It’s just a matter of time before NXT star Lars Sullivan is called up to the WWE main roster where he’ll either be featured on Monday Night RAW or SmackDown Live soon.
WWE’s YouTube channel has released this latest “coming soon” promo him which Lars was quoted by stating, “What happens this Sunday at TLC will be a minor tremor compared to the catastrophic earthquake that will occur when I come to WWE. You have never seen a Freak like me.”
It’s possible that he could appear as soon as next week’s episode of RAW in Sacramento, CA at the Golden 1 Center or SmackDown Live in Fresno, CA at the Save Mart Center on the USA Network.
Roderick Strong Hypes EVOLVE Matches
WWE has released this video of The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish) talking about Strong competing at two EVOLVE events this coming weekend.
He’ll take on EVOLVE Champion Fabian Aichner and Austin Theory in a Triple Threat Match at the EVOLVE 117 event on December 15 in Queens. He will then face Darby Allin at EVOLVE 118 the next night. You can watch this clip here:
The current narrative surrounding The Freak revolves around RAW Commissioner, Stephanie McMahon, and her brother, SmackDown Commissioner, Shane McMahon, both endeavouring to secure Sullivan to their show.
Although it has been speculated he would end up on the blue brand, it’s far from confirmed at this point in time.
It’s reported that Sullivan might be SmackDown bound to avoid the similarities between himself and RAW’s resident bearded giant, Braun Strowman.
Keeping them apart to avoid over saturating their RAW brand makes a move to SmackDown a logical choice. That is unless they wanted to build towards a Lars Sullivan vs Braun Strowman feud.
Is Sullivan vs Strowman a feud you’d love to see? Which brand do you think Sullivan would thrive on? Will he become a main event player?
Lars Sullivan was not supposed to get called up to the main roster in 2018. Originally, the plan had been for Lars to make his main roster debut at the Royal Rumble. Plans evidently changed when Vince McMahon saw a planned vignette for the Superstar and decided to fast-track his move to Raw or Smackdown.
Original Plans For Lars Sullivan’s WWE Main Roster Call-Up
The original plans for Lars were addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Live.
“That video package they’ve been airing was not going to air until after TLC,” Bryan Alvarez said. “What they were going to do was they would have the Raw people wanting Lars (Sullivan), they would have the Smackdown people wanting him and then it was all going to build up to the Royal Rumble where Lars was going to make his big decision about what show he was going to go to.”
Alvarez continued to say Vince McMahon saw a filmed vignette for Lars and was impressed. The WWE owner then made the decision for the vignettes to air earlier than originally planned.
Lars could still debut at the Royal Rumble but it would mean 2 months of vignettes airing before he does.
With Vince McMahon behind him, Lars’ character can go far. Vince has changed his mind several times in the past, however. Triple H is also said to be a supporter of Sullivan’s.
The WWE Network will present an episode of 205 Live and NXT tonight. 205 Live could get moved back to their live Tuesday night timeslot next month, however, as the Mixed Match Challenge is scheduled to finish at the TLC PPV.
NXT 11/28 Preview
Tonight’s episode of NXT was filmed at a San Jose house show on the 15th. WWE will be back in San Jose next month for TLC.
Keith Lee vs Lars Sullivan
A battle of heavyweights tonight. Sullivan is main roster-bound but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll lose to Lee tonight. Lee is someone who could have a big future ahead of him in NXT and WWE as well so it’ll be interesting to see who comes out looking stronger in this clash tonight.
Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs the Mighty
The NXT tag-team division will see Burch and Lorcan take on Australia’s the Mighty tonight. The Mighty have seen better results since they started breaking the rules but tonight they’ll be in tough against the hard-nosed team of Burch and Lorcan.
EC3 vs Marcel Barthel
EC3 could use a win after being bounced out of title contention before the last Takeover. He was also the target of an attack by the Undisputed Era which took him out of action for a few weeks. You can’t keep the top 1% down for long, however, and EC3 starts his road back to the top of the men’s singles division tonight.
Mia Yim vs Vanessa Borne
Mia Yim took a loss to Bianca Belair her last match out. In fairness, only Nikki Cross has faced Belair in NXT and managed to avoid taking a loss. Vanessa Borne has been progressing as of late, however, and won’t let Mia Yim get back in the win column so easily.
205 Live 11/28 Preview
Hideo Itami Returns
Hideo Itami has not wrestled since being defeated by Mustafa Ali in a Falls Count Anywhere match to blow-off their rivalry. Itami will be in single’s action tonight but his opponent has yet to be named, likely meaning they are enhancement talent.
Mustafa Ali & Cedric Alexander vs Tony Nese & Buddy Murphy
Things are tight atop the Cruiserweight division at the moment. Murphy’s reign as champ has included just the one title defense against Mustafa Ali thus far but a new challenger could emerge in this match here. Alexander has never received a rematch from his loss to Murphy in Australia and Alexander had previously defeated Murphy in a title defense as well. Their trilogy bout could be upcoming. On the other hand, Tony Nese recently defeated Alexander, so he could be in line for a shot at his training partner’s belt.
It was revealed during Survivor Series weekend that Lars Sullivan would be moving up from NXT to the main roster, despite still being embroiled in feuds with members of the NXT locker room, including Keith Lee.
Since then, new details have emerged about which brand he is heading to, and what the initial plan for Sullivan would be.
Freak Accident
Speaking on the ‘Oh, You Didn’t Know’ podcast, reporter Brad Shepard commented on WWE’s decision in drafting Sullivan to SmackDown Live.
He stated that “[…] they believe that he would be overlooked on the main roster, especially if he goes to RAW because, basically, Strowman is a bigger Lars Sullivan right down to the mountain man look and beard.”
It’s a fair comparison, though the decision does deprive fans of a potential Sullivan vs Strowman confrontation. That is until the WWE decide they want to see such a showdown take place.
Shepard adds that “They [the WWE] believe Lars would start on SmackDown and work with some smaller talent, in the beginning, to be successful.”
Sounds like Lars may be booked much in the same way as Strowman was (post-Wyatt Family breakup), with squash matches demonstrating his brute power and aggression before moving onto deeper storylines and feuds.
What do you make of this? Would you have preferred Lars on Raw, eventually feuding with Strowman? Is this the kind of performer that SmackDown has been missing?
WWE will air two previously unaired shows with matches taped inside LA’s Staples Center tonight. NXT will feature matches taped before WarGames on Saturday and 205 Live filmed last night before Smackdown.
NXT 11/21 Preview
NXT will feature both Nikki Cross and Lars Sullivan tonight. Cross has been up and down from the main roster a couple of times this year while vignettes featuring Sullivan’s pending call-up have appeared on both Raw and Smackdown this week.
Candice LeRae vs Nikki Cross
Candice LeRae says she’s ready to”play” with Nikki Cross this week. With the rivalry between Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane coming to a likely end at Takeover on Saturday, the field is wide open for a new contender to emerge from the NXT women’s division. That contender could easily be the winner of this match, although Bianca Belair is likely the front-runner, however.
Lars Sullivan In Single’s Action
The last time Sullivan wrestled he defeated Velveteen Dream. Tonight, Lars will be in singles action in front of a live Los Angeles crowd. His opponent has yet to be named, however, which likely means they are enhancement talent.
Keith Lee In Single’s Action
Keith Lee will also see in-ring action tonight. As with Sullivan, Lee’s opponent has yet to be officially named by WWE, likely meaning they are enhancement talent.
Fallout From WarGames
WWE will also be airing highlights from all the action from Saturday’s Takeover: WarGames event tonight as well.
205 Live Preview 11/21
TJP vs Gran Metalik
TJP used to wrestle as a luchador in Mexico but that doesn’t mean he respects the culture. The former Cruiserweight Champion has gone out of his way to disrespect the masks of the Lucha House Party. He’ll be in tough tonight, however, when he goes one on one with Gran Metalik.
Don’t forget Maria Kanellis is now aligned with TJP as well. She’ll likely be around to help her new client.
Buddy Murphy’s Next Challenger Revealed?
With Murphy having taken care of Mustafa Alli at Survivor Series, it opens the door for a new number one contender to be named. Drake Maverick will likely have something to say on this matter tonight. That is, only if he isn’t in segments where he is urinating himself, that is.
– In this video posted on NXT’s Instagram account, Lars Sullivan shows off his incredible strength by bench pressing 315 pounds 20 times over a single set (and without any assistance).
https://instagram.com/p/BnthV6xBc5i/
Sullivan wrestled on this week’s episode of NXT as he decimated Raul Mendoza.
– A new season of Total Divas premieres this Wednesday night on E! and as a result, episodes from the last season can now be seen on the WWE Network.
All 12 episodes from Total Divas Season 7 are now available to watch on demand after being uploaded this morning.
Total Divas Season 7 premiered on November 1, 2017, with the finale airing on January 31, 2018. The main cast featured Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Naomi, Lana, Maryse, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Nia Jax.
– Ronda Rousey will compete on Raw for the first time ever tomorrow night as she takes on Alicia Fox. Ahead of the match, WWE.com posted a photo gallery of the first time The Undertaker, Braun Strowman, Sasha Banks and other current Superstars wrestled on Raw.
Following his main event NXT title match with Aleister Black at Takeover, WWE announced Lars Sullivan had suffered a broken jaw. The promotion event sent out an X-Ray of Sullivan’s injury through their social media accounts.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter had originally reported the injury as legit. They have now released a correction, however, stating that Sullivan’s broken jaw is just a part of his storyline. He did not actually suffer an injury at Takeover but that is the story WWE wants to tell.
It is not known when NXT will bring back Sullivan. The injury was likely a way to protect Sullivan while still having him lose to Black as it gives his character an excuse as to why he lost.
Sullivan’s loss to Aleister Black was his first loss in a single’s match on NXT programming.
Triple H on Lars Sullivan
Following Takeover: Chicago II, Triple H spoke with Cathy Kelley. He spoke in regards to how Sullivan’s loss to Aleister Black will likely make him stronger.
“Here’s the thing, size, and strength but how long has (Lars) been doing this?” Triple H asked. “That’s really the unknown factor of how good can he become.”
“Lars Sullivan has been here for a cup of coffee, been in the ring for a cup of coffee,” Triple H said on Sullivan’s experience level. “Not someone who has spent years and years doing this.”
Triple H then talked about Lars’ performance in the main event that night.
“I don’t think there was a moment in there where he looked like he didn’t belong,” Triple H said. “To me, that is the ultimate victory. That Lars Sullivan, at this point in his career, was able to go toe-to-toe with Aleister Black.”
“He could be the most dangerous person here and this loss might actually be a blessing for him.”
Lars Sullivan is going to be out of action for awhile. He’s on the injured list with a broken jaw. He sustained the injury midway through his match with Aleister Black at Takeover: Chicago II.
The timetable to return from a broken jaw is pretty variable. A few months is a good rough estimate, however.
This is the second time in 2018 Sullivan has been out with an injury. He missed a set of TV tapings back in February due to a knee issue as well.
Lars Sullivan in WWE
29-year-old Lars Sullivan is believed to have reported to the WWE Performance Center in October of 2014. He began wrestling matches on NXT house shows in 2016 and started on television in April of 2017. There are no reports of Sullivan having worked anywhere else before being signed to WWE.
Sullivan has been protected on NXT programming. He’s wrestled 12x in single’s matches on NXT TV (not including house shows). Sulivan’s record is 9-1-1 with his only loss coming to Black at the most recent Takeover event.
Shortly after he lost the NXT championship match in Chicago, Triple H said the loss will likely make Sullivan even more dangerous. He continued to say that Sullivan will be an even more dangerous competitor once he learns from his rookie mistakes. You can check out Triple H’s interview below:
It was announced that Lars Sullivan suffered a broken jaw halfway through his match against NXT Champion Aleister Black at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II. No additional details have been provided on the injury, but WWE’s NXT account Tweeted out the following x-ray photo showing the break:
According to a report from PWInsider‘s Mike Johnson, WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler’s contract with the company is set to expire later this summer. It was also noted that he has yet to sign a new contract with the company.
Ziggler is a part of one of the biggest feuds on RAW at the moment. He recently defeated Seth Rollins to win the Intercontinental Championship, and the pair tore the house down in their rematch on Monday Night RAW earlier this week.
It should be interesting to see how Ziggler’s contract situation plays out given that he’s currently a WWE title holder.
– There was an injury scare at tonight’s WWE live event in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada as Apollo hurt his knee during a tag team match teaming with Titus O’Neil against Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus.
According to a fan in attendance, he got hurt while attempting a kip-up.
The referee threw up the “X” signal and Apollo was examined at ringside by medical personnel. He was able to continue the match but was limping. The Bar ended up winning.
The 4th match was Sheamus and Cesaro over Titus/Apollo and Gallows/Anderson. There was an injury scare with Apollo’s right knee early but he’s fine. He worked most of the match. #WWEKitchenerpic.twitter.com/8SGBkaALrh
— John Canton (TJRWrestling) (@johnreport) March 25, 2018
Ref through up an “X” for Apollo. Medical staff came down, checked on him, he said he’s able to continue the match. Is limping a bit. #WWEKitchenerpic.twitter.com/yCYuhWBVXW
– In the video below, NXT star Lars Sullivan shows off his by amazing strength by lifting 135 pounds with one arm — the movement is called the Turkish Get-up.
Turkish get ups w 135lbs to cool down from today's training session. This is a great movement for total body strength. Lars and in charge pic.twitter.com/wtn3KTYah5
– In his first match in over a month, Lars Sullivan returned to action at tonight’s NXT live event in Dade City, Florida.
Taking on Babatunde Aiyegbusi, Sullivan beat the six-foot-10, 350-pound former football player in three minutes after putting him down with the Freak Accident.
Before tonight, Sullivan had not wrestled since squashing Lio Rush at an NXT television taping on Jan. 4 in Atlanta, Georgia.
– Renee Young is this week’s guest on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast as the WWE personality talks about her journey to WWE, her marriage to Dean Ambrose, changing her name on Instagram, Talking Smack, and more.
– Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart celebrates his birthday today as the two-time WWF Tag Team Champion turns 63 years old. In honor of his birthday, Natalya posted the following on their close relationship.
– Below is the latest Clash Royale gameplay video from RAW Tag Team Champion Cesaro and Xavier Woods’ “UpUpDownDown” YouTube channel:
– WWE has a new poll asking fans which rising young WWE Performance Center standout has the brightest future in WWE NXT. As of this writing, 28% voted for Lars Sullivan while 21% voted for The Velveteen Dream, 14% for other, 9% for Bianca Belair, 6% for Taynara Conti, 6% for Lacey Evans, 6% for Sonya Deville, 4% for Tino Sabbatelli, 4% for Riddick Moss and 2% for Cezar Bononi.
– The Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole tweeted the following today on his big win at “Takeover: WarGames” last night and the match with former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre at Friday’s NXT live event in San Antonio:
– Above and below are post-WarGames videos of The Undisputed Era and WWE NXT Tag Team Champions SAnitY after their war with Roderick Strong & The Authors of Pain at “Takeover: WarGames” last night in Houston. As noted, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish won that match. Cole brags about how they run NXT while SAnitY limps through the back.
– NXT Superstars Aleister Black and Lars Sullivan remain undefeated coming out of Takeover last night. As noted, Lars defeated Kassius Ohno in the opener while Black later defeated The Velveteen Dream.
– Triple H tweeted the following after Takeover went off the air last night:
Thank you to everyone in attendance and who watched #NXTTakeOver: WarGames on @WWENetwork. Tonight, with 30 years of history behind us, we launched a franchise. #WeAreNXT
– Below is video of Lars Sullivan talking to Kayla Braxton after defeating Kassius Ohno in the opener of tonight’s WWE NXT “Takeover: WarGames” event in Houston. Lars says he feels pretty good considering Ohno hit him in the face about 50 times but he took it like a man. Lars told everyone from day 1 that he would be the man to mess with around here, the man to step through and tonight was only the beginning. Lars says tonight was his first Takeover, his first big test and he persevered and dominated – unequivocally, emphatically and categorically. Lars says he wants to send a message to the rest of the NXT locker room – if they want to step in his way, they will too be destroyed by his hands only.
– Stars shown in the crowd at tonight’s WarGames event were Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Mark Andrews, Wolfgang, Funaki, Finn Balor, Asuka, Kevin Owens (wearing a t-shirt for The Undisputed Era), Samoa Joe, Goldust (Dustin Rhodes) and WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson. As noted, Asuka ended up presenting the NXT Women’s Title to new champion Ember Moon.
– As noted, Takeover saw Drew McIntyre drop the NXT Title to Andrade “Cien” Almas in a surprising win. Triple H tweeted the following on Almas after the match:
– Below is a new video with an inside look at the WWE NXT “Takeover: WarGames” main event for this Saturday night in Houston at the Toyota Center. As noted, the match will feature The Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly vs. The Authors of Pain (Akam, Rezar) & Roderick Strong vs. SAnitY’s Killian Dain with NXT Tag Team Champions Eric Young & Alexander Wolfe.
– As noted, WWE recently announced that Johnny Gargano vs. WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne would take place before Takeover at the Toyota Center. NXT General Manager William Regal announced on tonight’s show that Gargano vs. Dunne will air on next Wednesday’s NXT episode. Ruby Riot vs. Sonya Deville will also be taped before Takeover to air next Wednesday.
– Lars Sullivan remains undefeated after his match with Raul Mendoza on tonight’s NXT episode, going into his match with Kassius Ohno at Takeover on Saturday night. Below is a post-match segment with Lars and Ohno from tonight:
– Below is a new promo looking at the legacy of the WarGames match as we prepare for the return of the two-ring, three-team battle at WWE NXT “Takeover: WarGames” on Saturday, November 18th from the Toyota Center in Houston. The match will feature The Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly vs. The Authors of Pain (Akam, Rezar) & Roderick Strong vs. SAnitY’s Killian Dain with NXT Tag Team Champions Eric Young & Alexander Wolfe. The video features comments from Goldust, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.
– Matches announced for next week’s NXT are Ember Moon vs. Mercedes Martinez plus tag team action with The Street Profits vs. Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss. Next week’s “Takeover: WarGames” go-home episode will also feature Andrade “Cien” Almas doing an in-ring face-off with NXT Champion Drew McIntyre.
– As noted, Takeover will feature Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan in singles action. Lars tweeted the following after the match was announced by NXT General Manager William Regal:
Thank you Mr. Regal. I can assure you Kassius will be the victim of a public dissection at Takeover. This will generate interest for future Takeover's. Everyone comes out a winner with this decision. ? https://t.co/wxUvNX1mDM
Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan is now official for WWE NXT “Takeover: WarGames” during WWE Survivor Series weekend.
Below is the updated card for Takeover, which takes place on Saturday, November 18th from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas:
WarGames
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish) vs. The Authors of Pain (Akam, Rezar) & Roderick Strong vs. NXT Tag Team Champions SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain)
NXT Title Match
Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Drew McIntyre
Fatal 4 Way for the Vacant NXT Women’s Title
Kairi Sane vs. Ember Moon vs. Peyton Royce vs. Nikki Cross
Ab Contest
Shawn Michaels vs. Johnny Gargano
The Velveteen Dream vs. Aleister Black
Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan
Pre-Show Dark Match for the WWE UK Title
Johnny Gargano vs. Pete Dunne
At 6-foot-3 and close to 300 pounds, WWE has a monster up their sleeve with NXT star Dylan Miley. The former football player and powerlifter was signed to a WWE developmental deal in 2013 and made his NXT in-ring debut at WrestleMania Axxess back in 2015.
Dylan Miley made his NXT television debut last month and is now working under a new ring name: Lars Sullivan.
Dylan Miley Becomes Lars Sullivan
Lars Sullivan has been on the road with NXT touring over the past several weeks. Now that WWE is starting to develop his character, he’s on an impressive winning streak and hasn’t been pinned or submitted all year.
Sullivan was formerly paired up with Braun Strowman in developmental, prior to Strowman joining the Wyatt Family on the main roster. Triple H is said to be quite high on Sullivan, and judging by how he is being positioned in NXT at the moment, he could be someone the WWE sees giving a large main roster push to at some point.
Now that he’s had his first NXT television match, Lars Sullivan is already looking ahead to next April: