hard. You look at John Cena. He plays the guy in the white cowboy hat. Our society has gone with the anti-heroes probably since Brandon Lee in ‘The Crow.’ Times have changed. It’s no longer waving the flag as much as it was. There’s a lot of disgruntled people in society. When you look at the demographic, you ask, ‘Where’s the money at?’ Well, the money’s in this kind of tweener guy — a bad guy with a cool persona. One thing about Hulk. If he smells dollar signs. it doesn’t take him long to make a decision. He saw the way it was going and made the decision.”
The nWo and DX in WCW and WWE: “They both had members of the Kliq. DX is what really made Triple H. He was playing the blue blood, and then Triple H went away from that persona and kind of took over DX, and that’s when Paul Levesque got to be himself. That’s when I think he really took off because he’s got an incredible sense of humor, a really fun loving guy. They kind of took our [nWo] formula. They [DX] were younger guys, and they made it a little hipper. Anytime WWE produces anything it’s going to be produced better.”
Advertising for next Monday’s WWE RAW at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada confirms the recent reports that claimed WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart will be at the show.
Also listed in the advertisement for the show are Chris Jericho, Kane and a six-man tag-team main event of John Cena, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins.
The following is the advertisement, sent out in French:
WWE – MONDAY NIGHT RAW
LUNDI 7 JUILLET À 19H30 / CENTRE BELL (Événement télévisé)
QUELQUES BILLETS ENCORE DISPONIBLES
Billets en vente aux guichets du Centre Bell
Commande téléphonique: 1 855 310-2525
Commandez en ligne: www.evenko.ca
Billet: 31,50$ / 46$ / 64,50$ / 87,50$/ 127,75$ (incluant taxes et frais de service)
WWE – MONDAY NIGHT RAW DÉBARQUE À MONTRÉAL !
JOHN CENA, CHAMPION DU MONDE POIDS LOURD DE LA WWE
ROMAN REIGNS et DEAN AMBROSE
VS
RANDY ORTON, BRAY WYATT et SETH ROLLINS
EN PLUS DE :
BRET HART, TRIPLE H, CHRIS JERICHO et DEMON KANE
John Cena will be working a reduced WWE schedule for the month of July due to some movie work he is slated to do.
Cena is currently filming “Trainwreck,” a Judd Apatow directed film that was written by, and stars Saturday Night Live alum Amy Poehler.
As a result of film scheduling, there will be some weekends in July that Cena will not be appearing at, or working on WWE live events. It’s believed that he will be working RAW each week and two of the live events this month, as well as the July dates in Japan.
The official Forbes website has a new article up today looking at whether or not John Cena as WWE World Heavyweight Champion is really what is “best for business.”
The article looks at some of WWE’s revenue figures drawn by WWE’s top three earners of the past five years — Cena, Randy Orton and CM Punk with various charts and graphs.
Below is an excerpt from the article:
“As shown in the graph, over the last five years Cena has only been champion during one period of rising revenue, in late 2009. Since then he’s held the belt at length four different times, and during all of them WWE’s quarterly revenue has been on the decline. What’s more, the company’s income tends to rebound shortly after those title runs come to an end.
And curiously enough, in-story COO Triple-H’s repetitive claims that Orton ought to be the face of the company appear to ring true. When Orton wears the championship belt, WWE’s revenues tend to climb. Then again, company performance was all over the place during CM Punk’s 434-day reign, and that may be the only proof we need that WWE’s in-ring champion doesn’t actually have much impact on the company’s revenue.
To reiterate, this is obviously far from a scientific study. WWE’s total revenues include segments like DVD sales and WWE Studios, which have little to do with the ongoing in-ring action. Plus this study only looks at the revenue side; perhaps a further analysis would show that WWE’s profits surge under Cena’s title reigns. But a brief look at the numbers suggests that, popular as he is, Cena being the WWE champion isn’t necessarily the best thing for business. And who knows, maybe that means Cena’s latest title run has more to do with in-ring story telling than cashing in on young fans, and maybe, just maybe, that means he’ll do something interesting for once.”
Deadline.com reports that WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena will co-star in the new Tina Fey-Amy Poehler comedy, “The Nest,” where he will be playing his first villain role in a movie. The article states the following:
“Wrestling superstar John Cena is dropkicking his way into The Nest, Universal’s Tina Fey-Amy Poehler comedy about two sisters who throw one last party in their parents’ soon-to-be-sold house. Character details are under wraps but I hear the Cenation Leader is playing what could mark his first villain role after spending over a dozen years as the WWE’s All-American hero.”
The Nest hits theaters on December 18, 2015.
Cena is currently filming another comedy, Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck starring Dolph Ziggler’s ex-girlfirend, comedian Amy Schumer .
It was revealed on Monday’s RAW that WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena is on the cover of the new WWE 2K15 video game, due out on October 28th on Playstation 4, Xbox One, Playstation 3 and XBox 360.
– The latest edition of Roddy Piper’s “Piper’s Pit” podcast, which features an interview with former NFL star Ross Tucker, is now available. The official description of the show reads as follows:
PP-Ep13 – Ex-NFL Ross Tucker
“Ross Tucker, Former NFL football lineman and host of “The Ross Tucker Football Podcast” steps into Piper’s Pit! Ross wanted to be a wrestler – babyface or heel? Plus, Hot Rod and Ross talk concussions, injuries, their favorite wrestlers & squared-circle stories, and Johnny Football himself, Johnny Manziel.”
The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:
On Money In The Bank 2014 and John Cena winning the title again: “If you read my Twitter time line @JRsBBQ you will see the verbal beating that I’m taking, don’t ask me why, because @JohnCena is once again the WWE World Champion. I actually find some of the tweets funny as hell and to think that a guy who doesn’t work for WWE has ANYTHING to do with what went down Sunday night in Boston is an eye roller.
Firstly….I have zero issues on the creative direction that WWE chose by putting Cena back in the key spot. They know, as does John, that Cena doesn’t need the title to sell tickets, PPV’s, or merch. However, they also know that Cena is the perfect talent to put the title on someone else, I’m still advocating Brock Lesnar at Summer Slam, which will then facilitate Lesnar passing the title to a younger upcoming star (Roman Reigns at WM31).
I can only hope that based on the Tweets that I’ve received in the past 24 hours or so that many of the fans in question take their every day lives, their families and their jobs as seriously as they do who won a show biz, pro wrestling title.
That’s akin to me still being pissed at poor, old Bruce Dern for killing John Wayne in ‘The Cowboys.’ Silly, right?
I would also speculate that many within WWE including Cena himself knows that John is over exposed but main event talent depth is not overly prevalent in today’s WWE and it’s a process that takes time. Establishing new stars of which we are seeing with talents like Ambrose, Rollins, Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Harper & Rowan, Big E, etc isn’t an exact science and generally takes multiple years to accomplish.
The key to developing new main eventers is making sure that everyone is evolving and not living in their own, personal comfort zone and that starts with every member of the roster with no exceptions.
Remember, when one stops growing professionally they simply start ‘dying.’
My favorite matches at MITB were the Usos vs. Harper/Rowan and the first MITB Ladder Match. The show was a solid watch on my iPad from the patio but it wasn’t a ‘great’ show. Few are these days. The two divas bouts and the Sandow/Rose business seemed to hamper the momentum that seemed to be building in the arena but that’s merely my observation as I was far from Boston on Sunday night.”
– The Usos successfully retained the WWE Tag Team championships against Luke Harper and Eric Rowan at last night’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. The feud is expected to continue, according to f4wonline.com, with a possible rematch taking place at Battleground on July 20th.
– WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan congratulated John Cena on his WWE World Heavyweight championship win at Money in the Bank. He tweeted:
Congratulations to my favorite wrestler John Cena "the champ is here" thank God,now he can keep things straight in the WWE,for a change. HH
– John Cena captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Sunday’s night’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. This is Cena’s 15th world title reign. He’s expected to defend the gold against Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam on Sunday, August 17th.
– Former Shield member Seth Rollins is the Money in the Bank briefcase holder after receiving help from Kane and The Authority to win the Money in the Bank ladder match.
– There were several celebrities in attendance at last night’s pay-per-view, including Jon Stewart (“The Daily Show”), former WWE Superstar Chris Nowinski, Mick Foley’s daughter Noelle, DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers, Josh Daniels of the New England Patriots and ESPN’s Robert Flores.
– We received reports from several people who experienced issues with the WWE Network feed of Money in the Bank. WWE’s technical support attributed the problem to “high demand.”
WWE Money In The Bank REACTION: Highlights, Lowlights & Random Thoughts
– For whatever this is worth, John Cena is currently the betting favorite on online gambling websites to win tonight’s Money In The Bank ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
– Pat Patterson “coming out” made the latest issue of Time Magazine under the “Milestones” section, where they list him as “Opening Up” for revealing all that he did during the season one finale of the WWE Network original reality series “Legends House.”
There is said to be a feeling within WWE right now that the company is no longer viewing Daniel Bryan as someone that should be used in the main event picture right away. When it was announced that he would be making his first appearance since getting stripped of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Money In The Bank Kickoff Show, many felt that if it were someone like John Cena, Batista or Triple H, it would never happen on a pre-show.
As unfortunate as it sounds, there is also said to be a feeling from the higher-ups in the company that Bryan got injured when they needed him, so they’re hesitant to rely on him to run with the ball in the future.
Many still point to the fact that prior to CM Punk walking out on WWE, as he was supposed to work with Triple H at WrestleMania XXX, that Bryan was only going to be working with Sheamus at the biggest show of the year, despite his growing connection to the WWE Universe with the “Yes! Movement.”
The following is the final card for tonight’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view:
Money In The Bank Ladder Match (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
– John Cena vs. Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton vs. Cesaro vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
Money In The Bank Ladder Match (Briefcase For Title Shot Up To One Year)
– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Bad News Barrett*
WWE Tag-Team Championship
– The Usos (c) vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
WWE Divas Championship
Paige (c) vs. Naomi
Divas Match (Special Guest Referee: Fandango)
– Summer Rae vs. Layla
Tag-Team Match
– Goldust & Stardust vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel
Singles Match
– Rusev vs. Big E.
* – Barrett suffered a separated shoulder during the SmackDown taping this past Tuesday, however WWE has yet to announce whether or not he has been pulled from his match.
Make sure to join us here later tonight for the absolute best live play-by-play results coverage of the fifth annual WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view!
The WWE’s brightest stars will attempt to cash in at this Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Two ladder matches will main event the program, with one being held to declare a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. In addition, former champion Daniel Bryan will address the WWE Universe during the pre-show.
Here are my predictions for this Sunday’s event.
Summer Rae vs. Layla (Fandango Guest Referee)
I was never the biggest Fandango supporter, but I definitely thought he would be doing something bigger than referring a divas match a year ago. He has regressed over the past year and lost a lot of momentum. This will likely be the bathroom break match of the night, and Fandango will play a major role in the outcome, of course. Summer Rae will win this one by either rejoining Fandango or using him to influence the outcome of the contest before abandoning him.
Winner: Summer Rae by pinfall
Rusev vs. Big E
These guys performed well together at last month’s Payback, even though they were given less than four minutes total. They will hopefully get a little more time during this one, allowing both superstars to showcase their strengths.
I think Rusev will ultimately win this one, but Big E will also look strong during the match. Big E cut a passionate promo on last week’s Raw, so it appears the WWE wants to showcase him a bit more. Both guys will look good, but Rusev will force Big E to tap out in the end.
Winner: Rusev by submission
Stardust and Goldust vs. Ryback and Curtis Axel
The Rhodes Brothers storyline has been moving slowly over the past few months. It first looked as if the two brothers were going to feud with one another, with Cody searching for an adequate replacement because he felt Goldust deserved better.
He eventually rebranded himself as Stardust and the two have been on a winning streak ever since. They will continue to look strong on Sunday, picking up the win after Cody hits his Diamond Dust finisher on Curtis Axel.
Early advertising for the WWE Battleground pay-per-view, which is the next show following Sunday’s Money In The Bank, has been released in the local Tampa market and may have already spoiled two of the matches planned for the show.
According to the ads in Tampa, Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton and Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose will be taking place at Battleground.
Also advertised to appear at Battleground are John Cena, Bray Wyatt, Kane, RVD, Sheamus, Cesaro, Big Show, Alberto Del Rio, Bad News Barrett and Kofi Kingston.
According to one source, up until the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view poster with John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar featured on it leaked out earlier this week, the plan was for Cena to win the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship at this Sunday’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view.
It’s being said now that with the poster leaking, and with WWE pushing Cena-Lesnar hard in a “news blast,” which we wrote about here on the website earlier today, that there’s a good chance that the originally intended finish for this Sunday’s main event will be changed.
It should be noted, however, that the talk going around is that regardless of what happens on Sunday night, WWE is likely still going to run with a Cena-Lesnar main event for this year’s SummerSlam.
– Roman Reigns new solo theme song is now available on iTunes. For those interested, the song is called “The Truth Reigns.”
– As noted earlier today, this day marks the 12-year anniversary of John Cena’s WWE television debut on SmackDown, where he accepted an open challenge from Kurt Angle. Cena tweeted the following earlier today about the big milestone:
