In recent weeks WWE has been running vignettes for SmackDown Live stars Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, who are now known as the Bludgeon Brothers. The duo returned to the ring earlier this week as the Bludgeon Brothers. They had a new theme song, new matching ring gear and a new finishing move.

At Wednesday night’s WWE live event from Leeds, England, Harper and Rowan were back in action, but there was no sign of the Bludgeon Brothers gimmick.

Eric Rowan & Luke Harper – WWE Live 08/11/17 #WWELive #WWELeeds pic.twitter.com/h0hkpwVtf7

— ? Michelle ? (@shellash85) November 9, 2017

Coming out to Luke Harper’s entrance music, the team was introduced simply as Erick Rowan and Luke Harper and competed in their classic ring attire.

It remains to be seen why they dropped the Bludgeon Brothers gimmick so abruptly. We’ll keep an eye on this story and will post an update after their next match on the tour.

For several weeks, there have been reports that Luke Harper and Erick Rowan would be returning to WWE television soon with a repackaged gimmick. On Tuesday’s SmackDown Live, we got our first look at what’s in store for the former Wyatt Family members.

They’re still going by Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, and Rowan still has his disturbing sheep mask. Toting sledge hammers, the duo is now known as the Bludgeon Brothers.

Harper and Rowan declared, “There is no conscience. There is no moral compass.” They’re threatening broken bones and severed spines. If there’s anybody that can back up these claims, it’s these two. We’ll find out soon if the Bludgeon Brothers will be a force to be reckoned with on SmackDown or if this is The Ascension 2.0.

Check out the first Bludgeon Brothers promo:

Luke Harper & Erick Rowan are ready to punish the wicked.

Former WWE NXT Tag Team Champs Eric Rowan and Luke Harper could be seeing some big changes to their gimmicks soon.

As first reported by Pro Wrestling Sheet, the pair are being considered to work a new gimmick together as well as change up their look. Harper and Rowan have been working against one another in singles matches lately, with Harper picking up the win.

Multiple sources have confirmed that WWE is considering bringing the pair back as a team, however, their were also rumblings earlier in the summer to have them revealed as the team who has been attacking Breezango.

– The conclusion of Monday’s RAW saw Samoa Joe interfere in Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns’ Last Man Standing Match, with Joe choking out Reigns and helping Strowman get the victory after a very physical match. After RAW went off the air, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman had a stare down, but there was no dark match main event after the cameras stopped rolling.

– Saturday’s WWE live event from Montreal, Quebec saw two unlikely tag teams squaring off: Luke Harper & Sin Cara vs. Erick Rowan and Aiden English. The two teams went at it again on Monday night from Kingston, Ontario, with Luke Harper and Sin Cara picking up the win one again. Luke Harper was sporting a new lucha mask on Monday night, a sign that this unlikely pairing might be sticking together for the foreseeable future.

Great teaming up with @LukeHarperWWE ! Gracias amigo! Tell #Harpercito he can team up with #SinCarita soon! @wweespanol @WWE #CintaDeOro pic.twitter.com/zdGDFOlTP0

— CintaDeOro (@CintaDeOro) August 8, 2017

– The Bella Twins’ official YouTube channel added a new video of John Cena doing squats as part of his ‘Hard Nocks South Life’ series.

https://youtu.be/Z1QOlX-CVow

– Two new tandems formed at Saturday’s WWE live event in Montreal, Quebec and tonight’s show in Ottawa, Ontario as Luke Harper and Sin Cara teamed up against another odd pairing in Erick Rowan and Aiden English.

Gracias a #WWEMontreal ??!!! Great teaming up with @LukeHarperWWE ! @WWE @wweespanol #CintaDeOro #TodosSomosSinCara #SinCara #Unbeatable ?? pic.twitter.com/G4dDXWcEuI

— CintaDeOro (@CintaDeOro) August 6, 2017

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXeQ_SNANyC/

In Montreal, Harper and Cara went over English and Rowan.

– On Twitter, Mike Kanellis responded with the following to a fan who wrote, “Do you appreciate that WWE have turned you into a jobber? Because I don’t.”

https://twitter.com/RealMikeBennett/status/894306821208408064

Kanellis also posted this flashback photo on Instagram in response to fans who said he would never amount to anything when he joined Ring of Honor seven years ago.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXdPrWllj5d/

– Celebrating a birthday today is 1996 WWE Hall of Fame inductee “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant, who turns 75.

• Who is Becky Lynch’s boyfriend?

WWE Superstar Luke Harper recently did an interview with Democrat & Chronicle to talk about his journey in WWE, almost leaving pro wrestling, and joining the WWE at the age of 32-years-old. Here are some of the highlights:

Going 0-3 in matches in his hometown of Rochester, New York:

“I know about (the curse), and I feel that, and trust me it sucks. I actually had a really great match with Dolph Ziggler here that I thought I should have won and I didn’t. That really sticks in my craw. It’s something I think about …but it’s nothing that’s in my control.”

Almost making the decision to leave professional wrestling while working in Japan, as his wife was at home state-side and pregnant:

“I said to her, ‘This is it. I’m done. I can’t be away from you, we just have to figure something out.’ I was just going to wrestle locally and I come back from the tour, make the decision, everything’s good, then WWE calls and says ‘Hey, we want you to come try out.’ So, literally, I was as far out as I’ve ever been in my life away from pro wrestling, and they instantly pulled me back in and it was back to it.”

Joining the WWE roster at 32-years-old:

“Learning the way I did gave me more of a foundation than if I didn’t. I’m glad I didn’t get to WWE until I did because I was more complete at 32 than I was at 25. It all happens for a reason, but if I tried to tell myself that at the time I would have said ‘Screw you.’ ”

You can read the full interview at this link here.

Randy Orton Takes Photo With Drew Gulak

In case you missed it, Randy Orton caused a bit of a scene over the weekend on Twitter. Rip Rogers, head trainer for Ohio Valley Wrestling, posted a picture on Twitter of a message he received. The message was critical of independent wrestling and it’s reliance on high spots. Orton retweeted the message and simply added “…dive”.

…..dive https://t.co/3AclxV2jdb

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) May 13, 2017

WWE Cruiserweight Superstar Drew Gulak posted a photo shortly after SmackDown went off the air. The photo was with Randy Orton and poked fun at the controversy over the tweet.

https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/864666234922700800

Erick Rowan Will Face Luke Harper At Backlash This Sunday

Erick Rowan joined SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon and Renee Young on this week’s episode of Talking Smack. Rowan wanted a match against Luke Harper. Rowan referred to Harper as “Lucas” and psychotically laughed at the mask he brought with him to Talking Smack. Shane McMahon then made the match official and Erick Rowan will face off against Luke Harper at Backlash.

Per #SDLive Commissioner @ShaneMcMahon, @ERICKROWAN will face his former brethren @LukeHarperWWE at #WWEBacklash! #TalkingSmack pic.twitter.com/3dlRpRtzsu

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

Here is the updated card for WWE Backlash this Sunday:

WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton (c) vs Jinder Mahal

United States Championship Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs AJ Styles

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos (c) vs Breezango

Naomi, Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch vs Natalya, Tamina Snuka & Carmella

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Dolph Ziggler

Erick Rowan vs Luke Harper

Kickoff Show: Tye Dillinger vs Aiden English

Luke Harper wrestled at Sunday night’s SmackDown live event from Albany, New York and looks to be in great physical shape. Harper has lost weight, had a new entrance video and was sporting new ring gear. Harper was defeated by WWE Champion Bray Wyatt in what was said to be a very good match.

https://twitter.com/grplgme/status/843592596765249536

Luke Harper in Line for a Push?

New gear, new entrance video, and a split from the Wyatt Family have it looking good that Luke Harper may be in line for a push up the Smackdown rankings.

Now 37 years old, Harper was already in his 30s by the time he landed in WWE in 2012. He had previously wrestled with Chikara, Dragon Gate, Evolve and numerous other independent promotions. Harper received a brief push in 2014 when Bray Wyatt let him and the other family members “go free”. Harper briefly won the Intercontinental championship during this period, his reign lasting just under 4 weeks.

Video of Harper’s entrance, which includes his entrance video, can be seen below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BR1tctZgN8r/?taken-by=wwe

SmackDown Live star and former Wyatt Family member Luke Harper recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast and expressed his frustration with his current role in WWE. Harper says he doesn’t miss playing second-fiddle to Wyatt and is disappointed to not have a match at WrestleMania.

Harper says he felt like a “back-up dancer” in the Wyatt Family and grew frustrated with not being able to showcase his skills. “For a performer like me, that’s hard to take and hard to deal with and I thought that the coming out party of the last six weeks was very eye opening and, ya know, showed me what was out there,” he said.

While he’s excited about going solo, the former Intercontinental and Tag Team champion says he feels “bitter” about not being on the biggest pay-per-view of the year. When asked about what his WrestleMania dream match would be, Harper indicated he would want something more violent than what Vince McMahon currently allows on his programming.

“It would probably be a three-way dance between me, Bruiser Brody, and Terry Funk in a “No Holds Barred” match,” Harper said. “And maybe Vince [McMahon] isn’t watching. So we can do some real crazy stuff.”

You can listen to Harper’s whole interview on Gorilla Position.

– Batista has reportedly signed on to appear in the upcoming film “Escape Plan 2” starring Sylvester Stallone and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. For more on the film, check out Deadline.com.

– Seth Rollins tweeted congratulations to Christopher Daniels after he captured the ROH World Championship at Friday night’s ROH 15th Anniversary show.

Major congrats to @facdaniels on winning the @ringofhonor title. One of the best dudes I've had the pleasure of knowing. Long overdue!

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) March 12, 2017

– Erick Rowan is scheduled to return to television very soon, as early as this week’s tapings. He’s has been out of action rehabilitating a torn rotator cuff and was spotted at the WWE Performance Center several times over the past month.

WWE posted this video of Cathy Kelley doing her best detective work to decode Luke Harper’s recent string of cryptic tweets.

The WWE posted a new video to their YouTube channel that highlighted the bizarre tweets of Luke Harper. Cathy Kelley called for the WWE Universe to try and figure out if there is a hidden message in Harper’s tweets. Kelley also said that it could just be the ramblings of a madman.

Triple H will be returning to the ring tonight at WWE live event in Buffalo, NY. Triple H posted a video of him training for tonight’s match. It is still unclear what Triple H’s role will be at Wrestlemania, as it all depends on the health of Seth Rollins. On Raw, Triple H said that if Rollins “calls Triple H out” at Wrestlemania 33, it will be the last thing he does in a WWE ring. It could wind up simply being a segment between Rollins and Triple H at Wrestlemania 33 if Rollins is not healthy in time for the show. Either way, Triple H is ready to go and will be performing tonight in Buffalo.

Last #MidnightWorkout before @WWE Live in #WWEBuffalo & #WWEToronto…
10yrd 325lb Sled sprints @StephMcMahon @DeFrancosGym pic.twitter.com/A9nhGfIzfq

— Triple H (@TripleH) March 10, 2017

• Matt Hardy Threatens To DELETE Vince McMahon (Video)

Randy Orton vs. Luke Harper has been announced for next week’s WWE SmackDown from Toledo. Bray Wyatt made the match on tonight’s SmackDown to resolve the issues between the two. Wyatt said one will stand and one will fall but the group will be stronger in the end.

All three members of The Wyatt Family are also now confirmed for the 30 man Royal Rumble match in San Antonio on 1/29. Here’s the updated list of Royal Rumble participants:

• Brock Lesnar
• Goldberg
• The Undertaker
• Chris Jericho
• Braun Strowman
• Seth Rollins
• Baron Corbin
• Dolph Ziggler
• The Miz
• Dean Ambrose
• Cesaro
• Sheamus
• Bray Wyatt
• Luke Harper
• Randy Orton
• Kofi Kingston
• Xavier Woods
• Big E

– Luke Harper vs. Dean Ambrose has been announced for tonight’s SmackDown main event. Ambrose will have to deal with The Wyatt Family at ringside. WWE posted this ad for tonight’s show:

Don't miss @TheDeanAmbrose vs. @LukeHarperWWE LIVE TOMORROW NIGHT on @WWE #SDLive on @USA_Network! pic.twitter.com/nOJngEgvnJ

— WWE (@WWE) December 20, 2016

– Bayley wants her RAW Women’s Championship shot after pinning Charlotte in a non-title match last night on RAW. She calls on Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley to grant her the shot in this backstage Fallout video:

– Paige is receiving all sorts of interesting comments from fans after she posted a sappy love tweet about her relationship with Alberto Del Rio last night. You can read the full tweet below, where she says she might “steal” Del Rio’s wrestling moves when he returns to the ring:

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/811030495773519872

Broken Matt Hardy invited “The Family of Wyatts” to participate in the Tag Team Apocalypto fight this Thursday at the Total Nonstop Deletion. Whether Matt expected it or not, he got a response from Bray Wyatt.

https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/808547751424303104

I do. And if #BrotherNero & I have to come there to make this MANDATED war happen, WE WILL.

We are DESTINED to collide, Family of Wyatts. https://t.co/x01OE3GU6T

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) December 13, 2016

Thursday’s Impact will be a two hour extravaganza that will all be taking place at the Hardy compound. There most certainly will be people shooting fireworks at each other and hopefully a dilapidated boat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSjnOCtjJLc

It wasn’t too long ago that Final Deletion was the most popular thing in wrestling. The WWE tried to capitalize on the buzz of Final Deletion by producing a similar match. It wasn’t nearly as popular and a lot of fans accused the WWE of trying to copy TNA.

Five months later, Matt Hardy is still bringing up the Wyatt Family on social media. Broken Matt Hardy recently joined The Ross Report and revealed that his contract with TNA is expiring at the end of February. Hardy went on to state that he wanted to play a more prominent role in TNA once negotiations begin in a couple of months. Both Matt and Jeff Hardy have seen their careers revitalized in TNA. It would make sense for them to resign there and continue to try to build up the TNA brand.

If that turns out to not be the case and the Hardy Boyz wind up back in the WWE, this would be an amazing feud. Obviously, there is no chance in hell that Randy Orton, Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt would ever show up on an episode of Impact. The much more likely scenario is that Matt and Jeff Hardy return to the WWE to finish their careers. I’ve always rooted for TNA to be a success and for them to provide a viable alternative to the WWE. Unfortunately, they have never really been able to gain traction and have essentially been running in place while surrounded by constant financial problems. TNA will certainly try their best to resign Matt and Jeff Hardy in February but it remains to be seen if they will accomplish that goal.

Discussion: Would you be interested in seeing Matt and Jeff Hardy get one last run in the WWE? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

WWE posted the above video looking at The Wyatt Family making a “power grab” at TLC last night with their SmackDown Tag Team Championship win over Rhyno and Heath Slater.

On a related note, there’s speculation that we may see The Wyatt Family defend the belts with the Freebird Rule on SmackDown, similar to The New Day has done on RAW. It appears we will see a combo of Luke Harper, Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt defend the titles.

For the family… #WWETLC pic.twitter.com/nRwpdCQfZ1

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) December 5, 2016

WWE Smackdown (11/29)

This week’s episode of Smackdown kicked off with Renee Young in the ring. Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch joined her in the ring for a contract signing for their Smackdown Women’s Championship match this Sunday at WWE TLC. Alexa Bliss told Renee Young to get out of the ring. Bliss also scolded Renee for her fashion choices. Becky Lynch then compared Alexa to her four year old cousin. Bliss continued to insult Becky Lynch and they both signed the contract. After they both signed it, they brawled in the ring. Lynch hit the Becksplex on Alexa Bliss. Alexa then fought back and shoved Becky through a table off of the turnbuckle.

Reaction: I thought this promo was really good. Becky Lynch can be a bit of adventure on the microphone but tonight she did a good job. Alexa Bliss is excellent on the microphone and her facial expressions are hilarious. I find this feud to be much more interesting than the one between Charlotte and Sasha Banks on Raw.

.@AlexaBliss_WWE blocks @BeckyLynchWWE's #Bexploder, and sends the Champ crashing through the table! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/gbOh4XYeVU

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

Dolph Ziggler & Kalisto vs Baron Corbin & The Miz

Corbin dominated the match early and threw Ziggler out of the ring. The Miz was then tagged in and he immediately grabbed a ladder from under the ring. Ziggler got up and connected with a DDT on The Miz outside the ring. Ziggler then hit Corbin with a Superkick. Back in the ring, Ziggler tagged in Kalisto. The Miz hit Kalisto with a boot to the face and dove outside the ring onto Ziggler. Miz then launched Ziggler into the barricade surroinding the ring.

Kalisto then dove onto Corbin outside the ring. Ziggler hit a Superkick on The Miz as he was lying on the ring apron. Maryse shoved the ladder into Ziggler’s face. Kalisto landed the Salida del Sol on The Miz in the ring. Before the referee could count to three, Baron Corbin nailed Kalisto in the back with a chair. The referee then disqualified The Miz and Baron Corbin.

Winners via DQ: Dolph Ziggler & Kalisto

Reaction: This was a quick match but it served a purpose. Ziggler will be facing The Miz in a ladder match for the IC Title on Sunday. Corbin will be squaring off with Kalisto in a chairs match at TLC. Both the ladder and a chair came into play during this match. I like it when things make sense, don’t you?

.@BaronCorbinWWE, you can't do that until Sunday at #WWETLC! @HEELZiggler & @KalistoWWE win by DQ! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/IDPvwvv19j

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

American Alpha were interviewed backstage about their match tonight versus Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton. Gable and Jordan stated that they will prove again tonight why they are the best team in the WWE.

Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Luke Harper were then shown backstage. Orton interrupted Wyatt and questioned Luke Harper. Orton asked Harper if he was going to do what needs to be done tonight against Kane. Harper looked aggravated and Wyatt instructed Harper to go send Kane back to hell. There is obviously some friction between Harper and Orton. I do not believe that Harper is completely sold on Orton joining the Wyatt Family.

"Harper … go send @KaneWWE back to HELL!" – @WWEBrayWyatt #SDLive #WyattFamily pic.twitter.com/GLnJn5MvrR

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

Carmella came down to the ring for a match but that never happened. Carmella gave a special message to John Cena. Carmella apologized for what she will do to his girlfriend, Nikki Bella at TLC. Carmella claimed that she was going to rearranged Nikki’s “Bella twins” and her face as well. Nikki Bella came sprinting from backstage and attacked Carmella. The referee seperated them and that allowed Carmella to haul off and slap Nikki in the face. Nikki then got up and continued the assault on Carmella.

"@JohnCena, I want to publicly apologize for what I'm going to do to your girlfriend [at #WWETLC]." – @CarmellaWWE #SDLive pic.twitter.com/lNqKBBw8PB

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

Ambrose Asylum w/ Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose introduced James Ellsworth as his first guest on the Ambrose Asylum. An “Ellsworth!” chant broke out amongst the crowd. Ambrose poked fun at Ellsworth’s old wrestling boots. Ellsworth thanked Ambrose for helping him become an official WWE Superstar. Ellsworth stated that if Ambrose ever needed anything he would do it. Ambrose asked Ellsworth to wash his car, do his laundry and pick him up a six-pack and some candy for later.

Ambrose asked Ellsworth who he will be rooting for this Sunday at TLC. Ellsworth stated that it would be an honor to wrestle Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Championship. AJ Styles interrupted the party and stood on the announce table. Styles poked fun at Ellsworth and called him a dummy. Ambrose stated that Styles had then lost to a dummy three times.

Styles got in the ring and claimed that he was tired of Ambrose making him out to be a joke. Styles demanded respect and claimed that he was going to beat the hell out of Ambrose at TLC. Styles dared Ellsworth to show up during his match againt Ambrose at TLC. Ambrose claimed that Styles was weak mentally. Ambrose stated that this Sunday the fun and games were over. Ambrose went on to state that he will recapture the WWE World Championship at TLC.

Styles pushed Ellsworth into Ambrose who fell into a ladder. AJ then whipped Ellsworth into a table and smashed Dean Ambrose with the steel steps. Styles returned to the ring and beatdown Ellsworth. Styles hit Ellsworth with a ladder and then tossed him out of the ring. Ellsworth’s feet got caught up in the bottom rope and Styles hit him with a steel chair. AJ then hit the Styles Clash on Ellsworth off of the steps onto the floor outside the ring.

Reaction: Finally, Styles got the upper hand on Ellsworth and Ambrose. I find Ellsworth to be very entertaining but I’m not really interested in seeing him in the WWE World Championship picture. Having said that, this was a very good promo. There has only been one match in the first hour and fifteen minutes of tonight’s Smackdown. Usually that would annoy me but tonight’s promos have all ended in brawls.

"@AJStylesOrg has just delivered the MOTHER OF ALL #StylesClashes to @RealEllsworth!" – @MauroRanallo#SDLive #WWETLC pic.twitter.com/KKihIY7zO4

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

Luke Harper vs Kane

Kane and Harper tied up to begin the match. Kane shoved Harper down and Harper got back up and they locked up again. Harper bounced off of the ropes and hit a couple of shoulder blocks but Kane was not phased. Kane then leveled Harper. Luke Harper got back up and hit Kane with a series of uppercuts. Kane once again shrugged them off and came right back at Harper. Smackdown went to a commercial break with Luke Harper outside the ring with a shocked look on his face.

When Smackdown returned, Harper was in control of the match and had a Chinlock applied to Kane in the center of the ring. Kane battled out of the Chinlock and hit a Jawbreaker. Kane went for a Chokeslam but Harper blocked it and kicked Kane in the head. Harper went for a pinfall but Kane kicked out at two. Kane fought back and connected with a DDT on Harper. Kane followed it up with a Sidewalk Slam and went for a pin but Harper kicked out. Harper battled back and hit Kane with a Dropkick to the ribs. Kane was affected and hunched over in the corner. Harper leaped on him twice and connected with a couple of shots to the ribs. Harper then then climbed to the second turnbuckle and hit Kane with a couple of punches.

Kane fought out of the corner by hitting a Powerbomb on Harper. Kane once again went for the Chokeslam but Harper grabbed the rope. Harper connected with a Sidewalk Slam of his own but Kane kicked out once again. Kane slammed Harper to the mat and climbed to the top rope. Kane went for a Clothesline off of the top rope but Harper ducked it and drilled Kane with a Superkick. Kane once again powered out of the pinfall at two. Harper then climbed to the top rope but Kane got up and punched him in the face. Kane then joined Harper on the turnbuckle and connected with a massive Superplex to Harper.

Both men slowly got back to their feet and began to trade punches. Kane blocked a punch by Harper and grabbed his throat. Kane then connected with a Chokeslam and picked up the victory.

Winner: Kane

Reaction: When you think of Kane versus Luke Harper it doesn’t sound like it would be a good match. This match was actually quite good. The announcers made a comment after the match that Bray Wyatt will not be happy with Luke Harper following this loss to Kane. I’m intrigued with the Wyatt Family storyline right now. It appears that Harper may be on his way out and Orton will be replacing him. I’m curious if this will wind up with Orton turning his back on Bray after he has already destroyed the Wyatt Family from the inside. I do not really know where they are going with this and that is a good thing. Luke Harper has always been one of the more underrated Superstars on the roster. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in the Intercontinental Championship picture and having a single’s run of his own. Harper can work well with almost any male Superstar on the Smackdown roster. I think if you put him up against someone like Baron Corbin they would put on some very physical and entertaining matches.

#CHOKESLAM by @KaneWWE!!! ONE TWO THREE!! #SDLive @LukeHarperWWE pic.twitter.com/46nPuNNTqZ

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

Smackdown Tag Team #1 Contenders Match: Randy Orton & Bray Wyatt vs American Alpha

Randy Orton and Jason Jordan started out the match. Jordan went on the offensive to start things off. The WWE cut to Slater and Rhyno watching the match from backstage. This was humorous because the television screen they were watching was black for a second and essentially Slater and Rhyno were staring at nothing.

Bray Wyatt entered the match and Jordan went to jump onto him but Wyatt ducked and Jordan went flying into the ropes. Bray tagged in Orton and he continued the assault on Jordan. Gable tagged himself in and immediately connected with a Crossbody off the top rope on Orton. Gable climbed to the top rope again but Wyatt knocked him to the outside of the ring and Smackdown went to a commercial break.

When Smackdown returned, Wyatt and Gable were in the ring. Wyatt hit Gable with a DDT on the ring apron. Wyatt then went for a pin but Gable kicked out at two. Orton then entered the match and applied a Chinlock to Gable. Orton hit a Powerslam on Gable and once again went for a pinfall but it was unsuccessful. Orton tagged in Wyatt and Gable connected with a Dropkick then sent Bray to the mat. Gable tried to tag in Jordan but Bray got up and punched Jordan off of the ring apron.

Bray mounted Gable on the mat and punched him in the face several times. Orton was tagged back in and propped Gable up on the top rope. Orton connected with a Superplex on Gable. Jason Jordan and Bray Wyatt were then tagged in. Jordan leveled Wyatt with an overhead Belly to Belly Suplex. Chad Gable hit Orton with a Cannonball off of the ring apron. Back in the ring, Jordan hit a German Suplex on Bray Wyatt.

The lights then went out and Luke Harper was ringside. Bray went for the Sister Abigail but Gable prevented it. American Alpha then went for the Grand Amplitude but Orton hit Gable with an RKO out of nowhere. Jordan went to hit Bray with a Spear but Harper pulled Bray out of the way. Wyatt then hit the Sister Abigail on Jordan for the victory. Wyatt and Orton will now face Slater and Rhyno at TLC this Sunday. Slater and Rhyno were interviewed backstage but AJ Styles interrupted. Styles stated that nobody cared about the Tag Team titles. Ambrose then appeared out of nowhere and attacked Styles and Smackdown went off the air.

Reaction: This was a very solid match to close out a good episode of Smackdown. It appears that Harper and Orton are back to getting along for now. Tonight’s episode was promo-heavy but they all were effective. TLC is shaping up to be an exciting show and I cannot wait to watch it on Sunday.

Winners & #1 Contenders For The Smackdown Tag Team Championships: Randy Orton & Bray Wyatt

#SisterAbigail!! The #WyattFamily is going to #WWETLC to face @HeathSlaterOMRB and @Rhyno313!! #1Contender pic.twitter.com/telCi0c0T9

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

205 Live (11/29)

Austin Aries and Corey Graves joined Mauro Ranallo on commentary. All of the Superstars on 205 Live were on the entrance ramp and they were introduced to the WWE Universe. A vignette for the Bollywood Boyz was then shown.

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/803797913251917824

Bollywood Boyz vs Drew Gulak & Tony Nese

Harv and Gurv Sihra started out the match on the offensive. Tony Nese was laid out by both of them but was able battle back and tag in Gulak. For the next few minutes, Gulak dominated the match. Nese was tagged back in and he continued the assault on the Bollywood Boyz. Gulak got back into the match and maintained control of the match.

Nese got back in the match and he applied a Chinlock to one of the Bollywood Boyz. Harv battled out of the Chinlock and connected with a Neckbreaker. Harv tagged in Gurv and he hut Gulak with several chops and a kick to the face. The Bollywood Boyz hit a double Superkick on Drew Gulak for the pinfall victory.

Winners: The Bollywood Boyz

Reaction: Not the best way to start off the debut episode of 205 Live. There were some cool spots in this match but overall it was very clunky.

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/803800282756878338

TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick had a confrontation. Perkins stated that he is still owed a rematch and that he wants Kendrick to retain the Cruiserweight Championship tonight. Perkins wants Kendrick to keep the belt so he can get his rematch and take the title away from him.

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/803801771600580608

Ariya Daivari vs Jack Gallagher

Gallagher started out this match extremely cocky and applied a few submission holds to Daivari while posing for the crowd. Daivari battled back and but Gallagher escaped his Headlock. Gallagher did a handstand on the top turnbuckle and then took Daivari down. Gallagher then tied Daivari up in a knot in the center of the ring and taunted him from the corner. Gallagher then hit him with a running kick and Daivari escaped the knot.

Daivari connected with a Neckbreaker on Gallagher and slapped him in the face a couple of times. Daivari applied a Chinlock but Gallagher fought out of it and connected with a couple of Dropkicks. Gallagher then headbutted Daivari and hit him with a Dropkick in the corner for the victory.

Winner: Jack Gallagher

Reaction: This match was bizarre and entertaining. Jack Gallagher may look ridiculous but he is fun to watch. The main positive to take from this match is that Gallagher was able to get the crowd into it. That is something that has escaped the Cruiserweight division when it is featured on Monday Night Raw.

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/803803266274369537

Cruiserweight Championship Match: Brian Kendrick (c) vs Rich Swann

Kendrick started off the match in control. Swann battled back and hit a Dropkick. Kendrick kicked out of a pinfall and Swann applied a Chinlock. Kendrick reversed the Chinlock into a German Suplex. Kendrick attacked Swann in the corner but Swann fought back and connected with several chops to the chest of Kendrick.

Swann landed a Tiger Bomb on Kendrick and Kendrick rolled out of the ring. Swann followed him out of the ring and hit a Summersault Clothesline off of the barricade. The action returned to the ring and Kendrick connected with another German Suplex. Kendrick then hit a Neckbreaker and Swann’s head hit the top turnbuckle. Swann then fell out of the ring and to the floor.

Swann was able to get back in the ring before the referee counted him out. Kendrick immediately hit him with a Suplex. Kendrick went for the Captain’s Hook but Swann blocked it. Swann then connected with a Michinoku Driver on Kendrick. Swann followed it up with a kick to the face of Kendrick. Swann went for the Standing 450 but Kendrick got his knees up and then locked in the Captain’s Hook.

Swann was able to reach the bottom rope and the crowd cheered him on. Both men were on the top turnbuckle and Kendrick bit Swann’s wrist and hit Sliced Bread. Swann kicked out and the crowd started to chant “this is awesome!”. Swannt connected with three spinning heel kicks in a row and pinned Kendrick for the victory.

After the match, Swann thanked his mother that has passed away and dedicated the match to her. Kendrick was also interviewed on the entrance ramp. Kendrick blamed the loss on TJ Perkins for playing mind games with him earlier in the night. Kendrick also stated that the WWE Universe should not get used to Swann as the Cruiserweight Champion. Kendrick vowed to get his title back and walked away.

Winner & New Cruiserweight Champion: Rich Swann

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/803809979639558144

Reaction: 205 Live started off slow but picked up momentum and wound up being a pretty decent show. I thought the match between Kendrick and Swann was very good. I hope that the Cruiserweight division gets some more time on Monday Night Raw as a result of this show but I doubt that will be the case. Overall, both Smackdown and 205 Live were good shows tonight.

What did you think of this week’s episodes of Smackdown and 205 Live? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

– WWE taped The Shining Stars vs. two local jobbers and Darren Young vs. Jinder Mahal last night for this week’s Superstars episode.

– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown will feature the fallout from No Mercy plus Randy Orton and Kane vs. Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper.

– Below are backstage RAW videos with Titus O’Neil and Dana Brooke. Following her beatdown on Bayley, Dana says playtime is over because playtime is for kids and that’s exactly what Bayley is, a kid.

Titus tries to hold another “Titus Brand” press conference to address his loss to R-Truth but only Tom Phillips shows up and he has more technical difficulties.

– WWE will tape the 2016 Tribute To The Troops on Tuesday, 12/13 from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

– As seen at WWE No Mercy last night, Luke Harper returned and helped Bray Wyatt defeat Randy Orton in the main event. SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan confirmed on Talking Smack that he and Shane McMahon just signed Harper but they didn’t expect him to make such an impact that quick.

– WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus announced today that she is expecting her second child. She tweeted the following:

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for my growing family, for my babies…#herewegoagain #babyontheway #babynumber2 #maxisgoingtobeabigbrother pic.twitter.com/ihauTtzmig

— Trish Stratus (@trishstratuscom) October 10, 2016

Luke Harper returned to WWE television at Sunday nights No Mercy PPV, helping Bray Wyatt defeat Randy Orton in the main event.

Harper returned to action at last Wednesday night’s WWE live event from Santiago, Chile. The former Wyatt Family member has been out of action since March when he suffered a severe knee injury.

It had been rumored that Harper would be on the RAW brand, but he’ll be filling in for the injured Erick Rowan, who will miss 4-6 months after undergoing shoulder surgery last week.

Luke Harper returned to action at Wednesday night’s WWE live event from Santiago, Chile. The former Wyatt Family member has been out of action since March when he suffered a severe knee injury. Harper teamed up with Universal Champion Kevin Owens, losing a tag match against Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn.

Luke Harper hace su retorno a @WWE y acompañará a Kevin Owens #WWESantiago @Cooperativa pic.twitter.com/pfiOYIbyCQ

— Max Díaz G. (@Max_FN_Diaz) October 6, 2016

https://twitter.com/encanta_la/status/783835475027066881

– Emma, Luke Harper and Paige are all backstage for tonight’s RAW in Cincinnati but we haven’t heard if they will be returning to TV tonight or not. On a related note, Emma was backstage for last night’s Clash of Champions PPV but Harper and Paige were not.

– Triple H announced today that NXT will debut in Las Vegas on Saturday, 10/7. Ticket details are in this tweet:

“https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/780474615785218049

– WWE Legend Bruno Sammartino will make his final public signing appearance on 11/19 in Queens for The Big Event convention. Bruno plugs the appearance in the video below and says at 81 years old, it’s time for him to hang it up. He also mentions not wanting to travel these days.

– Luke Harper will be returning to the ring soon after suffering a severe injury to his knee during a match last March. He has been training at the WWE Performance Center in preparation for his return and it was reported on Monday that he was backstage at Raw.

It is now known which show Harper will appear on after not being selected in the WWE Draft. According to F4WOnline.com, he is being advertised for upcoming Raw events.

Harper opened up on the injury in an interview in May, where he revealed that he dislocated his patella and tore his medial patellofemoral ligament.

– Stephanie McMahon is celebrating a milestone birthday today as she turns 40-years-old. The WWE Chief Brand Officer and Raw Commissioner acknowledged her 40th with this post on social media.

It's my 40th & I'm in the best shape of my life! Thx @TripleH @DeFrancosGym @durlancastro @brookethomas & @huge285 4 ur help & inspiration! pic.twitter.com/AkI9gNZ9QE

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) September 24, 2016

• WWE Planning To Give Dana Brooke A Huge Push – Details

– Luke Harper is back at the WWE Performance Center this week as he tries to get cleared to return to the ring. Harper spent all of last week at the Performance Center doing rehab work.

– WWE United States Champion Rusev and wife Lana are scheduled to return to WWE action at the 9/24 house show in Chicago. They are then scheduled for the 9/25 Clash of Champions pay-per-view in Chicago but we have not heard confirmation on Rusev defending. Rusev was not joking when he tweeted about having a 20+ day honeymoon. Here’s the latest from their honeymoon:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKQnSIgg6o8/?taken-by=thelanawwe

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKRPuoDg2Rc/?taken-by=thelanawwe

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKJ8CK1ABiq/?taken-by=thelanawwe

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKJZZI1APn3/?taken-by=thelanawwe

Wyatt Family member Luke Harper is gearing up for a WWE return after missing several months due to a torn ACL. Harper sustained the injury back on March 21st and underwent knee surgery shortly thereafter. He’s been undergoing physical therapy for the past several months and is scheduled to be at the WWE Performance Center this coming week, according to PWInsider. The Wyatt Family member will be evaluated to see if he’s ready to be medically cleared.

Luke Harper remains one of the top undrafted Superstars in WWE. He’d be a huge acquisition for either brand, but was very outspoken when he was not included on a WWE.com list profiling the “10 Hottest Free Agents.” After WWE omitted him to make room for names like Cryme Tyme and The Great Khali, Harper told Chad Dukes:

“When you put a list of the ten hottest free agents available in today’s market, and I mean no offense to them, but when Cryme Tyme ranks above you, it really makes you question your career choices … Cryme Tyme couldn’t be more irrelevant to today’s wrestling scene. So for them to rank above me, it’s a bit of a slap in the face.”

During his time away from WWE, he worked on an action/horror movie titled, “Mohawk.” Luke Harper will be returning to a very different WWE landscape compared to the last time he was on television. The Wyatt Family is no longer a consolidated faction, which could actually work in his favor. Look no further than Braun Strowman to see the potential benefits of Luke Harper going off on his own. Wherever he winds up, the post-draft Brand Extension era is providing an opportunity for talent to shine. Harper has always been talented, this could be his best chance yet to make an impact.

WWE Superstar Luke Harper feels like WWE slapped him in the face by leaving him off a recent WWE.com feature looking at the “10 Hottest Free Agents” not included in the recent Draft. Although the list featured big names like The Rock, The Undertaker and Nikki Bella, it also included the likes of Cryme Tyme and The Great Khali.

Harper joined CBS Radio’s The Chad Dukes Wrestling Show this week for an hour-long interview. The episode can be found on iTunes and at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

Not Being Listed On WWE.com’s Recent “10 Hottest Free Agents” Article:

“When you put a list of the ten hottest free agents available in today’s market, and I mean no offense to them, but when Cryme Tyme ranks above you, it really makes you question your career choices … Cryme Tyme couldn’t be more irrelevant to today’s wrestling scene. So for them to rank above me, it’s a bit of a slap in the face.”

“I believe that I will be the WWE World Champion one day. I know that a lot of people say that, it’s easy to say, if I were to go away without accomplishing that task I would feel unfulfilled, to be completely honest… So for Cryme Tyme to rank above me, when I think that of myself, it becomes a bit of an issue inside my own brain.”

Cody Rhodes Keeping Busy After Leaving WWE: 

“I’m very happy for Cody Rhodes. It’s good to see a person I know like him go out there and do what he needs to do to fulfill his life. In my opinion, WWE, to me, is the top of the food chain. So I’m concerned with being at the top of that food chain, which is the top, top of the food chain. So for me personally, I need to be here right now to do what I need to do. In the future who knows, but I need to accomplish things before I can, I guess, sleep well at night. I mean, I sleep good because I have a great family and stuff like that, a great life, but career-wise, I have some things I need to accomplish… There’s places I need to be and it’s WWE right now…”

“If Okada, if a Tanahashi, Michael Elgin, The Young Bucks, if they want to have a match the place they can find me is the WWE. I’m going to be busy making my way to the top of that food chain. The future, who knows? I have that in front of me right now.”

Other topics discussed include the Brand Split, Conor McGregor calling WWE Superstars a bunch of messed up p*ssies, the “WWE Style” of working and more. Head over to ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com to hear the full interview.