As recently as last month, there had been talk of Sting competing at SummerSlam, teaming with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose against the Wyatt Family. One of the reasons WWE decided not to use Sting at this year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view is due to the fact that the card is already loaded with stars like The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, actor Stephen Amell and others.
With that said, it’s possible WWE is waiting to use Sting as a hook to sell the WWE Network in September for Night Of Champions, which takes place in Texas, where Sting currently lives.
If Sting is used in September, it’s possible he will work the previously rumored six-man tag-team match with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose against Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. A big factor in this match happening is Erick Rowan’s status, as he’s currently out of action due to injury and might not be back until November.
There has been speculation over the past few weeks that a superstar will be joining the Wyatt Family, in particular, Adam Rose – or his developmental persona Leo Kruger.
At WWE Battleground Luke Harper joined forces with Bray Wyatt once again and last night on RAW the pair took to the ring to cut a promo (as shown above).
Prior to RAW going on the air Adam Rose posted a photo of himself as Leo Kruger and many hoped that during the Wyatt Family segment, he would appear, but nothing happened.
During RAW, Rose sent out a number of of other tweets with photos of his Leo Kruger character, they can both be seen below:
There has recently been a lot of speculation regarding Adam Rose or another WWE Superstar possibly joining Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper in the new Wyatt Family, now that Erick Rowan is on the sidelines due to injury.
Rose has decided to fuel the speculation by taking to social media to post photos of his developmental character Leo Kruger over the past few days. The rumors really picked up when Rose posted the following photo of his Kruger gimmick today, which based on appearance, would seem to fit perfectly with the look and feel of The Wyatt Family characters.
We have reported about how there are plans in WWE for Sting to eventually become involved in the Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns storyline, which is part of the reason why Luke Harper reunited with Wyatt to put The Wyatt Family back together at WWE Battleground this past Sunday night.
The current belief is that Sting and Reigns vs. Wyatt and Harper will take place at next month’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, however it was also noted that a new member of The Wyatt Family could be introduced, as Erick Rowan is injured, and if so, the match could become a six-man match with Dean Ambrose being added to the Sting/Reigns team.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Sting is not expected to be brought into the storyline on television until late in the game, likely as a big surprise.
Last night at WWE Battleground, we saw Luke Harper interfere in Bray Wyatt’s match with Roman Reigns, attacking Reigns and helping Bray emerge victorious. This reunion of the former Wyatt Family members is being done to set up a program involving Sting at SummerSlam.
The original plan for the match at SummerSlam was going to be all 3 members of the Wyatt Family against Sting, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. With Erick Rowan out of action due to injury, it now looks like we’ll be seeing Wyatt & Harper vs. Sting and Reigns.
There is already some internal concern that the rowdy Brooklyn crowd could cheer Sting and boo Reigns.
WWE SummerSlam takes place on Sunday, August 23rd from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Some type of outside interference is expected in the finish of tonight’s Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt match at WWE Battleground.
According to the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, there have been plans for Luke Harper to get involved in the Reigns-Wyatt feud, possibly tonight.
It’s also worth noting that this is also the angle where Sting is rumored to take part in as well, as Sting is expected to be involved in the same match as Wyatt at the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.
Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog recently spoke with TNA Hall Of Famers Team 3D (aka The Dudley Boyz) — Bully Ray and Devon — to promote the upcoming House Of Hardcore event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On a possible WWE return:
Devon: “For us not to be back there, knowing that we’re in the best shape we’ve ever been in, I don’t understand it. We’re better now than we were ten or fifteen years ago. I understand that they want the future. But without the older generation that paved the way for these young guys to come, you’re not going to have it. Wrestling is a lost art, so you need the older guys like us to help show the younger guys how it’s done. I don’t understand it, though I know it needs to be on their terms.”
Bully: “Take the Dudley Boyz and put them back in WWE, and you’d add instant credibility to the tag division. The great thing about the Dudleys is we can work with any team and we can work any style. Not only will we help one team get over and learn and get better, but we can help all of them. It seems pretty simple to me – having the Dudleys back in the WWE is best for business, so I don’t have a really great answer for why we are not there. Only they know. You would think the most decorated tag team in the history of WWE would be able to go back into a company and breathe life into the tag division. It may never happen, but you never say never. It could be right around the corner.”
On Paul Heyman and ECW:
Devon: “The greatest thing Paul Heyman ever gave us was creative liberty. A lot of the boys liked to call Paul the ‘David Koresh’ of pro wrestling back then, but he believed in you. He’d fire you up to the point where you thought you were bigger than Hulk Hogan. He made you believe in yourself. Paul took the time to develop your character. When people didn’t know how to speak on the mic, he’d sit there with you until three, four, or even five in the morning until you got it right. Paul really let us be us. When WCW fired Steve Austin [in 1995] and WWE wasn’t knocking on his door, it was Paul E. who saw something in Austin. Eric Bischoff fired Austin when he was hurt in WCW, and Paul E. said, ‘I know you’re hurt, but can you talk?’ When Steve came to ECW and delivered those promos – oh my God, you couldn’t believe that was the same guy who was in WCW. That’s what started Austin as a superstar. Steve started to be born again, and it was the same thing when he was in WWE. He didn’t become a star until he was given the creative liberty to be himself.”
Bully: “We text and talk all the time. Me and Paul, our relationship is better than anyone else he had from the entire ECW roster. We respect and like each other as people. Even at the Rumble, it was great catching up with him. When the Rumble was over, I was on Brock Lesnar’s tour bus with Brock and Paul, and we were shooting the s— and reminiscing. When Brock first started and Paul was his manager, I was Brock’s first storyline. The WWE came to me and asked me to get Brock ready for what could be in store for him.”
Bully Ray on Brock Lesnar: “Brock is just so powerful. One night, we were performing at Penn State, and Brock gave me an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. He dropped me right on my head. It was a total mistake, and it could have been a very, very bad injury for me. As soon as it happened, I remember getting up and telling Brock, ‘Do it again, do it again.’ He did not want to suplex me again, so I made him suplex me three more times the same exact way. I didn’t want Brock to become gun-shy about throwing people or change the way he worked if he’d be worried about hurting other people.”
Bully Ray on traveling with Shane McMahon: “When Shane McMahon was on the road for the company, he was in the car with us. One night, we were driving, and Shane decided to wake up his father and made us all say hello to Vince at three in the morning. Vince loves all that horses—. Shane was driving and he said, ‘Come on, let’s wake up Pop.’ I said, ‘That’s probably not a good idea.’ So he called his father and said, ‘Bubba wants to talk.’ He handed me the phone and all I could hear was Vince say, ‘Bubba, why are you corrupting my son?’ I told him it was the other way around, and we both started laughing.”
Bully Ray on Vince McMahon: “Vince spent his whole life in the business, added his vision, and made it the best in the world. Vince has a great mind for the industry and thinks on a much larger scale. Paul [Heyman] was great at storytelling and really getting people’s characters to come out and how to hide your weaknesses and accentuate your strengths. Those are the two smartest guys I’ve ever learned from in the business, and Paul, Vince, and Pat Patterson are the three best minds ever in this business.”
On Erick Rowan and Luke Harper:
Bully: “Right now, the one WWE tag team that deserves to taste the Dudley Death Drop is Harper and Rowan. It was very interesting they started hitting the Dudley Death Drop on TV and calling it something else. We’ve been hitting this finish consecutively for eighteen years.”
Devon: “That is a touchy subject. A move like 3D – when you see it, you automatically think the Dudleys. So Harper and Rowan started the fight. Harper said on Twitter, they’d be happy to show us ‘The Way,’ which is what they’re calling the move. Well, we’d be more than happy to hit 3D the way it should be hit.”
WWE taped the following matches prior to the SmackDown television taping on Tuesday night in Toledo, Ohio for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event.
Dark Match
– Fandando def. Brad Maddox in singles action to kick off the evening inside the building.
WWE Main Event
– Neville def. Heath Slater in the first match taped for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. This was said to be a high-paced, crowd-pleasing match that saw the finish come when Neville hit his Red Arrow to finish off Slater in what was about a five minute match.
– The Ascension def. The Meta Powers in tag-team action. The match, which lasted about four minutes, saw The Ascension pick up the win after hitting Curtis Axel and Macho Mandow with The Fall Of Man finisher.
– R-Truth def. Adam Rose in a quick singles match. King Barrett was out for commentary during this match, which saw him leave the announce table to attack Truth, only for Truth to catch him coming and blast him with his finisher. In the end, Truth picked up the “W” in the official match with Rose as well.
– Luke Harper def. Cesaro in the headline match of the evening on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. This was another crowd pleasing match, as Harper and Cesaro put on a hell of a show in a match that lasted about seven minutes. The finish saw Harper hit Cesaro with his clothesline from hell to score the 1-2-3 and end the Main Event taping.
The following matches were taped in Indianapolis, Indiana prior to Monday’s WWE RAW for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars.
– The Lucha Dragons def. Bo Dallas & Heath Slater in tag-team action. This was described as a very fun opening contest that really did a good job of setting the tone for the evening.
– Cesaro def. Luke Harper In the second of two matches taped before RAW for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars, Cesaro pleased the crowd hitting a lot of his trademark power spots on Luke Harper, who he defeated clean in singles competition.
WWE taped the following matches for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event prior to taping WWE SmackDown on Tuesday night in Buffalo, New York.
Dark Match
– Zack Ryder def. Brad Maddox in what was apparently a quick, basic opening contest.
WWE Main Event
– The Prime Time Players def. The Ascension in tag-team action to kick off the Main Event taping. Prior to the match, the PTP taught the crowd how to do their “Millions of Dollars” dance, while The Ascension cut a promo welcoming us to “Wasteland.” In the end, Young hit the gut buster on Viktor to score the 1-2-3.
– King Barrett def. Heath Slater in singles competition. Barrett won in what was said to be a good little match. Afterwards, R-Truth came out as “King What’s Up?” He pardoned “Lil’ Jimmy” and declared Barrett “King Jackass.”
– Naomi def. Summer Rae via submission in Divas action. Tamina was in Naomi’s corner during this one.
– Ryback def. Adam Rose in a pretty quick match with Rose surprisingly enough getting in a good bit of offense. Ryback ended up winning with the Shellshock. After the match, Ryback scared Miz to the back and then celebrated with the crowd.
– Luke Harper & Erick Rowan def. The Lucha Dragons with their new 3-D finisher. This was said to be a very face-paced and entertaining tag-team contest.
WWE taped the following matches prior to Monday’s RAW in Cleveland, Ohio for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars.
– Cesaro def. Bo Dallas in singles action to kick off the evening. Cesaro picked up the win via submission after locking Dallas in the Sharpshooter.
– Luke Harper & Erick Rowan def. Los Matadores & The Ascension in a triple-threat tag-team contest. Harper and Rowan dominated a lot of the action before picking up the win with their finisher.
As seen on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, the team of Luke Harper and Erick Rowan used the Dudley Death Drop (3D) finishing move to defeat Los Matadores in tag-team action during the show. The two have actually been using the finisher made famous by Team 3D (The Dudley Boyz) for a few weeks now.
After RAW, Bully Ray took to Twitter to call out WWE for having the team use the move he helped make famous. This led to a reply from Harper.
You can check out the Twitter exchange between Bully Ray and Harper below.
WWE taped the following matches prior to Monday’s Elimination Chamber “go-home” edition of RAW for this week’s edition of Superstars.
– Heath Slater def. Adam Rose in singles action. Slater won what was a pretty basic match in about six minutes.
– Luke Harper & Erick Rowan def. Curtis Axel & Damien Sandow in tag-team action. The finish saw Harper pin Curtis Axel at about the eight minute mark after hitting him with his Lariat clothesline finisher.
WWE taped the following matches for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event prior to taping WWE SmackDown on Tuesday night in Norfolk, Virginia.
– Luke Harper & Erick Rowan def. Zack Ryder & Fandango in tag-team action to kick off the show. This was said to be a pretty basic tag-team opener.
– Bo Dallas def. Jack Swagger in a singles match to follow up. The crowd had a good time ragging on Dallas throughout this one.
– Alicia Fox def. Summer Rae in Divas action. This was said to be the same as any other Diva match you’ll see. The crowd wasn’t super-into this one.
– The New Day def. The Prime Time Players in tag-team action to close out the taping. The crowd did the New Day-sucks chant many times during this match.
Raw crossed the border into Canada this week as Payback rapidly approaches. Ambrose found a way to sneak into the main event, Ryback and Bray Wyatt continued their feud, and John Cena issued his most epic open challenge to date. Here are the pros and cons from this week’s episode of Raw.
Pros
Randy Orton opened the show by discussing the upcoming Payback pay-per-view. He was only a sentence or two into his soliloquy before being interrupted by Roman Reigns. The two went back and forth for a few, with Reigns saying that Orton “won’t be standing” in two weeks. Orton then read his resume, eventually asking Reigns how many times he’s been a World Heavyweight Champion. Oddly enough, the New Day then interrupted the two, as they vowed to spread the “power of positivity” due to all of the negativity in the ring. Overall, there was some humorous dialogue during the segment, it was nice to see the company booking the tag team champs with the main eventers, and it set up a handicap tag match to start the show.
The opening contest was a three-on-two handicap match between the New Day and Orton and Reigns. During the opening moments, the action was pretty slow, with the faces working over Xavier Woods before Big E came in and hit Orton with a big belly-to-belly suplex. New Day controlled the pace after that, as they isolated Orton and made quick tags. After the break, Reigns took Orton’s place in the New Day’s corner as Xavier Woods attempted to wear him down with a side headlock. Reigns finally hit up Orton with the hot tag and he hit an amazing powerslam on Kofi Kingston after he attempted to utilize a springboard. From there, New Day was getting squashed with Superman punches, DDTs, and RKOs. Reigns and Orton couldn’t keep it together though, as Reigns accidentally hit Orton with a spear and cost his team the match. This match was solid because it made the tag team champions look strong as a cohesive unit, it furthered the tension between Orton and Reigns, and was a fundamentally sound way to start the show. It also set up the main event after Kane made an appearance and announced that Orton and Reigns would compete one-on-one to close the show.
Former members of the greatest stable in recent history collided when Seth Rollins faced off with Dean Ambrose. Kane made the match and announced that if Ambrose were to be victorious, he would be added to the main event at Payback. Ambrose took control early by hitting a massive clothesline at ringside. From there, he worked the champ over while the crowd totally ate it up. Rollins eventually regained control, dominating and dictating the tempo during the middle of the match. Ambrose came back after avoiding a springboard and hitting a tornado DDT. The Lunatic Fringe hit Rollins with a series of clotheslines before executing a bulldog and going into Air Lunatic mode by diving to the floor through the middle ropes. Both guys were able to taste victory with near falls before Rollins destroyed Ambrose with a brutal powerbomb into the barricade. In the end, Ambrose was seconds away from hitting Dirty Deeds before J&J interfered, but it wouldn’t matter as Ambrose would dispose of the goons, roll up Rollins for the win, and secure his spot in the main event at Payback. Awesome match and angle by having all three members of the Shield battle for the title.
King Barrett had a coronation ceremony of sorts after cutting a promo and declaring, “All Hail King Barrett.” No matter how many times they reboot this guy, he makes every gimmick work. He teamed with Sheamus in a tag team match against Neville and Dolph Ziggler. Barrett and Ziggler started the match, with the King pummeling the Show Off with clubbing blows and kicks to the midsection. The action would go to commercial rather quickly after Ziggler took control and sent Barrett sailing to the floor. Sheamus took control during the break and had Ziggler in a headlock after the action returned from break. Ziggler tried to mount a rally but got hit with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Neville and Barrett would both be the recipient of tags, with Neville flying all over the place and dominating Barrett for the most part during a fast-paced frenzy. He wanted the Red Arrow, but Sheamus would distract Neville and allow Barrett to hit the Bull Hammer for the victory.
John Cena cut a passionate promo discussing how he will never give up before issuing another open challenge. None other than Bret “Hitman” Hart answered the call. Hart sadly wasn’t there to fight, but instead to introduce a “great wrestler.” Before he could introduce anyone great, Heath Slater interrupted the legend and got laid out for his troubles. The Hitman then introduced Sami Zayn, much to the surprise of the Montreal crowd and everyone watching at home.
The action was already underway after returning from break, with Cena reeling at ringside. The doctor checked on Zayn after taking a belly-to-back suplex – a move that was obviously done to make Zayn look strong in defeat. Cena and Zayn traded punches before Cena hit three of the Five Moves of Doom before Zayn countered the Five Knuckle Shuffle into a pinning combination. Cena once again was forced to retreat, allowing Zayn to launch himself over the top rope and take out the champ on the floor. Zayn’s inexperience would show as Cena caught him slipping and locked in the STF, even though the upstart challenger would reach the ropes and lock in the Koji Clutch from out of nowhere shortly thereafter. After Cena failed to hit the AA, it became apparent that they were setting up his signature DDT through the middle ropes on the floor, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. After a bit of hesitation, Cena connected with an AA, but Zayn would kick out at two as the crowd cheered. Zayn would eventually succumb to Cena, however, after the champ hit his springboard stunner and another AA. This featured so many memorable spots, the in-ring psychology was great, and it put Zayn over as a worthy competitor even in defeat as he prepares to become a permanent main roster fixture in the near future. Match of the Night, and probably one of the best matches of the year as well.
Ryback’s program with Bray Wyatt continued as he joined Renee Young for an interview. The crowd was dead at first and mostly chanted “Goldberg.” He at least made a good point with the Goldberg chants when he said, “If you ignore it, you just keep doing it.” The Big Guy talked about the adversities he’s faced in his career while talking some smack on Wyatt, eventually winning the crowd back as they joined him in a “Feed Me More” chant. The New Face of Fear then appeared on the big screen and cut a promo saying that Ryback will soon fade away. The segment wasn’t anything special, but both guys cut articulate promos and it advanced their feud, so it’s hard to consider it anything but a positive.
The main event competitors weren’t even making their way to the ring until 11 o’clock, so it was obvious this was going to be very short. Rollins and associates would quickly make their way to ringside and announce their various roles in the match. Orton went for an RKO within seconds but Reigns would avoid the attack. The action was brawling in nature, with few wrestling moves being utilized throughout the match. Rollins guested on commentary during the match and was pretty humorous. When Rollins joined the Authority last summer, he lacked confidence on the mic and some questioned whether he could be a solo star. He’s certainly proven all of the haters wrong over the past year. This would of course end in disqualification after Kane interfered and attacked Roman Reigns before the entire Authority went after Orton. Reigns would dive over the top rope and take them out before being sent into the ring post by Rollins. They isolated Orton and had the upper hand on both Orton and Reigns before Ambrose arrived to make the save. Rollins would take a spear, Reigns would fall victim to an RKO, and Ambrose would be the last man standing after taking out Orton with Dirty Deeds. The wrestling match itself wasn’t that great, but it was a solid way to end the show, put over the fatal four way main event, and perhaps most importantly, get Dean Ambrose back into the main event picture.
WWE taped two matches for this week’s edition of Superstars prior to Monday’s RAW in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Below are results from the taping.
– Luke Harper def. Jack Swagger in the opening match of the taping. The fans inside the Bell Centre in Montreal are hot from the word go tonight. In the end, Harper was too much for Swagger, as he takes him out and wins by pinfall.
– The Lucha Dragons def. Los Matadores in tag-team action. The Montreal fans were super-into the Lucha Dragons, particularly Kalisto, as he was flying all over the place throughout much of the match. In the end, The Lucha Dragons picked up the “W.”
Extreme Rules has come and gone, and fans were treated to a cage match, a sprawling Chicago street fight, and even some good old fashioned arse kissing. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from Extreme Rules 2015.
Pros
If we are being completely honest, there wasn’t a lot to choose from tonight in terms of positives. If forced to choose a Match of the Night, it would have to be Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper in a Chicago Street Fight. The action was stiff and sprawling, with Ambrose beating Harper senseless with a kendo stick to start the match before Harper turned the tables and suplexed the Lunatic Fringe through a chair. After receiving a snake eyes into a chair propped up in the corner, Ambrose regained momentum after hitting an awesome clothesline from the apron. The backstage segments were refreshing, and it was nice to see this one continue later in the night. After two matches, the competitors returned in their car and interrupted the New Day’s victory celebration, with the action once again returning to the ring. From there, Harper buried Ambrose under a pile of chairs, but it would ultimately backfire, as Ambrose would suplex Harper onto the chairs and hit Dirty Deeds for the win. Overall, these two had great chemistry, Ambrose provided some humor, and it was a creative way to start the show.
The tag team match was definitely a treat tonight. As always, Kidd and Cesaro went together like peanut butter and jelly, teaming up for multiple combination moves throughout the match. Cesaro was the clear star of this one, displaying his strength by catching Big E in midcard and slamming him to the canvas. Just as it looked as if the champs would retain their titles, Xavier Woods distracted the referee and allowed for Kofi Kingston to grab the roll-up victory. Putting the titles on the New Day isn’t going to have anyone jumping for joy, but it will be nice to see Kidd and Cesaro chase the titles as babyfaces. Fans should be looking forward to these two competing again in the future, as they told a great story, pulled off a number of impressive spots, and the end sequence was believable.
It was announced that the King of the Ring would return on Tuesday night as a WWE Network exclusive. That’s sounds like something that is best for business.
Finally, the main event was sort of barely snuck its way into the pros column. These two ring technicians displayed solid fundamentals to start the match while Seth tried to sneak his way out of the cage. Rollins eventually took control after hitting the sling blade as both guys attempted to utilize the cage as a weapon early on. One positive in this match was that they were given sufficient time before the inevitable outside interference occurred, and seeing Orton hit a Pedigree was a nice change of pace. In the end, Kane of course interfered and helped Rollins retain the title after Seth hit Orton with an RKO. The commentators stupidly discussed whether Rollins was permitted to use the banned move after the match, as if it even mattered because the only two options were a win for Rollins or a disqualification victory for Orton – either instance resulting in Rollins keeping his title. Overall, this was your typical BS cage match, but it was one of the few highlights during an otherwise uneventful night, so here we are.
The WWE Universe will get its annual dose of extreme this Sunday at Extreme Rules. Every major title is scheduled to be defended, and nearly every match on the card features some sort of stipulation. Here are my predictions for this Sunday’s pay-per-view.
Tyson Kidd & Cesaro (Tag Team Champions) vs. The New Day (Pre-Show Match)
The New Day sucks, plain and simple. They belong on the pre-show, and there’s absolutely no way they capture the titles on Sunday. Kidd and Cesaro continue their run as champions after picking up the victory. I do not think they will do so via pinfall or submission, however. I believe the New Day will be on the verge of defeat, leading to Xavier Woods interfering in the match and the New Day viciously attacking the champs. This would further solidify them as heels, while also starting a face turn for the champions by building fan sympathy.
Winners: Kidd & Cesaro by disqualification
Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper (Chicago Street Fight)
This has the potential to be one of the better matches of the night. Expect the action to sprawl all over the area in something resembling a hardcore match from the Attitude Era, with multiple weapons being utilized along the way. In the end, Ambrose will find a way to win after incapacitating his opponent with Dirty Deeds, hopefully leading to a push where he goes after the Intercontinental Championship now that it appears Daniel Bryan will be on the shelf for a while.
Winner: Dean Ambrose by pinfall
Daniel Bryan (Intercontinental Champion) vs. Bad News Barrett
Bryan is injured and will not be competing on Sunday. That’s basically a guarantee. WWE is essentially engaging in false advertising by not announcing that this match will no longer take place. Expect some sort of backstage segment during the show where Bryan is attacked to write him out of the storyline.
Tonight’s Raw was held in Albany, New York and was the final episode before this Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view. The Viper was on the prowl all night, Rusev struck one more time, and The Miz and Mizdow battled over the rights to “The Miz brand.” Here are the pros and cons from tonight’s go-home edition of Raw.
Pros
Randy Orton kicked off the show with a solid promo. He talked about how he was going to drag Seth Rollins around by his “stupid blonde streak” and how he doesn’t “need the RKO” on Sunday. Rollins countered by saying, “I play this game of human chess better than anybody.” In the end, Orton said he would get the RKO out of his system by hitting Rollins, along with anyone else who got in his way, with the move. Overall, it was a good way to start the show and set up a final confrontation between the two at the end of the night.
Luke Harper vs. Dean Ambrose was the first match of the night, and it wasn’t a terrible way to kick off the in-ring action. It was nice to see the WWE remove the muzzle from Harper and let him say a few words, as this guy actually does have some skill on the mic. The action was strictly brawling in nature, with the action spilling into the crowd (something that doesn’t happen enough, in my opinion). It ended in a double count-out, and set up a street fight between the two on Sunday that shouldn’t disappoint.
Bray Wyatt cut a nice promo tonight. Much like previous weeks, he referred to himself as the “New Face of Fear” while vaguely threatening some unknown superstar. We all know there are going to be some shenanigans during the main event on Sunday, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Wyatt ruin another main event (much like he did at Hell in a Cell between Ambrose/Rollins) and cost Orton the match on Sunday, thus setting up a program between the two.
The Lucha Dragons and New Day worked really well together tonight. The match was basically a spot fest, but that was largely due to the Dragons putting on a great show. Some memorable spots included an amazing counter of a tornado DDT into a northern lights suplex by Kalisto, and also a double moonsault to take out the New Day at ringside. In the end, Xavier Woods cost the Lucha Dragons the match and earned the New Day their rightful spot on the kickoff show this Sunday. It is worth noting that the New Day were one of Orton’s numerous victims tonight.
Sheamus was supposed to square off with Zach Ryder tonight, but that never really happened after the Celtic Warrior brutalized and berated the Long Island Iced-Z. Sheamus plays the douchey heel so well, and even has the look after his recent makeover. Ziggler eventually interrupted the beating by coming to the ring to hit a Zig-Zag on his Extreme Rules opponent.
The backstage vignettes usually blow, but they were surprisingly good tonight. From Orton RKOing Heath Slater through a table to Rusev attacking Cena to Miz holding up his flop of a DVD, there was some good stuff tonight.
Even though Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler was obviously a vehicle to set up a confrontation between Rollins and Orton to end the show, they still put on a good show and it was nice to see a non-tag team main event for once. They held back a bit, but there were some good spots, including a big DDT from Ziggler, as well as a counter of the powerbomb into a sunset flip. Sheamus distracted Ziggler and cost him the match, but Rollins wouldn’t get to celebrate for long, as the show ended with The Viper striking and hitting a huge RKO. Also, it sadly looks like the reports were true and the Curb Stomp is gone for good. R.I.P. :(
Finally, John Cena cut an intense promo before issuing yet another open challenge. Kane was irked from earlier in the night and decided he would answer the call. These guys have worked together on numerous occasions before, so it’s not surprising that they had decent chemistry. There weren’t many wrestling moves utilized, but the brawling action was entertaining, with Cena eventually picking up the win after countering the tombstone piledriver into an AA.
On July 8, 2013, The Wyatt Family made their debut on Monday Night Raw. After weeks after perfectly done vignettes, Wyatt and company finally appeared, absolutely destroying Kane in what was easily one of the best main roster debuts in recent memory.
Although fans had seen them in NXT (with Harper & Rowan even winning the NXT Tag Team Championship), there was an air of mystery when it came to the stable. Fans didn’t really know what to expect, Wyatt had a way of captivating audiences, and perhaps more than anything, it was something fresh in a company that was full of stale characters.
Within months, Wyatt was already near the top of the card, entering into a lengthy feud with Daniel Bryan that saw The Wyatt Family establish themselves as undisputed future stars in the the company. Say what you will about the Bryan/Wyatt program (especially regarding Bryan briefly joining Wyatt), but it is hard to deny that he was completely over with the fans, he put on great matches (particularly his match with Bryan at the 2014 Royal Rumble), and he felt important. In short, he was one of the only superstars in the company that fans didn’t want to miss on a weekly basis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23tVe5PiZq0
Fast-forward a year from Wyatt’s epic match with Bryan at the Royal Rumble. The Wyatt Family had recently disbanded, Wyatt himself had just finished a program with Dean Ambrose that was more about shenanigans and trying to fill a void left by an absent WWE World Heavyweight Champion than building either superstar toward something bigger, and all three members of the Wyatt Family were worse off than they were a year prior.
After a relatively uneventful performance in the 2015 Royal Rumble and sitting out Fastlane, Wyatt had a shot at redemption at on the Grandest Stage of Them All by calling out The Undertaker. Leading up to WrestleMania, fans did not see The Undertaker once. Instead, the burden of getting the match over was placed solely on the shoulders of Wyatt.
He did an admirable job, as most can barely get a program over when they have a willing participant on hand to engage with, let alone coming out on a weekly basis and cutting promos when fans know there is no chance of seeing his opponent before the pay-per-view.
It seemed as if they were setting up a “passing of the torch” type of situation. The Undertaker – the man who had relied upon mind games and the supernatural to intimate his opponents for years – was squaring off against Bray Wyatt – a man who has used similar tactics in the past. Wyatt began referring to himself as the “New Face of Fear” leading up to the event, setting up a perfect situation for Wyatt to destroy the hero of old and establish himself as the next generation’s monster heel.
That of course did not happen, and Wyatt has been basically absent from television since, aside from cutting promos where he has still been referring to himself as the “New Face of Fear,” despite the fact that he lost clean to the old face of fear just a few weeks prior.
This begs the question: Where does Wyatt go from here? His character has not really evolved at all since his debut, he lost his stable mates and is now flying solo, and he hasn’t had anything even vaguely resembling a title shot since debuting on the roster. One could argue that he is the type of character who does not need a title to make an impact, but it could also easily be argued that the aforementioned belief is bogus.
Something needs to be done to legitimize Wyatt, because right now he is completely lost in the shuffle. The company clearly has no idea what to do with him, the one chance they had to put him over as the next big heel in the company was botched to put over a 50-year-old superstar who shows up once a year to collect a paycheck, and he has been cutting essentially the same backstage promo on a weekly for several months. The company has a potential goldmine in the form of Wyatt, but they are simply sitting there with a giant thumb up their you know what while they figure out how to mine it.
How do you feel about Bray Wyatt? What needs to be done to establish him as one of the top stars in the company? Discuss the situation in the comments section.
WWE put on a six-man tag-team match as the non-televised post-show dark match after taping RAW at the O2 Arena in London, England on Monday afternoon.
The match saw WWE Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan team up with Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler to take on the trio of Big Show, Sheamus and Luke Harper. The fans at the O2 Arena were said to be as loud and enthusiastic for this match as much as any other on the card.
The finish of the match saw the babyface team pick up the win after Bryan forced Harper to tap out to the “Yes! Lock.”
In a related note, with Lilian Garcia on the sidelines recovering from surgery, NXT Diva Eden handled the ring announcing for RAW this week. Garcia noted on Twitter that she will be live-tweeting with fans when the show airs in its’ regular time slot tonight.
For complete RAW spoilers for tonight, click here.
– WWE talents who were booked to travel to Glasgow, Scotland on Tuesday were Seth Rollins, John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Ryback, Kane, Joey Mercury, Jamie Noble, Kalisto, Sin Cara, The Ascension, Luke Harper, Goldust, The Bella Twins, Paige, Eden, and Naomi.
– Below is a clip from Chris Jericho’s live podcast interview with John Cena on the WWE Network from Monday night. In the clip, Cena talks to Jericho about his days in Ohio Valley Wrestling.
The following matches were taped for tonight’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of WWE SmackDown this past Tuesday in Fresno, California.
– Randy Orton vs. Big Show
– Natalya vs. Naomi
– Roman Reigns interview with Byron Saxton
– The Miz vs. R-Truth
– Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper
– Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus
For complete spoilers for tonight’s WWE SmackDown, click here.
The following matches were taped prior to Monday’s WWE RAW in San Jose, California for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
– Prime Time Players def. Adam Rose and Heath Slater in the first match of the evening. This may have been a dark match.
– Fandango def. Jack Swagger in singles action. Rosa Mendes was out there with Fandango, who picked up the win via pin.
– R-Truth def. Luke Harper in the final match of the taping. This was said to be a pretty good match which the rowdy post-WrestleMania crowd had fun with.
WrestleMania is right around the corner. Although the build has been a little subpar, it’s still WrestleMania so it should be entertaining. Here’s how yours truly expects it all to play out.
Tyson Kidd & Cesaro (Tag Team Champions) vs. The New Day vs. Los Matadores vs. The Usos
Kidd and Cesaro really deserve better than the pre-show treatment, but hey, what can you do? This is clearly between the Usos and the champs, as the other two teams are simply jobbers eating up space. Expect a few entertaining spots between the two, with Naomi and Natalya ultimately playing a role in the outcome. In the end, the champs will retain after Cesaro pins one of the Usos.
Winners: Kidd & Cesaro by pinfall
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Remember a few weeks back when Stephanie McMahon was on Raw promoting this battle royal as the most important thing since Hogan/Andre at WrestleMania III? So much for that, as it’s now on the pre-show. Hideo Itami has been added to the match after winning a tournament at Axxess over the weekend. I think they will use this as an attempt to put over NXT and increase viewership by having Itami pick up the win after hitting the GTS. Expect Mizdow to eliminate Miz during this one as well to set up a match between the two next month at Extreme Rules.
Winner: Hideo Itami
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins
This could easily be one of the most entertaining matches of the night, as Orton and Rollins are two of the best workers in the business. It will be filled with multiple near-falls, and J&J will undoubtedly try to help Rollins pick up the win. It’s hard to say what the hell they’re doing with this one, especially considering they blew the payoff for Orton weeks ago. I still think Orton wins and it will be a rough night for Mr. Money in the Bank (more on that later).