– 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.
– Camera crews from the E! reality show “Total Divas” were in attendance at the Sunscreen Film Festival on Thursday night. Many of the Divas from the show were at the festival to support The Bella Twins, who introduced “Confessions of a Womanizer,” a film they are featured in. John Cena was also in attendance. Footage of this is expected to air on a future edition of the show.
– The WWE Shop website has released new “Evolution of a Hall Of Famer” plaques for Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels today. They have also released “Evolution of a Superstar” plaques for Undertaker and John Cena. They are going for $89.99 a piece.
The official WWE website recently added a new featured article on ECW original Sabu called, “An extreme revolutionary: How Sabu changed wrestling and everyone forgot.” The article features comments from Paul Heyman, Rob Van Dam, John Cena, Seth Rollins and others.
Below is an excerpt from the article, which features Heyman talking about whether or not Sabu gets the credit he deserves.
“To this day, the innovator is still the master of his craft. When Sabu was at his best, no one could touch him.”
“Whether Sabu gets the credit in history he deserves, the answer is no. But who do you blame for that? Do you blame the curator of the industry, WWE, for not acknowledging the contributions that Sabu made? Do you blame Sabu for not staying healthy enough to force history to acknowledge his contributions? Do you blame the audience who only sings the praises of Sabu crashing through tables, and not all the many other ways Sabu was so unique at his height?”
“The reality of history is that others will take snippets of the style, incorporate it into another groundbreaking presentation and then get credit for implementing a new way to bring sports-entertainment to the masses.”
You can check out the complete article at WWE.com.
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.
This Sunday, the WWE will hold its annual Extreme Rules pay-per-view. However, upon glancing at the card, something immediately stands out: a noticeable lack of extreme.
With the card seemingly set (assuming a Tag Team Championship match between the Usos and Rybaxel isn’t added last minute), only two matches on the entire seven-match card feature stipulations that are even slightly extreme (not counting the inevitable dud between El Torito and Hornswoggle on the pre-show).
Sunday’s contest between Daniel Bryan and Kane is one of only two matches on the card featuring extreme rules.
Those matches are of course the WWE Championship match between Daniel Bryan and Kane, which will be fought under no-holds barred rules, and the cage match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt. Even the six-man tag between Evolution and the Shield has not been announced as an extreme rules match, although that could change between now and Sunday.
This Sunday’s card highlights the problem with holding themed pay-per-views. How can the company possibly market an event under the name Extreme Rules and then hold one match that is actually extreme (the WWE Title contest) and one (the cage match) that is billed as extreme, but is in fact usually tamer than the pit at a Justin Bieber concert.
It is especially difficult during the PG Era to hold an event such as this one, as most of the matches that could have been utilized (first blood match, inferno match, casket match, etc.) are now essentially banned, leaving creative with few options other than a typical no-holds barred match and TLC type matches that are already featured on other pay-per-views throughout the year. In short, the event does not offer anything unique.
The following are highlights from the latest blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On the opening segment of last night’s RAW: “The opening segment with the children’s choir eventually wearing sheep masks was provocative but at the end of the well produced segment I am not sure what was accomplished. Not sure why I did not ‘get it’ and you’re welcome to insert your own joke here as I am sure many will.”
“Bray Wyatt should win the cage match this Sunday at Extreme Rules in Jersey but who knows? Cena is still the face of the company and Wyatt escaping the cage, I am not an escape the cage aficionado BTW, helps the newcomer and doesn’t do any irreparable harm to Cena. Plus, it extends the story line one would assume.”
On Daniel Bryan: “The WWE World Champion Daniel Bryan is ‘injured’ and his title is in serious jeopardy via the story line but was that message made abundantly clear Monday night? The hero at risk is a good philosophical, pro wrestling trait. I still think that Kane and Bryan will have an overachieving match on Sunday.”
On Evolution vs. The Shield: “Older lions vs the new lions, IE Evolution vs. The Shield, have a clearly defined issue and should have a good one on Sunday. I’d expect the younger guys to get a signature win this Sunday. Not sure what the Ric Flair element did for the late show segment.”
On WWE’s 50 greatest talkers list: “Love the debate regarding WWE.com’s list of the top 50 greatest talkers in the history of the biz list that has created a fair amount of controversy which is exactly why ‘lists’ of any kind are comprised to start with. ‘Lists’ are subjective and can any list really be totally right or totally wrong? Not in my opinion.”
On Tyson Kidd: “See where Tyson Kidd is coming back on the road and is booked for WWE which I perceive is a good thing. Kidd is highly under utilized and a very talented professional. Hope he gets a break while he’s still young and can carry more of a load.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
The following is a new blog from the official Facebook page of WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley.
“JOHN CENA: LET THERE BE CHANGE
How good was that ?#?BrayWyatt?/children’s choir creepy sing-along last night on ?#?RAW?? So good that I wish I’d thought of it back during my original ?#?WWE? feud with The Undertaker. I have become a HUGE Bray Wyatt fan, and consider any comparison between Bray and anything I did in my career as a big compliment.
As many of you know, I have also been a vocal supporter of John Cena. I genuinely like John as a person, and have defended him many times as a wrestler. It’s easy to defend Cena against the looping haymakers thrown by most detractors: he can’t wrestle, he has only three moves, he’s been carried by great opponents. But there’s this one knock on Cena for which I have no defense. It’s not a looping haymaker, that can be seen, countered and sent right back at the claimant. No, it’s more like a stiff jab that sneaks through even the best pro-Cena defense. A stiff jab of honesty from which there is no countering, avoiding or evading. A stiff jab that continually states that the Cena character is stale. I agree, It’s time for a change.
Bray Wyatt has a chance to be the initiator of that change. A chance to show the world a different Cena; a desperate, dangerous, angry Cena. He’s half-way there. Cena’s blaming of the WWE Universe for putting him in an impossible situation was a good start. His look of disbelief and defeat as Bray Wyatt gently rocked that mask-wearing child was powerful in its believability and subtlety. But, as good as it was, I could not fully enjoy the brilliant, chilling segment – one of the most memorable things I’ve seen on Raw in tears, because of …because of…because of those WRISTBANDS! Because of those wristbands…and the HAT! Because of those wristbands, and the hat…and the bright green FLOURESCENT SHIRT!
I LIKE John Cena – but everytime he raised his hand and put it to his head last night, I couldn’t help but feel “he’s trying to sell me something”. Every time he waved his cap, I thought, “he’s trying to sell me a hat.” Every time he walks through that curtain, I get the feeling he’s trying to sell me something. I could not, and can not completely enjoy this amazing groundwork that Bray Wyatt is in the process of laying down, unless I’m convinced that it is bringing out a different side…a change.. in John Cena. In order for John Cena to start completely SELLING ME on a change in his character, he’s got to be willing to stop SELLING ME his merchandise every time he raises his hand.
In the short run, it will cost both John Cena and the WWE some money in merchandise. In the long run, its going to give Cena a much needed twist to his character, and more importantly, allow Bray Wyatt to make WWE some serious money by putting butts in seats, and eyeballs in fron of the WWE Network for a long time to come.
– WWE NXT referee Shawn Bennett made his RAW debut last night.
– Like the last time he appeared on RAW, Hollywood star Hugh Jackman was said to be very friendly backstage at the show, talking to everybody and having a great time.
– WWE Diva JoJo remains under contract and is still training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
– John Cena tweeted the following on Tuesday morning:
I have been hated. I have been loved. I will always be, me.
– According to several live reports from fans who were at RAW, Ric Flair got the biggest pop of the night.
– After Monday’s episode of RAW went off the air, John Cena and The Wyatt Family came out for the dark match main event of the evening. John Cena defeated Bray Wyatt via DQ after the Rowan and Harper interfered. Cena had hit Wyatt with the AA and was on the verge of winning before being attacked by the Wyatt Family. There was a brief three-on-one attack, Cena gained the upper hand and gave Harper an AA to send the crowd home happy.
– Here are the RAW Fallout videos from Monday night:
Jimmy & Jey Uso discuss their successful championship defense on Raw.
Hugh Jackman & Dolph Ziggler stop the evil forces of “Magneto.”
Nikki Bella, Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder and Titus O’Neil speak about Kane’s actions.
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.
– John Cena and Nikki Bella will be attending the ninth annual Sunscreen Film Festival on May 1st at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida. The film, “Confessions of a Womanizer,” which features The Bella Twins, will be screened. Total Divas cameras are also expected at the event to film possible footage for a future episode.
– The official WWE website recently added a feature looking at the top 50 talkers in pro wrestling history. The top ten looks like this:
10. Chris Jericho
9. Hulk Hogan
8. Bobby Heenan
7. Mick Foley
6. Paul Heyman
5. Dusty Rhodes
4. Steve Austin
3. Roddy Piper
2. The Rock
1. Ric Flair
– Luis Urive, who is better known to Mexican wrestling fans as Mistico, and to WWE fans as the original Sin Cara, is reportedly close to signing a deal with AAA in Mexico. There’s currently no word on what name he will use since CMLL owns the Mistico name, and WWE presumably owns the Sin Cara name.
– The advertised dark match main event for this coming Monday’s WWE RAW, which takes place in St. Louis, Missouri, is Daniel Bryan, John Cena and The Shield vs. Randy Orton, Batista and The Wyatt Family in a ten-man tag-team match.
– As previously reported, WWE is working on a new Sting compilation DVD that will be released in September. It has recently been confirmed that the project will also be available on Blu-ray.
– 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.
– John Cena is celebrating his 37th birthday today. He was born on April 23, 1977.
– According to video game site Abandonia.com, the classic 1995 ‘WWF WrestleMania – The Arcade Game’ has been classified as ‘abandonware’ and is now fair use to download for free.
– The latest “Where Are They Now?” feature at WWE.com looks at former WWE tag team champion Trevor Murdoch.
– WWE Hall of Famer appears to be joining the cast of the upcoming action movie “The Expendables 4,” according to ExpendablesPremiere.com. This would mark Hogan’s onscreen reunion with Sylvester Stallone for the first time since Rocky III back in 1982. Most of the shooting will take place in Bulgaria.
Back in October, a fan asked Hogan why he wasn’t a part of Expendables 3. He responded:
@CarlGartley expendables 4 , they have already cast 3 brother. HH
– Santino Marella’s BattleArts Academy outside of Toronto recently won an award for Best Fitness Club in the city of Mississauga.
– The pro wrestling segment scheduled Nancy Grace’s CNN HLN show on Thursday night featuring wrestler RJ Brewer has been cancelled. No word on whether or not the segment will be rescheduled.
– John Cena granted another wish through the Magic Moments organization at the recent RAW taping in Birmingham, Alabama. The WWE Communitywebsite has photos of Cena meeting 15 year old Dalton at the show.
– After Monday’s WWE RAW went off the air, the Wyatt Family about to continue their attack on John Cena when The Shield came out and made the save. They chased off the Wyatts and tended to Cena in the ring. The footage aired on the WWE Network.
– The following are this week’s RAW Fallout videos:
Are there problems between Cody Rhodes & Goldust?
Lana gives the future of R-Truth & Xavier Woods.
Hornswoggle & 3MB react to their loss at the hands of Los Matadores & El Torito.
The official WWE website has published a new editorial piece featuring 8 bold predictions for the WWE Universe leading up to next year’s WrestleMania 31 event:
– Roman Reigns will win the 2015 Royal Rumble Match
– John Cena will join The Wyatt Family
– The Undertaker will retire
– The WWE World Heavyweight Championship will once again split into two titles
– Stephanie McMahon will target the Divas Championship
– Zeb Colter will form a stable of Real Americans
– Cody Rhodes will win (and cash in) Money in the Bank
– Cesaro will break away from Paul Heyman and challenge Brock Lesnar
Hit up the comments below and tell us if you agree with any of these picks.
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:
What havoc will Kane unleash on the returning Daniel Bryan?
Will The Shield confront the reunited Evolution group?
Who will advance in the WWE Intercontinental Championship contender tournament?
Will Tamina Snuka continue to dominate and what challenges face WWE Divas Champion Paige?
Will Bray Wyatt be able to gain a psychological advantage over John Cena?
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.
As previously reported, Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella were officially married on April 11th in Sedona, Arizona. The wedding ceremony was filmed for what is believed to be the final episode of the season of Total Divas that will be airing in the late spring.
Nikki Bella was the maid of honor at the wedding. Other WWE personalities that attended included Cesaro, as well as the regular cast of Total Divas, which includes John Cena, Tyson Kidd, Jimmy Uso, Naomi, Cameron, Natalya and Eva Marie.
Bryan and Bella were given the week off by WWE for their honeymoon, but are both scheduled to return on April 21st at the WWE RAW show in Baltimore.
– After Monday’s RAW went off the air, Bray Wyatt faced John Cena defeated Bray Wyatt in the dark match main event by DQ. The finish came when Cena had Wyatt in the STFU, but Harper and Rowan interfered and attacked Cena.
Wyatt attempted to hit Cena with a steel chair, but moved Wyatt hit Rowan instead. Cena then knocked Wyatt and Harper out of the ring and celebrated to end the show.
– The following are this week’s RAW Fallout videos from after Monday’s RAW:
Sheamus and Bad News Barrett Advance: Bad News Barrett and Sheamus discuss advancing in the No. 1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship Tournament.
Rob Van Dam and Cesaro Advance: Rob Van Dam and Cesaro speak on advancing in the No. 1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship Tournament.
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.
– It was reported over the weekend that Darren Young suffered an ankle injury at Saturday night’s WWE live vent from Hidalgo, Texas. Young tweeted on Sunday that he was doing just fine, however, he did not wrestle at Sunday night’s live event from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Goldust replaced young on the card, wrestling against Fandango.
Speaking of Darren Young, the episode of “The Ellen Degeneres Show” where she interviewed him about ‘coming out’ has been nominated for a GLAAD Media Award (Outstanding Talk Show episode).
The awards ceremony takes place on May 3rd in New York City.
– John Cena tweeted the following about Sunday night’s episode of Total Divas: