– NXT Champion Kevin Owens, who takes on John Cena this Sunday at Elimination Chamber, is now being advertised to compete at the July 6, 2015 Raw taping at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
Alongside Big Show and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, he will go up against the team of United States Champion John Cena, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.
“In a huge Main Event you will see United States Champion John Cena team up with Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose to take on WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, The Big Show & NXT Champion Kevin Owens in a 6-Man Tag Team Main Event!”
– Former WWE Superstar Gene Snitsky attended Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
– Actor Stephen Amell of “Arrow” fame has expressed interest in guest hosting and possibly even wrestling in the past. The actor shot a brief angle with Stardust while attending RAW this past Monday night and now we can confirm that WWE is looking at doing a program of sorts between Amell and Stardust.
– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins is celebrating his 29th birthday today. Rollins was born on May 28, 1986. Also celebrating birthdays today are WWE legend Kamala (65), former WWE Tag-Team Champion Chaz “Headbanger Mosh” Warrington (44) and Randy Orton’s uncle, former WWE Superstar Barry Orton (57).
– WWE taped the following matches this past Tuesday night for tonight’s edition of SmackDown.
Lumberjack Match: Sin Cara and Kalisto vs. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd
R-Truth vs. King Barrett
Rusev vs. Ryback
Paige vs. Naomi
Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Kane and Seth Rollins
Michael Cole interviews Kevin Owens
WWE taped the following matches prior to Tuesday’s SmackDown taping for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event.
Dark Match
– Kevin Owens def. R-Truth in a quick match. Owens picked up the “W” after hitting him with the pop-up powerbomb.
WWE Main Event Taping
– Prime Time Players def. The Ascension in tag-team action. O’Neil scored the pinfall on Viktor.
– Zack Ryder def. Heath Slater in singles action. Ryder picked up the win with the Ruff Ryder.
– Nikki Bella def. Summer Rae in Divas competition. Bella scored the pinfall after hitting Summer with the Rack Attack.
– Neville def. Adam Rose in the final match of the taping. Rose cut a promo about there being no more Exotic Express and no more parties 24/7. Bo Dallas was on commentary for the match, which ended when Neville hit the Red Arrow on Rose for the 1-2-3.
– WWE announced that there will be NXT matches at the “Aftershock Festival” in Sacramento, California on October 24th and October 25th. Names advertised for the shows include Finn Balor, Sasha Banks, Baron Corbin, Charlotte and Blake & Murphy. For more, visit WWE.com.
– ROH issued the following press release today regarding the release of their new action figure line, which includes WWE Superstar and current NXT Champion Kevin Owens.
(Baltimore, MD – May 26th, 2015) – Get ready for the best wrestling figures on the planet! Ring of Honor Wrestling (ROH) and Figures Toy Company are proud to announce the official lineup for the debut series of ROH Wrestling action figures! Series 1 will feature four of the top names in Ring of Honor history, and this series marks the first time that any of them have been released in action figure form!
From “DemBoys” to a ruler of a Kingdom, ROH and Figures Toy Company will be releasing four major names to launch the line:
Jay Briscoe: The current Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Champion, Jay Briscoe is an ROH Original in every sense, including being the very first ROH match ever. With his roughneck reputation and the in ring skills to back it up, Briscoe is one of ROH’s most recognizable stars.
Mark Briscoe: Brother of Jay and another ROH Original. Together, The Briscoes wreaked havoc on the ROH tag division, and have held the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship an unprecedented 8 times! Now Mark and Jay Briscoe team up to make history once again as a part of the very first Ring of Honor action figure series.
Adam Cole: The former Ring of Honor World Champion, and the leader of The Kingdom. Cole’s brash attitude has not endeared him to the ROH fanbase, and now he has something new to brag about, as he’ll surely be flaunting his Ring of Honor action figure for all it’s worth.
Kevin Steen: The “Throwback” star in Series 1, Kevin Steen has a long and storied history in Ring of Honor. From his tag team with El Generico to wreaking havoc as the Ring of Honor World Champion, Steen has made a name for himself not only in ROH but throughout the wrestling world. He may not be raising hell in ROH any longer, but he is still a force on the rise, and collectors everywhere will be clamoring for their very first Kevin Steen figure.
The Ring of Honor action figures will be 6 inch tall figures with multiple points of articulation, and will be compatible with other wrestling figures on the market. Each figure will come packaged with assorted accessories such as realistic cloth clothing, figure sized title belts, and weapons. Each figure will be released in a resealable clamshell package. Figures Toy Company will be releasing pre-order information for Ring of Honor Series 1 action figures in the near future, so make sure to follow them on social media for updates on upcoming Ring of Honor products!
Follow on Twitter: @RingofHonor, @figurestoyco and @wres_superstore
Instagram: RingofHonor, figurestoycompany and wrestlingsuperstore
Facebook: RingofHonor, Figures Toy Company and Wrestling Superstore
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with some of his latest thoughts and comments. Below are some of the highlights.
On tonight being the last ever RAW at Nassau Coliseum: “Hard to believe that after all these years that this will be the last Monday Night RAW ever held at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, New York. This arena has amazing significance in WWE history and certainly was one of my favorite arenas in which to work largely because of it’s heritage plus it was a nice, easy drive from my home in Connecticut back in the day. I hope the fans that are in attendance know the significance of tonight and I’d love to see WWE show some Nassau Coliseum highlights throughout the three hour broadcast. I’ve already set my DVR to watch the show later tonight.”
On the TNA/Destination America situation: “Still confounded about the debacle that is the TNA/Destination America train wreck and still awaiting something from the network that apparently isn’t renewing TNA come September. I hope that the promotion is keeping their talents and the talent’s families informed as to what is going on regarding this unfortunate matter. Leadership at the top in both organizations is crucial during these days as rumors and finger pointing seemingly is running rampant. Unfortunately, it seems as if TNA is at yet another crossroads and I’m hoping that they come out on the ‘other side’ better than they were when this matter exploded last week.”
On Kevin Owens and John Cena: “If there is another John Cena and Kevin Owens segment tonight on RAW, and obviously there has to be, Owens needs to retain his ‘heat’. He’s not ‘over’ yet and needs momentum going into the Elimination Chamber. Loved what I saw out of these two last week.”
On Tammy Sytch porn rumors: “Contrary to what some have asked me on Twitter @JRsBBQ I have not been conversing with Sunny on Twitter about the possibility her doing porn. That ‘s a faux JR Twitter account she thought was me, apparently. We haven’t communicated since her WWE HOF induction and I find it none of my business if she does or does not decide to make a porn movie. It’s not against the law and people have to do what they can to earn a honest living. It’s an undesirable trait of many in the entertainment businesses that performers get themselves into a situation that they have to do things that they normally might not do to pay their bills after their ‘run’ has concluded. It takes me back to my ‘Plan B’ philosophy that so many talents rolled their eyes at when I used to preach that philosophy. Nonetheless, I wish Sunny the best no matter what her decision might be.”
Although it was unclear as of this weekend whether or not Kevin Owens would be on RAW tonight to promote his Elimination Chamber pay-per-view match with John Cena this Sunday, we can confirm that the NXT Champion is indeed backstage.
It’s worth noting that WWE has been hyping up the fact that Cena will be addressing what happened between he and Owens at last week’s RAW, so one would assume Owens will be part of that segment on tonight’s “go-home” show.
It’s also been confirmed that Cena will be holding another “U.S. Open Challenge” on tonight’s RAW.
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com later this evening for the best live RAW results coverage on the web!
The WWE Elimination Chamber “go-home” edition of RAW takes place tonight, May 25, 2015, in Uniondale, New York.
WWE is billing tonight’s show, which is also the Memorial Day edition of the show, as the final RAW to take place at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
WWE United States Champion John Cena is scheduled to address what happened with NXT Champion Kevin Owens on last week’s show, and is also confirmed to hold another “U.S. Open Challenge.”
Expect all of the storylines leading into this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view to be wrapped up on tonight’s show.
Make sure to join us here tonight at SEScoops.com for the best live RAW results coverage on the web!
– There’s no word yet if NXT Champion Kevin Owens will be appearing on Monday’s “go-home” edition of RAW to promote his match with John Cena on next Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. WWE is, however, teasing that Cena will address what happened with Owens last week for the first time on Monday’s RAW. Additionally, Cena will hold yet another “U.S. Open Challenge” on RAW.
– WWE performers Sheamus and Becky Lynch posted the following comments on social media about Ireland becoming the first nation to approve same-sex marriage.
– As noted earlier this week, Samoa Joe’s deal with WWE allows him to continue to work independent wrestling shows. According to F4WOnline.com, Joe has very few restrictions on where he can work and his deal was described as similar to the deal Rhyno has, only for a lot more money.
– Sami Zayn has resurfaced on Twitter for the first time since being taken out by Kevin Owens at the NXT Takeover: Unstoppable special on Wednesday. Zayn tweeted the following:
– WWE Superstar Jey Uso continues to work on recovering from shoulder surgery. During his off-time as he prepares for his comeback, the former WWE Tag-Team Champion has grown a full beard, which you can see in the photo and clip below.
– Samoa Joe made his NXT in-ring debut at Thursday night’s tapings and was featured prominently on the shows that will air through June 17th. The 4-episode taping culminates with Joe facing off against NXT Champion Kevin Owens in a non-title match.
For complete NXT TV spoilers for the next four weeks, click here.
It’s also worth noting that Samoa Joe’s new WWEShop.com t-shirt is currently sold out.
Joe will be wrestling this weekend for Absolute Intense Wrestling this Sunday (5/24) in Cleveland, Ohio against Johnny Gargano.
AIW promoter John Thorne jokingly tweeted that he might reach out to CM Punk about replacing Joe on the show. Punk responded asking what the offer was, but obviously they were just messing around.
– Despite successfully defending her NXT Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch at the NXT Takeover: Unstoppable special on Wednesday, Sasha Banks did not work last night’s NXT TV tapings. There is currently no word yet as to why she didn’t work the show.
– Mick Foley and his son were in attendance for the NXT TV tapings last night. They were also in attendance at the “Unstoppable” show on Wednesday night.
NXT star Sami Zayn will be undergoing surgery next month to repair his injured shoulder, according to Dave Meltzer. Zayn was cleared to wrestle at last night’s NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable event, but Kevin Owens demolishing him at the end of the show prior to Samoa Joe making the save was done to write him off television.
WWE posted the following video of Zayn being checked out backstage after his match last night.
Former WWE, WCW & TNA writer Vince Russo has posted a new blog at the Chairshot Reality website talking about Vince McMahon forgetting how to create new stars, specifically as it relates to Kevin Owens’ WWE TV debut on Monday’s RAW.
Russo says that when Sami Zayn made his WWE debut answering John Cena’s US Championship Open Challenge, there was no impact – he was presented as “just another wrestler.” The Ascension’s debut was “so laughable you ‘almost’ have to think it was intentional” and Neville was in the same boat after his debut.
Russo explains why Owens didn’t come off as a star and Vince McMahon has lost his touch.
“Then of course, this week there was Kevin Owens. A guy who looked like he just came from Gleason’s Gym, where he was training to be a “rassler”. Owens didn’t look like a star, he didn’t smell like a star, as a matter of fact he looked like a guy that could have possibly jumped the guardrail. Which reminds me—I STILL REMEMBER Hillbilly Jim when he was “presented” as “somebody” the first time we saw him on WWE TV. And, Owens dropping Cena? That did nothing but make the 115th time World Champ look bad.
Save your hate mail. This isn’t a Kevin Owens thing, just like it wasn’t a Sami Zayn thing, just like it wasn’t a Adrian Neville thing, just like it wasn’t an Ascension thing. Those guys are strictly employees who get paid to do what the boss says to go out and do—that boss is Vince McMahon. Somewhere along the line, shortly after the Attitude Era (what a coincidence), Vince McMahon forgot how to make stars. He forgot how to create them, how to manufacture them, and how to getthem over. When you think about it, who has gotten over to SUPER stardom in the last fifteen years? I’m talking household names? In my opinion that list is quite small, as a matter of fact I’d put two people on it—-Kurt Angle and John Cena. OK, I’ll even allow you to put the beloved Daniel Bryan on there if you wish—but his success had NOTHING to do with creative, other than being given the platform to perform.”
He went on to say that over the past 15 years, we’ve seen lots of great performers in WWE, but none of them have gone on to reach the heights of Steve Austin, The Rock, Mick Foley, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart. “What got CM Punk over to the level he was?,” Russo asked. “Him sitting on the stage with a microphone and cutting a promo that only he could cut—there was no help there from Vince on that one.”
Samoa Joe made his NXT debut at the conclusion of Wednesday night’s NXT Takeover: Unstoppable live WWE Network special.
Kevin Owens was mercilessly beating down Sami Zayn as multiple referees and NXT GM William Regal getting involved. As Owens was getting ready to finish Zayn off with a chair, music began playing and out walked Samoa Joe. He was wearing a t-shirt that said “Samoa Joe” and the announcers referred to him as Samoa Joe, so he thankfully won’t be getting a new NXT name-generator ring name.
The crowd went apesh*t as Samoa Joe and NXT Champion Kevin Owens went face to face in what was truly a mark out moment. Owens eventually backed down, saying “not now” to a feud that could be the best thing WWE produces this year.
It’s worth noting that Triple H was asked about Joe signing with WWE earlier this week. He put Joe over as a tremendous performer, he said that he wasn’t sure if they would do business together or not.
Regarding the injury situation in WWE right now, the company is remaining very quiet in terms of disclosing information on the status of Daniel Bryan’s condition.
While specifics aren’t quite clear just yet, the word going around is that things are looking negative regarding Bryan’s future as an active pro wrestler. It’s been said that he is expected to be out a long time and it’s possible he may never be able to return, however as of May 18th there has been no definitive medical update on him.
Triple H acknowledged that Hideo Itami was injured during his conference call to promote the NXT Takeover: Unstoppable live WWE Network special, noting that he would be on the show in some capacity, but not actually wrestling.
It’s said that Itami’s injury was a fluke situation and not a case of wear-and-tear, which is said to be an issue troubling WWE these days among many of the wrestlers.
– Chris Jericho noted via social media that his rock band Fozzy will be going on tour with legendary rock and roll group Kiss as part of their “The Kiss Kruise V” tour. Jericho tweeted the following:
– After teasing that he could be the ECW surprise at the NXT live events in Philadelphia and Albany this past weekend, Bully Ray is back to leading fans to speculate with his latest social media appearance. On Twitter today, Bully teased a potential feud with NXT Champion Kevin Owens. He tweeted the following:
– Samoa Joe announced via Twitter that he will be providing a voice for one of the characters on the new “Game Of Thrones” video game. Joe tweeted the following:
– Longtime WWE Superstar Goldust posted the following message on social media regarding being sober for seven years.
“This is my greatest tweet of the year: Today I am 7 years clean and sober from the bondage of drugs and alcohol. I was ready and i asked for help, I worked my program and I persevered. You cannot do it alone. If you need help, ask for it. I was ready and I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. #IBelieveInYou #IBelieveInMyself ! Thanks for all your support.”
– Nikki Bella will be defending the WWE Divas Championship against Naomi and Paige in a triple-threat match at the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on Sunday, May 31st in Corpus Christi, Texas.
– Following his conference call on Wednesday, Triple H will be hosting a Twitter Q&A this afternoon to promote tonight’s NXT Takeover: Unstoppable event.
– Speaking of tonight’s NXT event, NXT Champion Kevin Owens tweeted the following to hype his main event match against Sami Zayn.
Triple H noted during today’s conference call that Sami Zayn has been cleared and will face Kevin Owens on Wednesday night at the NXT Takeover: “Unstoppable” live special on the WWE Network.
“The Game” also noted during the call that Matt Bloom has officially been promoted to head coach, which we had already pretty much known, and that Sara Amato will be the number two trainer as assistant coach, as well as working as an agent and producer.
– Following his attack of WWE U.S. Champion John Cena on RAW last night, NXT Champion Kevin Owens wrote the following on Twitter about their upcoming Elimination Chamber match.
– In this week’s RAW Fallout videos, which you can see below, Dolph Ziggler reacts to kissing Lana and Neville comments on being attacked by Bo Dallas, as well as the Kevin Owens-John Cena situation.
After he defends the NXT Championship against Sami Zayn this Wednesday at Takeover: Unstoppable, Kevin Owens will make his WWE in-ring debut against John Cena later this month at Elimination Chamber.
Owens made his WWE TV debut on RAW, interrupting John Cena’s US Open Challenge and leaving the United States beat down after a brutal attack.
WWE Elimination Chamber takes place on Sunday, May 31st live on the WWE Network.
NXT Champion Kevin Owens made a surprise debut on Monday’s WWE RAW.
Owens came out as John Cena was offering up his US Championship Open Challenge. Owens congratulated Cena for his victory at Payback. Owens said people that don’t know who he is already aren’t worth his time in the first place. John Cena officially announced NXT Champion Kevin Owens.
Owens said Cena shouldn’t feel bad about injuring Sami Zayn because Zayn was injured by him prior to the Cena match. Owens said he’s going to finish Zayn off Wednesday at Takeover.
Cena tried offering Owens advice, but Owens told Cena he’s been wrestling 15 years, longer than him, so he doesn’t want Cena’s advice. Cena offered Owens a chance to answer the Open Challenge. Owens rejected the offer, saying they will fight one day, but on his terms. Owens then brutally attacked Cena with a kick to the gut and a massive powerbomb. He picked up the NXT title and the US title, dropped the US title down and stomped on it. The crowd chanted Fight Owens Fight in what is one of the strongest WWE TV debuts in a long time.
Owens defends against Sami Zayn this Wednesday at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable live on the WWE Network.
– WWE.com has a poll asking fans which former Shield member has the most talent. With over 8,000 votes in, Seth Rollins is leading the pack with 43%, followed by Dean Ambrose (32%) and Roman Reigns (25%).
– Cesaro posted a photo on Twitter of himself as an “extra” on WWE television in a backstage segment with Shane McMahon and DX from 2006. TNA star Ethan Carter III noted that there was another ‘pretty handsome dude’ in the shot, leading to this interesting exchange:
@WWECesaro pretty handsome dude flanking your left
– In addition to the previously reported Chris Jericho vs. Finn Balor match scheduled for an upcoming WWE live event, Jericho is also officially booked to work a match against “King” Bad News Barrett at the San Diego live event on Friday, July 31st.
– Tommy Dreamer, who worked the NXT live events in Philadelphia and Albany this weekend, losing to Baron Corbin at both shows, acknowledged the fact that he appeared on a NXT show and a TNA show (Impact Wrestling) on the same night this past Friday. Dreamer compared it to Rick Rude appearing on RAW and Nitro on the same night during the Monday Night Wars. He tweeted the following:
I appeared on @IMPACTWRESTLING & @WWENXT last night. I'm just like Rick Rude minus the muscles & abs. What I'd like to have right now is..
– Speaking of the NXT Albany event on Saturday night, Triple H tweeted the following photo of Kevin Owens making his entrance for the triple-threat main event with Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze, which he went on to win via pinfall.