It was reported a while back that WWE officials were contemplating doing a John Cena vs. Rusev feud for WrestleMania 31. The idea at that time was to have Rusev cost Cena his chance at recapturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
As of right now, WWE is advertising a tag-team main event of John Cena and Randy Orton vs. Rusev and Seth Rollins for the live event in Madison Square Garden on February 27th. Some view this as a possible sign that WWE is going forward with their original plans for Cena vs. Rusev at WrestleMania.
Thus far, there has been no interaction between Cena and Rusev that would indicate that match being booked. Some are of the opinion that Cena and Rusev is simply a live event program for WrestleMania season, possibly because Brock Lesnar doesn’t work non-televised events.
In related news, other matches advertised for the aforementioned 2/27 live event at MSG include Daniel Bryan vs. Kane, Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro and an appearance by Chris Jericho.
– Daniel Bryan will face Kane on Monday’s “RAW Reunion” show from Dallas, Texas. If Bryan loses, he will lose his spot in the Royal Rumble. The match was announced at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings.
– Kevin Nash tweeted the following on Tuesday night about his future with the company:
I don't see after my suspension, Kevin Nash returning to WWE programming .
Nash was originally scheduled for Monday’s “RAW Reunion” show, where he would have reunited with his nWo co-founders Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan. He was pulled from the show after he and his son were both arrested last month following a domestic incident.
As noted, Daniel Bryan’s first match back since making his WWE return will take place on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, the first episode of the show to air in its’ new Thursday time slot.
The match was made official on Monday’s RAW, where during an in-ring segment, Stephanie McMahon revealed that Bryan’s opponent on this Thursday’s SmackDown will be the man who “put Bryan on the shelf,” Kane.
WWE SmackDown will be taped on Tuesday night, January 13th in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and will air this Thursday night on the SyFy Network. Make sure to visit us here on the website on Tuesday night for live spoiler results coverage of the WWE SmackDown television taping.
– Kane recently spoke to the folks at Caller.com to promote tonight’s WWE RAW show. He also spoke about the 2015 Royal Rumble during the interview and noted that Roman Reigns is poised for “big things” in the 30-man over-the-top battle royal match. You can check out the interview at Caller.com.
– Sitcom star Ed O’Neill, best known for his role as “Al Bundy” on the series “Married with Children,” continues to playfully “challenge” CM Punk to be his first opponent in the UFC. O’Neill, who is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, recently tweeted the following to Punk.
The reason why Randy Orton only worked short matches on the non-televised live events he did work this past weekend, and the reason why he didn’t wrestle on the Long Island card was because he has a deviated septum.
Orton is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair the issues, however the recovery time after such an operation is only a few weeks. It’s expected that Orton will miss some live events as a result.
When Orton does fully return, he is expected to initially work with Seth Rollins, even though he’s advertised to work with Kane on live events.
– Randy Orton made his in-ring return at the WWE live event in Madison Square Garden this past Friday night. Orton, who has been away shooting the WWE Studios film “The Condemned 2,” defeated Kane in singles action.
– Also back in action on Friday night was Bad News Barrett, who appeared at the live event in Chicago, Illinois. Barrett cut a promo and said he wouldn’t be wrestling on the show because Chicago is a “second-class city.” Barrett has been on the sidelines since June with a shoulder injury.
As promised, here are the top pay-per-view events from 2014.
8. NXT Takeover
This event started off sluggish but certainly ended with a string of entertaining matches. In particular, the match between Tyler Breeze and Sami Zayn featured solid in-ring work and highlighted why both of these guys could succeed if given the opportunity.
The real treat during this pay-per-view, however, was the final two matches of the evening. The match between Charlotte and Natalya for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship was probably the most technically sound women’s match I’ve ever seen, and the main event between Neville and Tyson Kidd was the perfect way to end the show. In my opinion, this was the event that made fans realize NXT is more than simply a developmental league for the main roster.
Worst Match: Adam Rose vs. Camacho
Best Match: Charlotte vs. Natalya
7. Payback
There was some worry heading into this one, largely due to the absence of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The event would carry on just fine without the title, however. It started off strong with a bruising contest between Sheamus and Cesaro.
From there, the Last Man Standing match was entertaining, even if it would have been nice to see Wyatt pick up the victory. With that said, this pay-per-view is all about the main event. It was an awesome 30-minute affair that featured memorable spots, brutal action, and a decisive Shield victory. This was also important because it would set up Seth Rollins’ heel turn the next night on Raw.
– Vince McMahon, Big Show, R-Truth, Summer Rae and Alicia Fox went overseas to visit the U.S. troops this weekend. You can check out an assortment of photos from the trip at WWE.com.
– WWE will be taping next Friday’s edition of SmackDown tonight in Sioux City, Iowa. Hulk Hogan is advertised to make a special appearance. Other talent advertised for the show includes Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Kane, Bray Wyatt, and Big Show. The dark match main event for the show will be Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt.
Sometimes things work out. Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins.
Other times, things don’t. Adam Rose, Bo Dallas, Fandango.
After last week’s NXT Takeover: R Evolution special, which fans are still raving about a week later, it became crystal clear to me that WWE is developing a number of future Superstars that have the potential to lead the company into the next generation.
Today, we are going to look at ten current performers/acts in the NXT system that I feel have the best shot at achieving success on the main WWE roster. With that being said, lets jump right into the list at number ten….
#10. The Lucha Dragons
The Lucha Dragons — Kalisto and Sin Cara, two talents that as individuals could flourish, but as a unit, make up one of the best tag-teams in WWE’s developmental system. Their ring work is solid and entertaining. Crowd pleasing. The gimmick is another story, but unfortunately, with WWE being in the middle of their PG-era, gimmicks and characters such as these two are unavoidable.
With that being said, they are what they are, and that’s a great tag-team combination. They’re the Los Matadores, only better. That’s not a knock against them, despite the fact it could be seen as one. If they remain under their current gimmick, it’s pretty much a given that they’ll never reach past mid-card, comedy-team status, but like I said, we’re going to have that one way or the other. Since that’s the case, it might as well be two guys who are as talented as these two.
I think it’s a given that these two guys will eventually make it to the main roster, and equally as predictable is the way in which they’ll be used. They’ll be two guys in a tag-team division on the main WWE roster that isn’t worth much, but for whatever it is worth, these two guys have the potential to be among the top teams in the company. While that’s not saying much, it’s saying something, and in this day and age, you pretty much have to take what you can get if you’re an aspiring wrestler.
#9. Tyler Breeze
Much like The Lucha Dragons, I feel that Tyler Breeze is an extremely talented worker, but is unfortunately stuck in a lame-duck gimmick. On social media, I’ve read a lot of comments that makes it seem like fans are actually believers of the Tyler Breeze gimmick in the sense that it could actually go somewhere on the main roster.
I am not one of those believers.
I’m of the opinion that if Breeze jumps to the main roster and is used with the same exact character that he has now, it’s one that has a ceiling that comes with it. This type of character can only go so far. Think of talents like Fandango and Adam Rose and how they are positioned on the main roster, and you’ve got my opinion of how Breeze would be used in this type of role.
If they were to change his gimmick, he certainly has the potential to go further than this type of character would allow. He’s got the talent in the ring, he has a unique charisma about him and he’s got a great look. His promo work is decent, nothing to ride home about in my opinion, but he’s got enough tools to work with that if he was given a different type of character, it would be interesting to see how far he could take it. Maybe if they started a character-change in NXT and let it grow a bit, that would be the route to take in terms of preparing him for a call up to the big leagues.
Whether or not that ever happens is another subject entirely.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, along with his “advocate” Paul Heyman appeared on this week’s RAW Fallout video, which you can check out below.
Also on RAW Fallout this week is Kane, who talks about The Authority being gone during a quick interview with Eden. You can check out part two of RAW Fallout below.
– Jimmy Jacobs, a well-known wrestler out of Ring Of Honor, appeared on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. Jacobs was one of the Rosebuds during a backstage segment with Adam Rose and Kane. Former TNA Knockout Taeler Hendrix was also one of the Rosebuds.
– Tyson Kidd and The Bella Twins furthered the angle that was started on Monday’s RAW on Twitter. Below is an exchange between the three.
Checking on old friends @BellaTwins I have a lot more compassion than people may think, recurring injuries suck. Just looking out#Raw
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.
As previously reported, there’s a strong belief that Randy Orton will make his return at the WWE TLC pay-per-view, which takes place tonight in Cleveland, Ohio.
While it’s by no means confirmed, there’s speculation that Orton returns to interfere in the main event “Tables Match” between John Cena and Seth Rollins, likely completing his babyface turn by making the save for Cena.
Although that is one scenario, there are reports that claim Orton’s first program back will be against Kane as a babyface, so there’s a chance that he won’t be returning in the Cena-Rollins match.
Additionally, there’s talk that Roman Reigns could return in the Cena-Rollins match, under the same circumstances — making the save for Cena and setting up a program with Rollins coming out of the show.
Make sure to visit the website tonight for the best WWE TLC live play-by-play results coverage on the web.
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.
– As noted earlier, Randy Orton is expected — but not guaranteed — to return at this Sunday’s WWE TLC pay-per-view. While some are under the impression that he will be working a program with Seth Rollins, others are of the belief that he will be working as a face, and that his first program will be with Kane.
– The commercial for next year’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, which features the wrestlers on the couch in a psychiatrist’s office, was shot in Oklahoma City on December 2nd.
Last night on Raw, the WWE handed out some shiny plastic hardware, and more importantly, finalized the card for this Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view. With CM Punk badmouthing WWE before signing with UFC, and Brock Lesnar sitting at home while the title collects dust, it seems like the most exciting WWE-related action these days is taking place outside of the squared circle.
With that said, TLC actually looks like a solid pay-per-view on paper, especially considering it’s another event without a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.
Ziggler has performed well in ladder matches during his career. Will the Show Off steal the show on Sunday?
In general, gimmick pay-per-views can be pretty lame. With events such as Elimination Chamber, Hell in a Cell, TLC, and Extreme Rules, the stipulations often seem forced and predictable (Money in the Bank is the only exception). However, it seems like the gimmick could be highly beneficial this time around.
This is due to the fact that most of the matchups would be forgettable without a special stipulation. Take Ryback vs. Kane for example. Nobody wants to see a washed-up Libertarian and supposed steroid user battle in a regular singles contest; that’s the same garbage fans are served up every week on Raw. However, if the two are going to beat the hell out of each other with chairs, it increases the possibility (albeit slightly) that fans will remain interested.
The same holds true for Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper. They are two of the better workers in the company, and they’d undoubtedly put on a great show without any gimmick at all, but the ladder match stipulation gives them the opportunity to completely steal the show.
Not only will the midcard benefit from the TLC gimmick, hardcore stipulations were necessary at the top of the card to get this event over with the fans. In particular, the tables match between John Cena and Seth Rollins should be one of the highlights of the night, as Cena will attempt to remain number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley will be featured on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” this Thursday night.
– Independent pro wrestler Scorpio Sky, who appeared on WWE television once as “Harold” during the Daniel Bryan and Kane storyline, has been tweeting about his desire to fight CM Punk in the UFC. Sky has fought three amateur MMA bouts in the past.
Next Sunday, the WWE will dust off the tables, ladders, chairs, and apparently stairs for its annual hardcore spectacular. This year’s event will be held in Cleveland, Ohio and will be the sixth incarnation of the pay-per-view.
This will be only the second TLC pay-per-view to not feature a WWE Championship match, as Brock Lesnar is still sitting at home collecting a paycheck. In the past, the WWE has used this event to lay the groundwork for the Road to WrestleMania while providing a sense of finality to various feuds with the hardcore element. With that said, here is a look back at the first five TLC pay-per-view events.
WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt is currently double-booked for the December 29th edition of RAW in Washington, D.C., as well as the rare live event on the same night in Richmond, Virginia. It’s said that there’s a possibility that Wyatt will in fact appear on both shows, as they are only 100 miles apart.
Other names advertised for the live event instead of RAW that night, which will be the final edition of RAW for 2014, are Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, The Usos, Kane, Goldust and Stardust. Whether or not the final RAW will go off without all of those top-tier names remains to be seen.
– Ryback vs. Kane in a “Chairs Match” is now official for the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view. The only other officially confirmed match for the pay-per-view at this point is Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt in a TLC match.
– Mick Foley tweeted Colt Cabana regarding his recent interview with CM Punk. You can check out Foley’s comments to Cabana, as well as Cabana’s response below.
@realmickfoley its not about landing anything Mick… It's about giving my friend a safe place to talk. I'm not competing with anyone.
The following are results of this week’s edition of WWE Main Event on the WWE Network. The report was written by Chris Aiken of F4WOnline.com.
WWE Main Event from Fort Wayne, Indiana featured a fairly hot crowd compared to crowd reactions over the last few weeks on WWE TV. The show opened with Miz cutting a promo in the ring shadowed by Mizdow. Miz basically put himself over and also said he wanted to thank someone for helping him win the titles. Mizdow became giddy until Miz said he wanted to thank his moneymaker. By the way, Mizdow was way over with this crowd as this act continues to grow in popularity.
>Tag team champions The Miz & Damien Mizdow beat Los Matadores (with Torito). The bullfighters got in some offense early on. Mizdow caused a distraction and got knocked off the apron, allowing Miz to cut off the bullfighter. Miz started to get heat on him as the crowd chanted “we want Mizdow.” Likewise, the crowd kept popping for Mizdow’s faux-selling and antics during the match. Eventually, the matadors made a hot tag and the fresh matador ran wild with a flying headscissors and a senton off the top rope. Mizdow lowbridged the top rope and sent the fresh matador sailing out to the floor. Mizdow made a blind tag and the crowd popped before he delivered the skull crushing finale. Miz made a bling tag and covered the fallen matador for the pinfall.
Backstage, Renee Young tried to interview Fandango and Rosa Mendes but the couple just gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes. They made out before leaving Renee hanging on the interview.
Fandango (with Rosa Mendes) beat Adam Rosa (with the Bunny & the Rosebuds). The crowd seemed to be unsure who to cheer for. Fandango showed a lot of fire and aggression. He backdropped Rose on the ring apron at one point in the early portion and dominated most of the match. The Bunny led cheers for Rose before flirting with Rosa at ringside. Rose made a comeback and executed a swinging neckbreaker only to run into a boot when charging into a corner. The Bunny tried to cause a distraction but Fandango knocked him off the apron. Fandango threw a clothesline and Rose took a Curt Hennig bump. Then, Fandango delivered a legdrop off the top for the pin.
Somewhere backstage with a Thanksgiving feast as a backdrop, Natalya told Tyson Kidd she was thankful for him. Layla and Summer Rae interrupted a loving embrace and stormed into the scene. Layla said Tyson is thankful for headphones because Nattie talks a lot. Tyson laughed and Nattie was mad he failed to take up for her. Tyson agreed his wife did talk a lot. Layla then shoved a pumpkin pie in the face of Nattie and Summer sprayed whip cream on her face. The heels stormed out as Tyson held Nattie back. He told her to save it for the ring.
Natalya (with Tyson Kidd) beat Layla (with Summer Rae). This was a good, albeit short, match as Nattie sold really well throughout and the crowd was into it. Nattie still had pie on her face as the match began. At the outset, Nattie jumped out of the ring to shove Summer down at ringside. Natalya was a house of fire until Layla cut her off. The crowd would start chanting “Nattie’s husband” at Tyson and he would put on his headphones to drown out the chants. The more Natalya sold the more the crowd got behind her and they even started chanting “Nattie” at one point. Layla applied an upside down vertical leg scissors over the top rope only to get sent crashing to the floor. Nattie made a comeback. Layla missed an attempted double springboard crossbody off the middle rope. Directly thereafter, Natalya applied the sharpshooter and Layla tapped out for the submission.
Dean Ambrose beat Kane. They brawled early on before Ambrose executed a tornado DDT followed by a neckbreaker. Kane cut him off and began to pummel him. Ambrose fired up, hit a dropkick, then a crossbody and he sent Kane over the top rope to the floor. Ambrose looked to do a tope but Kane cut him off before a commercial. After the break, Kane grounded Ambrose and began to get heat on him. Ambrose fired up again and went for his slingshot clothesline but ran into a big boot. Kane got heat on him as the crowd started a “let’s go Ambrose” chant.
Ambrose started a comeback and dove off the middle rope with a missile dropkick. Ambrose followed up an elbow smash in a corner with a running bulldog for a nearfall. Ambrose again went for the slingshot clothesline and Kane once again cut him off. Ambrose blocked a chokeslam and sent Kane over the top rope to the floor. Ambrose dove through the ropes with tope. At ringside, Kane rammed Ambrose into the ringpost. Kane draped Ambrose on the top turnbuckle and went for a superplex. Ambrose blocked it and shoved him off then dove off the top with a flying elbow drop on a standing Kane.
Ambrose climbed to the top again and dove off into a chop to the throat from Kane. Ambrose escaped the clutches of Kane when he went for a tombstone. On the third attempt, Ambrose hit his slingshot clothesline. Kane countered Dirty Deeds and Ambrose countered a chokeslam. A moment later, Ambrose rolled up Kane with a schoolboy for the pinfall.
– It was announced during the post-Survivor Series edition of WWE RAW on Monday night that one of the key matches on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, which airs live Tuesday night on the WWE Network, is Kane vs. Dean Ambrose.
– Also on Monday’s RAW was the return of WWE Hall Of Famer Sgt. Slaughter. Slaughter took part in a segment where Rusev and Lana were forced to recite the “Pledge of Allegiance.” They never actually did so, as Rusev tried bullying Slaughter until Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter came to the rescue.