After suffering a quick loss at the SmackDown tapings, F4WOnline.com now reports that Rusev will have an “interesting” week ahead of him and may face creative backlash. We previously reported that Vince McMahon was not happy that word of Rusev’s engagement to Lana got out, as he feels the news screwed up his TV storylines.
– Regarding recent rumors that claim Lana is going to be taking time off in the near future to film another movie, they are apparently not true. The rumor emanated from an article and an accompanying video that was posted by the U.K.’s “Daily Mail” earlier this week and were actually for the WWE Studios film “Interrogation” starring Edge, which has been completed for several months already.
– The following is a new behind-the-scenes video of Roman Reigns from his breast cancer awareness PSA shoot with breast cancer survivor Chelsea Gilliam.
– Below is the latest WWE Body Series video starring Sheamus.
WWE.com caught up with Lana on Monday afternoon after TMZ broke the news that she is engaged to Rusev. The revelation of Lana’s engagement to Rusev in real life as they are feuding on television has lead to WWE acknowledging the relationship and wrapping up the angle with Ziggler and Summer Rae.
Lana told WWE.com:
“It’s very obvious Rusev proposed to me. If you watched Rusev and Summer, Rusev has always loved me. He was just so devastated about me picking Dolph that he went with Summer to make me jealous. But at the end of the day, we know we’re good for each other.”
“I am from the former Soviet Union; Rusev grew up in Bulgaria, and one common thread they teach you there is to survive. The winters get very cold and they get very dark. We do what we need to do to survive. This is what is happening. We will be leaving the greatest legacy this company and the WWE Universe has ever seen.”
“Ziggler is very funny and he’s charming, but he is not The Super Athlete. With me, Rusev was the undefeated Super Athlete. He listened to what I said, he was very focused. We made each other better. He challenged me and I challenged him. Summer has made him so soft that he hasn’t won. You tell me, who is the better pick?”
– Summer Rae reportedly took a shot at Lana on Twitter after the angle she did with Rusev on Monday night’s edition oRAW in Chicago, Illinois. She wrote that after what she did on RAW, Lana is finally “relevant again,” a comment Rosa Mendes was more than willing to agree with publicly. You can check out Summer and Rosa’s comments below.
– Chris Jericho mentioned on social media that he has been working on new music with hip-hop star and noted WWE super fan Wale. Jericho posted the following photo of the two together recently on his official Instagram page.
As we reported late this past weekend, WWE Superstar Rusev proposed to his longtime girlfriend Lana, as the two are now officially engaged. Rusev recently popped the question at the couples’ home in Nashville, Tennessee.
WWE acknowledged the engagement on RAW and on the company website, effectively putting an end to the Rusev/Summer/Lana/Ziggler storyline. Lana is finally back with Rusev and hopefully the whole breakup and the past several months of this angle can be quickly forgotten.
Rusev and Lana are engaged to be married, according to TMZ.
Sources close to the couple say Rusev proposed to Lana last month at their home in Nashville, Tennessee. “We’re told Rusev proposed in the couple’s swimming pool and filmed the whole thing,” TMZ reports.
Lana has been teasing on social media that she is engaged, posting photos showing off her ring. TMZ released this close-up of the ring:
– WWE Diva Lana was backstage at the WWE Network special at Madison Square Garden this past Saturday night. Lana indicated via social media that she will be in Boston for tonight’s edition of WWE RAW.
– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins will be calling into tonight’s WWE RAW pre-show on the WWE Network. WWE announced the following via Twitter.
One of the main storylines teased for tonight’s Total Divas season finale is that Dolph Ziggler still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend Nikki Bella, who is currently dating John Cena. Lana, who had been romantically linked to Ziggler on WWE TV, had this exchange with Nikki:
– WWE Tag-Team Champions The New Day will be fielding questions from fans during the WWE Night Of Champions Kickoff Show on the WWE Network tonight. Fans can submit questions to Big E., Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods via Twitter with the hashtag, “#SaveTheTables.”
– WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler noted via social media that he will be debuting new ring gear for his match against Rusev at tonight’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view. Ziggler tweeted the following.
– WWE Diva Lana posted the following video update on Saturday evening, noting that she will be getting her stitches taken out of her wrist soon and will also soon begin physical therapy.
WWE’s ongoing storyline involving Rusev, Summer Rae, Lana and Dolph Ziggler will most likely conclude with Rusev and Lana being reunited, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The feeling behind the scenes is that both Rusev and Lana are worse off now than when they were together, which is hard to deny. Rusev remains a dominant physical force and has been pretty funny on Twitter when taunting Lana, but this angle has not done his character any favors. Lana was red hot earlier this year and really on the cusp of becoming a breakout performer before WWE stripped her of the evil Russian spokesperson gimmick that got her over.
No word on whether Ziggler and Summer Rae will wind up on television, but hopefully Rusev and Lana can rekindle the heat they had just a few months ago.
“Lana underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of a left distal radius fracture with a volar plate,” Dr. Chris Amann told WWE.com. “The fracture was stabilized and returned to its normal anatomic position during the surgery using the volar plate and screws.”
Amann continued, “Lana did very well without any complications and is expected to make a full recovery.”
Speaking of Lana’s condition, the WWE Diva posted the following tweets on her official Twitter page.
The broken wrist hurts but the disappointed heart hurts so much more. Time will heal but scars will be there to remind me of my pain
WWE Diva Lana is undergoing surgery today after recently fracturing her wrist while training for her first match. She’s expected to be on the sidelines for up to four months.
Earlier this week, she posted the following message on Instagram:
“I have dedicated my entire life to becoming the best sports entertainer I could be. Every since I have debuted in @wwe I have continued to go to @wwenxt & come hours early before live events to train & learn how to fight. I wanted my first match to make the #WWE Universe proud. My wrist fracture is proof that WWE & professional wrestling is not fake but very real. This is a bump in the road & can be discouraging but for every person that has believed in me and has ever chanted #WeWantLana I will keep going. From here forward I will share every part of my journey to my first match. Thank you to every fan that has cheered for me & chanted my name, you all give me the strength to be brave. I will continue to give everything I have to becoming one of the greatest women in WWE & entertainment.”
– WWE’s official website is indicating that Lana will not be with Dolph Ziggler for his match against Rusev at this month’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view. There was some talk that Lana could still accompany Ziggler while she recovers from her wrist injury that she suffered this past weekend, however it appears that she won’t be on television after all.
– Following tonight’s show with former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts, Jim Ross’ next “Ross Report” podcast, which drops Tuesday, September 15th at PodcastOne.com, will feature legendary WWE tag-team Demolition, Ax and Smash.
– The following is the latest vignette for soon-to-debut NXT Diva Nia Jax.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross updated his official website blog on Monday with his thoughts and comments on a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights.
On comparing the Jimmy Snuka/Hulk Hogan incidents: “Amazing that some people want me to compare Hulk’s untimely remarks to the 3rd degree murder charges filed against Jimmy Snuka. How do I do that? What sense does that question even make? What am I missing? How can they possibly be in the same ball park.”
On tonight’s RAW: “RAW tonight will feature Sasha Banks vs. Paige tonight from what I read. Give them time to tell a compelling story and it will do wonders for the women’s division. Why book the women any differently than the men are utilized? WWE needs to focus on fewer women and they will get over and then in turn they can help others get over. Right now the division has little marketable identity and is too cluttered but the good news is that there is talent in abundance available to work with.”
On Undertaker and Sting retirement rumors: “From what I can determine, Wrestlemania Texas will NOT be the Undertaker’s final match but the jury is still out on whether it will be Sting’s last one. No, I don’t see them having a match vs each other there either. Plus, I don’t see how WWE gets all the way to April for the Taker vs. Lesnar ‘rubber match’ if that’s in the cards.”
On Lana’s injury: “Apparently Lana will be out of commission as it relates to physicality for approximately four months with a wrist injury. Perhaps this will give her time to get her back in those business suits and not what she’s been wearing lately. We wish her a speedy recovery.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
Following a bad training session that resulted in a wrist injury that will keep her on the sidelines for up to four months, Lana took to social media to comment on her unfortunate string of bad luck over the past few days. Lana wrote the following:
“I have dedicated my entire life to becoming the best sports entertainer I could be. Every since I have debuted in @wwe I have continued to go to @wwenxt & come hours early before live events to train & learn how to fight. I wanted my first match to make the #WWE Universe proud. My wrist fracture is proof that WWE & professional wrestling is not fake but very real. This is a bump in the road & can be discouraging but for every person that has believed in me and has ever chanted #WeWantLana I will keep going. From here forward I will share every part of my journey to my first match. Thank you to every fan that has cheered for me & chanted my name, you all give me the strength to be brave. I will continue to give everything I have to becoming one of the greatest women in WWE & entertainment.”
WWE has confirmed the fact that Lana did indeed suffer an injury at the WWE live events this past weekend.
WWE.com issued the following update on Lana’s condition:
WWE Diva Lana suffered a wrist injury while working out in the ring before a WWE Live Event in Fairfax, Virginia, this past weekend, WWE.com has learned.
“During a training session [Sunday] afternoon, Lana had sustained an injury in the ring. We attended to her and noticed that she had a deformity of her wrist,” said WWE’s senior ringside physician Dr. Scott Amann.
Dr. Amann continued, “We obtained X-rays which showed a Colles’ fracture and [we put her] in a splint. Most of these Colles’ fractures do better surgically than non-surgically, especially in younger patients. Most likely this will require an operation, which will take her out of active competition for approximately four months.”
There has been some speculation following Sunday night’s WWE live event in Fairfax, Virginia regarding the possibility that Lana suffered an injury.
While Lana did work the WWE live events on Friday and Saturday, getting involved with Summer Rae during the Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev matches, she did not work Sunday’s WWE live event. Instead, Ziggler worked the show by himself.
Additionally, Lana tweeted the following on Sunday evening alluding to the fact that she is banged up:
On Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Tampa, Florida, a big segment was announced for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which will be taped on Tuesday night in Miami, Florida.
On a special edition of Miz TV with The Miz, both Dolph Ziggler and Lana will be the guests to sort out the business stemming from RAW.
During Monday’s RAW, a mystery angle happened involving Dolph Ziggler and Summer Rae, with Ziggler claiming innocence and Summer claiming Dolph made a move on her.
Make sure to visit SEScoops.com on Tuesday evening for live WWE SmackDown spoiler results coverage!
With WWE SummerSlam in the rear view, we’re already looking ahead to WWE Night of Champions, which takes place on Sunday, September 20th.
On the latest installment of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed two matches that are already being planned for the show. After retaining the Intercontinental championship last night at SummerSlam, Ryback looks to be putting his gold on the line against The Miz. Also, there is talk of having a mixed tag match featuring Dolph Ziggler and Lana vs. Rusev and Summer Rae.
Following his win at SummerSlam, Seth Rollins now holds the WWE World Heavyweight championship and the Untied States Championship. We’ll see the matter addressed tonight on RAW, but we’ll see how long Seth holds on to both titles. Other titles that will be up for grabs include Nikki Bella’s Divas Championship and The New Day’s tag team titles.
Dolph Ziggler returned Monday night on RAW and will be squaring off against Rusev this Sunday at SummerSlam. He had been out of action for several weeks with a ‘throat injury’ (filming WWE Studios’ “6:42”) and resumed his romance with Lana and feud with the Bulgarian Brute.
Lana was ringside on commentary for Rusev’s match against Mark Henry. As the announcers talked about her recent issues with Rusev and Summer Rae, she said she’s not worried and teased she had something up her sleeve. Rusev defeated Henry in a hard fought match with the Accolade.
After Rusev and Summer Rae celebrated, Lana got into the ring, took her shoes off and began screaming at the heels. Lana pointed at Summer Rae and told her to get in the ring. She did just that. She took her shoes off, charged at Lana and got slapped in the face. Summer Rae went down hard. Lana then pointed at Rusev, who went face to face with his former manager. Just as Rusev was closing in on her, Lana looked to the entrance area with a smile.
Dolph Ziggler’s music hit and the show off sprinted to ringside. Ziggler took out Rusev with a flurry of offense and was about to deliver a superkick, before Rusev put Summer Rae in the way in cowardly fashion. Lana delivered a kick to Summer Rae’s head and Dolph Ziggler knocked Rusev out of the ring with a superkick.
The heels retreated while Ziggler and Lana celebrated in the ring. The two made out while Rusev flipped out at ringside.
Backstage, JoJo caught up with Ziggler and Lana. Ziggler said what he’s feeling right now is why this is the best job in the world. Ziggler challenged Rusev to a match at SummerSlam and declared that he’s back. Later in the show, they confirmed the match is official.
Late last week on Instagram, Lana sent a lengthy response to a female WWE fan who posted a critical message asking her whether she finds it awkward that people only enjoying watching her perform because she’s attractive. The fan feels that since she doesn’t wrestle, her character is limited, and therefore unable to carve the legacy she often vows.
The fan wrote, “Lana do you find it awkward how many people only like you because they think you’re hot rather than enjoy your character? And that we’ve yet to see you do anything to give yourself a legacy but that’s all you ever post about? I think your character seems a sweet woman but until you wrestle I don’t see how anyone can adore you other than how you look because like we don’t see much of your character other than your character escaping a toxic relationship and growing stronger and more confident.”
Lana responded, “awkward no I find it exceptionally awesome what I do. Are you saying Paul Heyman hasn’t created one of the most epic legacies ? He will be remembered more than 98% of women and men that ever wrestled in WWE. How about Stephanie McMahon? She picked wisely when to wrestle and when not to wrestle. I am not here to be adored I am here to help create compelling stories. I don’t have to fight and wrestle everyday because I am that good at what I do. This is WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and I bring the BIG E to the WWE. And thank you, if I can help one person stand up for themselves & leave a toxic relationship, then my story is more then worth while. Thank you.”
This is not first time where Lana has responded to fan criticism of her character. In June, she replied to a fan who ripped her character for turning into a “starry-eyed love struck dope” due to her alliance with Dolph Ziggler.
What's more insulting is that you think that strong women can not experience love. 1st & foremost I am a human being https://t.co/U9WE47RMAW
WWE is gearing up to give Eva Marie a big push in the coming weeks at the expense of Lana, according to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
After getting over in a big way as Rusev’s manager and more recently as his rival and Dolph Ziggler’s love interest, it appears WWE is getting ready to pull back on Lana’s push in favor of Eva Marie.
Eva Marie has been training hard to improve her in-ring work, which has been universally mocked by the WWE Universe since she started with the company. Higher ups in WWE are looking to feature Eva Marie as one of the cornerstones of the Divas revolution, with the storyline being Eva Marie took the rejection from fans to heart and it drove her to work hard and become Divas champion.
Many fans have been calling for Lana to be reunited with Rusev, since both of them saw the most success when they were paired together. During a recent workout video clip published by WWE, Lana teased that she’s been working on her own in-ring work and sent a message to the other Divas that she’s becoming a threat they need to watch out for.
It remains to be seen if Lana does eventually become an active competitor, but expect to see some pullback on how much TV time she’s been getting.
WWE’s latest installment in the ongoing Body Series workout clips focuses on the Ravishing Russian, Lana.
Lana shows off her moves and talks about learning krav maga, the self-defense martial art developed by the Israeli army in the 1940s. Lana says krav maga has turned her into a weapon that no WWE Diva will stand a chance against. Thus far, we’ve yet to see Lana wrestle any matches, but it sounds like she’s getting herself ready in case she ever becomes an active competitor.
Hit the gym with Lana and find out how The Ravishing Russian achieves peak fitness in this behind-the-scenes video from WWE’s latest Body Series, powered by TapouT.
– Here is the synopsis for Total Divas airing on Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 9/8 CT on E!: “Nattie is caught in a web of lies after she invites her sister to move in with her; Nikkie is concerned that Brie isn’t taking Bryan’s health seriously enough; and Trinity’s future hinges on her inner bad girl.” The episode is titled “Good Diva, Bad Diva.”
– With the NBA off-season in full swing, Cleveland Cavaliers star forward LeBron James took a moment to connect with his fans as he held an impromptu Q&A session with his Twitter followers on Tuesday afternoon. James, a self-admitted wrestling fan, responded to a question asking who is his favorite wrestler of all-time.
@Briantelevision Ultimate Warrior, Sting, Ric Flair and Legion of Doom
– Lana is being advertised to team with Dolph Ziggler against the team of Rusev and Summer Rae in mixed-tag-team action at the WWE live event in Hampton, Virginia on September 4th. Also scheduled for the event is Sheamus defending his Money In The Bank briefcase in one-on-one action against Neville, as well as John Cena vs. Kevin Owens in a “Street Fight.”
– The NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event on August 22nd from the Bayclays Center is close to being sold out, as more tickets for the event were released on Saturday afternoon. The event will likely end up drawing 10,000 or more fans, making it the biggest NXT event to date.
– WWE banned the name “Wade” in reference to King Barrett a while back, which is why Barrett no longer uses it. There’s been speculation that Barrett will go back to the “Bad News” gimmick after Battleground tonight, as his “Crown” is on the line in his Kickoff Show match against R-Truth.
Following a bad training session that resulted in a wrist injury that will keep her on the sidelines