The Lucha Dragons will be no more after the WWE Draft.
As seen below, Sin Cara and Kalisto went on Facebook Live to announce their split.
Kalisto added that the two will always be brothers.
What big announcement did #LUCHADragons @KalistoWWE & @SinCaraWWE make about the #WWEDraft? https://t.co/LoDx4l8VyO pic.twitter.com/RGLUi2tTGJ
— WWE (@WWE) July 18, 2016
WWE taped the following matches on Tuesday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
– Seth Rollins kicks off this week’s show by coming out to the ring. He talks about John Cena and what happened on Monday’s RAW. Eventually, Rollins is interrupted by Cesaro. Cesaro comes out for our first match of the evening.
– Cesaro def. Seth Rollins via Disqualification in the first match taped for this week’s SmackDown. Kevin Owens joined the gang on commentary during this match and became involved in the finish, which saw Owens attack Cesaro for the DQ. Rollins teased a showdown with Owens but they ended up double-teaming Cesaro instead.
– Los Matadores & The Lucha Dragons def. The New Day & The Ascension in eight-man tag-team action in the second match taped for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
– Summer Rae and Rusev come out for a promo segment in the ring. They address what went down on Monday with Lana and the dead fish at RAW.
– Rusev def. Jack Swagger in the third match taped for SmackDown. Swagger got a big hometown pop since he is from Oklahoma. After the match, which Rusev won, he tried to attack Swagger some more, however Swagger ended up countering him and applying the Patriot Lock.
– Stardust def. R-Truth in the fourth match taped for this week’s SmackDown. Stardust was cutting a promo in the ring after the match when Neville ran out and attacked him.
– Cesaro & Dean Ambrose def. Kevin Owens & Seth Rollins in the fifth and final match taped for this week’s show. Cesaro picked Ambrose as his mystery partner. The finish of this match saw Ambrose counter a Pop-Up Powerbomb attempt by Owens, which allowed Cesaro to roll Owens up for the 1-2-3. This is how SmackDown will go off the air this week.
WWE taped two matches for this week’s Superstars prior to Monday’s post-Extreme Rules edition of RAW in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Below are quick results of the two matches.
– The Prime Time Players def. Los Matadores in tag-team action. El Torito was at ringside with the Matadores. In the end, Titus O’Neil and Darren Young were too much for the bull fighting duo.
– Lucha Dragons def. The Ascension in another tag-team contest. The Dragons, particularly Kalisto, were flying all over the place en route to a quick victory.
– The Rock’s movie Furious 7 continues to crush it at the box office. Already in the top 10 highest grossing movies of all time, it’s taken in over 800 million dollars in less than two weeks. It’s expected to finish at about $350 domestic and $850 foreign, for a total of $1.2 billion. Furious 7 will take in more revenue this year than WWE and UFC combined.
– Jey Uso undergoing surgery and being out of action for the next 6 months is the reason the Lucha Dragons were called up to the main roster the night after WrestleMania 31. With the Usos on hold until the end of the year, WWE needed to quickly elevate a new babyface tag team to challenge Kidd & Cesaro, which is why we’ve seen the Dragons on such a roll in recent weeks.
– Former TNA Knockout (Sarah Stock/Dark Angel from CMLL) was at the WWE Performance Center this week as a guest trainer teaching Lucha style.
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The following matches were taped for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event prior to the SmackDown television tapings on Tuesday night in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dark Match
– The Prime Time Players def. two local wrestlers.
WWE Main Event
– Cesaro & Tyson Kidd def. The Lucha Dragons in tag-team action. This is the second straight week that the Lucha Dragons have worked the Main Event tapings. The finish in this one saw Cesaro hit his big uppercut for the 1-2-3.
– The Bella Twins def. Paige & Emma in Divas tag-team action. This was a rematch from Monday’s RAW, which saw Brie pin Emma for the finish.
– Stardust def. Kofi Kingston in the headline match of the evening. The crowd got on Stardust’s case with “Cody” chants throughout the match. In the end, Stardust picked up the “W” by way of clean pin fall.
The following is a preview for Thursday’s episode of WWE SmackDown:
Hit up Page 2 below for Spoiler Results:
– Sunday’s edition of WWE Total Divas drew 914,000 viewers on E!, the lowest number the show has drawn thus far this year. By comparison, the previous week’s show averaged 1.08 million viewers. This coming Sunday’s show will look to bounce back, but will have to do so while running against the live WWE Fastlane event on pay-per-view.
– It looks as though former NXT Tag-Team Champions The Lucha Dragons could be headed to the main WWE roster soon. The duo, which consists of Sin Cara and Kalisto, worked the WWE Main Event taping on Tuesday night, defeating the team of Curtis Axel and Heath Slater.
One of the reasons that WWE had The Lucha Dragons, Sin Cara and Kalisto, drop the NXT Tag-Team Championships recently is because they are contemplating giving Kalisto a new gimmick.
Verified Reddit user MetsFan4Ever noted recently that WWE is looking for a new masked Superstar to take over the void that Rey Mysterio will soon be leaving, however they have recently tried using Kalisto under a new, unmasked gimmick — that of a homosexual hair stylist.
WWE officials were reportedly pleased with Kalisto’s performance as that character and as a result, they are said to be seriously considering having him do that gimmick permanently instead of continuing with his current Kalisto character.
– There are some rumors going around NXT that Kalisto of the Lucha Dragons may be getting called up to the main WWE roster in the near future. It remains to be seen whether WWE keeps the team together, or if he’s brought in as a singles star.
– Legendary wrestling manager Jim Cornette is the guest on the latest edition of Roddy Piper’s “Piper’s Pit” podcast. The official description for the show reads as follows:
PP-Ep42 – Jim Cornette
“Yeeee Hawwwww! Jim Cornette crashes into Piper’s Pit like a Level 5 Tornado, tearing apart everything you thought you knew about pro-wrestling. Why did Vince McMahon think Lex Luger was going to be the next Hulk Hogan? Who was tapped to run the WWF when Vince McMahon thought he’d be trading in his designer suits for prison stripes when the wrestling titan was an ass hair away from going to jail? You can only find out by downloading the latest episode of the best wrestling podcast in the whole damned world! Baby Jesus!”
You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
The future of the WWE went to school last night, and I’m here to grade their performance. Matches will be graded based on usual factors such as workrate, in-ring psychology, crowd involvement, and overall impact on the storyline. Important promos will also be graded based on entertainment value, believability, and originality.
While this is supposed to act as a weekly report and recap for NXT, more importantly, it’s a place for you, the SEScoops readers, to discuss this week’s episode, dole out your own grades, and discuss the future of the product. Without further ado, here is this week’s NXT Report Card.
Adrian Neville/Kevin Owens Opening Promo
This was a pretty good way to start the show and the crowd really seemed to be into it. Neville did his best to make amends with the fans and put over Sami Zayn, saying things like, “We went to war” and “The better man won.”
Neville isn’t the strongest promo man in the game, but he did his best, even if he can be a bit redundant at times. Owens, on the other hand, cut an intense and articulate promo that seemed to have the crowd on the edge of their seats. Overall, it was a good way to start the show and set up the main event between Neville and Owens.
Grade: B+
Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
This one started off a bit sluggish, with most of the early action consisting of Bayley throwing punches and not utilizing many wrestling moves. The action picked up toward the end, however, with the ending sequence being particularly impressive. The counter into Lynch’s finisher was fresh and it worked well with the in-ring psychology due to Bayley’s injured knee.
Grade: B-
NXT Takeover: R Evolution Results
Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
December 11, 2014
– Corey Graves announced that his in-ring career was over and that he was retiring due to concussions. However, it was revealed that he is joining the NXT announcing team. He makes his debut tonight.
It's a shame Pittsburgh's own @WWEGraves has to end his in ring career but best of luck in your broadcasting future! pic.twitter.com/IhFIPTKCZi
— Dumb Marks Podcast (@DumbMarksPod) December 12, 2014
– Kevin Owens def. C.J. Parker in the opening match on the show. The fans were heavily into Owens throughout the match. Owens ended up getting busted open pretty badly near the end of the match, likely from a palm strike from Parker. It looked like he may have suffered a broken nose. In the end, Owens picked up the win with a big power bomb for the 1-2-3.
#FightOwensFIGHT!! Owens vs. @WWEMoonChild NOW at #NXTTakeover! pic.twitter.com/r0SuV24URc
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) December 12, 2014
– The Lucha Dragons def. The Vaudevillains to retain the NXT Tag-Team Championships. This was a fun match with a lot of high-spots and high-flying offense. The finish saw Kalisto hit the Salida del Sol on Simon Gotch for the 1-2-3.
Thank u @WWENXT @WWEUniverse for the Amazing Support! Gracias!!! @wwe_mex @ #LuchaDragons #NXTTagTeamChampions pic.twitter.com/x7Q5tqQ1KS
— CintaDeOro (@CintaDeOro) December 12, 2014
– Baron Corbin def. Tye Dillinger in a quick squash. The fans did the routine where they count from the opening bell. The count died down when it got past 30, although the match didn’t last much longer than that. Corbin hit Dillinger with the End Of Days for the pinfall victory. After the match, he and Bull Dempsey, who was in the front row, had a long staredown.
– Finn Balor & Hideo Itami def. The Ascension in an awesome tag-team match. Balor’s entrance alone garnered “this is awesome” and “marking out” chants from the fans at Full Sail University. He had the head gear and the full-body paint, etc. The finish in this one saw Balor and Itami both hit a double-foot-stomp off the top, with Balor scoring the pinfall.
Your winners: @HideoItami & @WWEBalor!! #NXTTakeover #REvolution pic.twitter.com/h0Aw3b6uUF
— WWE (@WWE) December 12, 2014
https://twitter.com/joeystyles/status/543238808519458817
– Charlotte def. Sasha Banks to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. This was an excellent NXT Women’s match that had a lot of positive chants from the fans, such as “this is wrestling!” In the end, Charlotte hit the Natural Selection for the pinfall victory to retain the title.
“@divadirt: #NXTTakeover: @MsCharlotteWWE Retains the NXT Women's Championship http://t.co/p1pU7rt7Ug pic.twitter.com/IKVCKOe7yJ” epic battle
— ?Karlee Daniels ??? (@KarleeDaniels) December 12, 2014
– Sami Zayn def. Adrian Neville to become the new NXT Champion in the main event of the evening. This match tore down the house, exactly as you would expect. Zayn hit his big running boot to the face in the corner for the pinfall victory after a bunch of teases with ref bumps, which at one point actually led to the fans chanting “this ref sucks.” Lots of cool spots throughout this one and lots of intensity from the fans in attendance. After the match, the entire NXT roster, including Pat Patterson, came out to congratulate Zayn. They put him up on their shoulders and it was a big, giant celebration.
As Zayn was at ringside taking in the moment, Kevin Owens came out to congratulate his friend once again. He then viciously attacked him, reigniting their classic rivalry. Owens power bombed the new NXT champion onto the ring apron and the show closed with Zayn selling the attack.
Overall, an excellent show that showcased NXT’s unbelievably talented top stars.
https://twitter.com/TheQueenHEEL/status/543236827381915650
RT if you're gonna be humming @ILikeSamiZayn's theme song all night long. #NXTTakeover pic.twitter.com/suMk0EjGto
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) December 12, 2014
https://twitter.com/TheRealKA250/status/543239265212047362
– WWE is billing Kevin Owens’ (aka Kevin Steen’s) television debut at the December 11th “Takeover: R Evolution” special as a “date of reckoning” for NXT.
– The mini wrestlers who played “The Mini Lucha Dragons” on this week’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network were El Torito and Blixx from Hulk Hogan’s former “Micro Championship Wrestling” show.
While there is still one more set of television tapings before the next NXT live special, which is expected to take place on December 11th on the WWE Network, based on what has been taped thus far, the following matches are rumored for the fourth live NXT special:
NXT Championship:
– Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn
NXT Women’s Championship:
– Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks or Becky Lynch, or a multi-Diva match with Bayley included
NXT Tag-Team Championships:
– The Vaudevillians vs. The Lucha Dragons
– Hideo Itami and Finn Balor vs. The Ascension
Below are some post-NXT Takeover 2 backstage video interviews from Thursday night.
The following are results of the NXT Takeover 2 special, which aired on the WWE Network on Thursday, September 11, 2014.
– The Lucha Dragons (Sin Cara & Kalisto) def. The Ascension to become the new NXT Tag-Team Champions in the opening match of the show. The finish came when Kalisto pinned Viktor.
– Baron Corbin def. C.J. Parker in a quick squash match that lasted all of 29 seconds.
– Enzo Amore def. Sylvester Lefort with a rolling reverse cradle, holding his trunks during the pin. Lefort tried to run away after the match, but Big Cass clotheslined him. Louis attacked Cass and Lefort ran off, leaving Louis alone. Cass hit a big kick on Louis. Cass said to Amore, “Enzo, get the bucket!” in Dudley Boyz fashion. He poured the bucket on Louis and Louis ran off.
– KENTA came out to the ring after being introduced by William Regal. KENTA announced that his new name is Hideo Itami. The Acension came out and threw him out of the ring and demanded a tag-title rematch. He came back in and cleaned house of both guys.
– Bull Dempsey def. Mojo Rawley in about a minute with a diving head-butt. After the match, he gave Rowley another diving head-butt for good measure.
– Backstage, Enzo Amore and Big Cass wanted to see somebody bald. They found Louis and Lefort ran away, leaving him alone yet again. Cass attacked him and carried him to the ring. Cass hit him with a reverse atomic drop and Amore took the towel off that was covering his head, revealing that he only had a little bit of hair left and no eyebrows.
– Charlotte def. Bayley to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. The finish saw Charlotte hit a moonsault, followed by a neck-snapper for the pin. After the match, Sasha Banks came out and taunted Bayley and then attacked her. Charlotte ended up making the save.
– It was announced that Hideo Itami (formerly known as KENTA) will be making his in-ring debut on NXT TV next week, which is actually being taped on Saturday night, September 12th.
– Adrian Neville def. Tyler Breeze, Sami Zayn & Tyson Kidd to retain the NXT Championship. The finish saw Neville hit his spectacular Red Arrow on Kidd for the pin after Zayn had hit the running kick into the corner and had the match won, but Neville pulled the referee out of the ring so he couldn’t make the three count. This was definitely a “match of the year” candidate.