– The next two all-new episodes of Total Divas will center on Eva Marie. The synopsis for this Sunday’s show is as follows: “Eva blindsides Jonathan with news that she should have delivered before they got married. Also: Rosa’s job is threatened; and Nikki retaliates.” It is titled “Baby Not on Board 312.”
The synopsis for the all-new episode airing on Sunday, January 18 reads “Eva is faced with a life-threatening medical issue; Paige gets a bit too close to Nattie in the ring; and what starts out as a friendly competition between Nikki and John escalates into a serious fight.” It is titled “Twin Leaks.”
– Attendance at last night’s SmackDown and Main Event tapings in Laredo, Texas was said to be very poor.
– Former WWE Divas and Women’s Champion Melina, who has not granted many interviews since parting ways with WWE in 2011, spoke to Jim Ross on Tuesday for a Ross Report podcast that will be released next month on PodcastOne.com.
– There has been a lot of talk behind the scenes in WWE over the past couple weeks regarding “Macho Man” Randy Savage being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year.
During an interview with Steve Austin last month on the WWE Network, WWE Chairman and chief executive officer Vince McMahon said that the legendary wrestler will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Although McMahon revealed during the podcast that Savage will receive an induction at some point, he did not say exactly when the former WWE Champion will receive the honor.
– As seen last night on Raw, Natalya rode a distraction from Paige and defeated Nikki Bella in a reverse of last week’s result, Paige then ran to her Total Divas castmate’s aid and saved Natalya from an after-the-bell ambush by the Divas Champion. Tonight on WWE Main Event, Paige will square off with Nikki in a non-title match. Following last night’s events, Nikki offered her thoughts via Instagram.
She wrote, “As I have had time to think.. To get lost in my thoughts.. Last night on RAW was a disgrace. A kick in the face is a lack of respect. It’s a dishonor to your champion, to your Queen. If you don’t have the WWE Network I suggest you get it bc tonight I will destroy PAIGES of what I thought was my next chapter. Main Event just got heated up. It just got FEARLESS! #FearlessNikki #MainEvent #RackAttack @wwe.”
Last night’s Raw was the first of 2015 and the company started the year not with a bang but with a whimper. The show was held in Corpus Christi, TX, and it’s unclear whether the audience was drugged prior to filming, because it was probably the most silent crowd I’ve ever heard at a WWE event. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
Pros
The clear highlight of the night was the Ambulance Match between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt. As always, the two worked pretty well together and delivered a few memorable spots. The ending felt just a bit sloppy, but the rest of the match more than made up for it. In all, it was good to see Wyatt come out on top, as he needed the win more than Ambrose. This program has been one of the only good things going over the past few weeks, so it’s kind of sad to see it come to an end.
Another clear highlight was the Intercontinental Championship match. It was a good way for the Authority to exact revenge against Ziggler, and the 2-out-of-3 falls swerve was decent. It’s also nice to see that the company still has confidence in Bad News Barrett, and this hopefully means that Ziggler will move into the main event picture permanently.
It was nice to see the program actually have an intro and pryo again. This is a minor complaint, but the intro-less format felt really cheap, with it simply going to a lifeless Michael Cole saying, “Welcome to Raw” while panning over the crowd. Unfortunately, the intro and pyro will probably be gone next week due to budget cuts.
Adding Seth Rollins to the main event at the Royal Rumble was brilliant. With Rollins essentially having two chances to win the title in a few weeks, it provides many booking possibilities. My interest level in the main event went from nonexistent to moderately intrigued in a matter of seconds.
Booker T on commentary was a nice change of pace. Hopefully King is well soon, but they really need to shake up the commentary team. I wouldn’t mind seeing Booker become a regular at the table again.
The Kane/Rollins vs. Ryback match was somewhat entertaining but nothing to write home about. The double Curb Stomp was at least a decent finish.
Finally, it was nice to see the company giving guys more time to cut backstage promos. Rusev, Reigns, Ambrose, Wyatt, and possibly a few superstars whom I’m forgetting all received promo time last night. Good to see the company letting the talent speak instead of filling that time with ads or plugs for the Network.
It was announced on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, the first episode of the show in 2015, that a Divas match will be taking place on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event on the WWE Network.
After an angle on Monday’s RAW that saw Paige attack Brie Bella during a match between Natalya and Nikki Bella, it was revealed that Paige will be taking on WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella on Main Event. They did not say that the match would be for Bella’s Divas Championship.
WWE Divas The Bella Twins recently spoke with CelebDirtyLaundry.com to promote the return of Total Divas. During the discussion, The Bella Twins revealed what they would be doing if they weren’t WWE Divas.
Nikki Bella: “I’d likely be in the movie business…action movies, or TV. I’m a real estate agent, so if I did that, I’d want to sell ocean front properties.”
Brie Bella: “I would have joined the Peace Corps, traveled the world. I actually planned to join when I was 18. I am just a hippie at heart. I’d be doing something to help save the planet.”
The Bella Twins spoke to the folks at E! Online to promote this Sunday’s return of WWE Total Divas on the E! network. Below are some excerpts from the interview.
Brie Bella on having baby fever and a big tease for this season: “You actually have to tune-in this season. Because there is a huge decision I have to make and it’s kind of crazy what the cameras caught so I’m really excited because it’s a really big moment in my life.”
Nikki Bella on her family interfering in her relationship with John Cena last season: “The family drama was tough because you know, also being in entertainment, she (Brie) is the only one who truly has my back and is someone that I trust. And my family too. My mom’s my best friend, my brother, and so when I watched all that and saw what they did, one, I felt terrible for John. Like, how do you put him in that position? And two, I was beyond shocked that they would do that to me. And it was very difficult; it’s like one of those things that you could forgive but you can’t forget. And it’s still kind of difficult when I think about it, I kinda get a little pissed.”
WWE Diva AJ Lee is currently on the sidelines with an injury. She had previously been working hurt so that WWE could wrap up her feud with WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella.
WWE originally intended to do a significant injury angle to write her off of television, but for whatever reason those plans were scrapped.
Lee being away is also said to be the main reason why Naomi and Natalya were moved into title contention. Original plans were going to be Naomi going for Bella’s title, however they may be leaning towards Natalya at this point.
As far as AJ Lee is concerned, the belief among those in the company is that she will be back at some point in 2015.
– In this video, Rikishi challenges Kim Kardashian to a “Booty Contest.”
The former WWE Superstar was at the Miracle on 1st Street Christmas Toy Giveaway in Los Angeles, California, when he brought up his sizable posterior and challenged Kardashian to come down to his wrestling school and take part in the contest.
– As seen last night at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs … and Stairs, Dean Ambrose lost to Bray Wyatt in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match. In a trivia note, this loss extended Ambrose’s winless drought on pay-per-view since The Shield disbanded in June. In addition to WWE TLC, “The Lunatic Fringe” has lost matches at Money in the Bank (to Seth Rollins in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match), WWE Battleground (to Seth Rollins in a singles match via forfeit), SummerSlam (to Seth Rollins in a Lumberjack Match), Hell in a Cell (to Seth Rollins in a Hell in a Cell Match) and Survivor Series (to Bray Wyatt via disqualification).
– Sunday at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs … and Stairs, WWE.com reported that AJ Lee was tended to by physicians after a scary incident in which Divas Champion Nikki Bella blinded her with hairspray. The report has since been slightly changed, as it is now noted that she was blinded with “unidentified spray.”
The physicians’ quick treatment of Lee helped prevent any long-term damage to her vision.
There was talk at one point of adding Brie Bella to the WWE Divas Championship match between Nikki Bella and AJ Lee at the WWE TLC pay-per-view. Obviously that never happened, however it is one of many signs that WWE officials have been going back and forth on what to do with the Bella Twins.
Additionally, it’s said that WWE considered having AJ defeat Nikki for the title at TLC, although that obviously didn’t happen either.
TLC came and went last night, leaving behind a trail of broken tables, dented chairs, and fried television monitors. There were plenty of highlights last night, but the company certainly took a few missteps as well. Overall, here are the pros and cons from last night’s TLC pay-per-view.
Pros
The show got off to a hot start last night with the ladder match. Ziggler and Harper really gave everything they had, as both were men were bruised and bloodied by the end of the contest. There were a number of memorable spots (especially when Harper catapulted Ziggler into the ropes with the ladder), and overall, it ranked up there with some of the best ladder matches in company history. Amazing way to start the show, and unfortunately for WWE, the rest of the show paled in comparison.
Ambrose and Wyatt also put on an amazing show. This was about as brutal as it gets during the PG era, with Ambrose leaping from the top of a ladder to drive Wyatt through a table on multiple occasions. It was also nice to see the company have the confidence to let these guys close the show, although the ending was less than desirable (more on that later).
As expected, Damien Mizdow was over big time with the crowd, with the fans even booing Miz in his hometown of Cleveland in favor of Sandow. I couldn’t help but crack up when Mizdow started emulating the half crab on the apron. The guy has major star potential, and he and the Miz play perfectly off of one another.
Although the booking was atrocious, Rollins proved why he is a future star during his match with John Cena. Join me in the “Cons” section to read more about this one.
Finally, I thought it was a decent decision to have Nikki Bella retain the title, and honestly, it was far from being the worst match of the night. It seems like the company has being playing hot potato with the Divas Championship since AJ Lee’s long title reign ended so it’s nice to see the title stay around someone’s waist for more than a month.
The final pay-per-view of 2014 is only a few hours away, and there should be enough tables, ladders, and chairs to fill a large dining hall. (I’m not entirely sure that I’ve seen a ladder in a college dining hall, but whatever.) The card will feature a total of nine matches, including a main event featuring Seth Rollins and John Cena. With that said, here are my predictions for this Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view.
The New Day vs. Gold and Stardust
The New Day hasn’t done much since returning from a brief hiatus, as they’ve been largely relegated to SmackDown and other programs that aren’t worth watching. However, they’ve looked impressive the few times they’ve been on Raw and all three are above average workers. The New Day has more to gain from a win here, so I’m expecting Big E finish off Stardust after hitting the Big Ending.
Winners: The New Day by pinfall
Ryback vs. Kane (Chairs Match)
Each December, fans can usually look forward to a Chairs Match at TLC. It’s like receiving a Christmas gift you didn’t request or care to receive. You put a smile on your face, do your best to enjoy it, but nine times out of ten, it ends in disappointment. This year’s edition should be no different. Nobody would want to see these guys square off in a singles contest, and throwing a few chairs into the mix will do little to save it. Ryback will win after a “brutal” match where the two exchange chair shots to the back for ten minutes.
Winner: Ryback by pinfall
The Miz and Damien Mizdow (Tag Team Champions) vs. The Usos
This contest should be an entertaining way to fill ten to fifteen minutes of the midcard. Mizdow is perhaps the hottest thing in WWE right now, so I expect he and the Miz to go over. However, it likely won’t be without some dissension. Overall, this should be an entertaining contest with a lot of back and forth action. If booked correctly, it should advance the tension between Miz and Mizdow, hopefully leading to a payoff at WrestleMania.
Rusev vs. Jack Swagger for the WWE United States Championship and Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee for the WWE Divas Championship are expected to be announced on tonight’s RAW for this coming Sunday’s WWE TLC pay-per-view.
As noted, tonight’s RAW is the “Slammy Awards” themed edition of the show hosted by actor Seth Green, but is also the “go-home” edition of the show for Sunday’s pay-per-view.
After defeating Emma on SmackDown, Divas Champion Nikki Bella cut a passionate promo on AJ Lee that was greatly edited on the Syfy broadcast. According to a live account from Tuesday’s taping in Fort Wayne, Indiana, she received some applause from the audience when she was done.
Both Bella and Cena reacted to the promo being edited via Twitter.
What could be heard is Bella venting about Lee telling her “sob story” over and over again when she herself has worked harder and is what a champion should look like. To Bella, Lee will “always be that pathetic manipulative little girl from New Jersey.”
The following are highlights of a new E! Online interview with WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella:
On the backstage reaction to her recent WWE Divas Championship victory: “I think everyone’s in shock. They were waiting outside when I came out and gave me hugs and kisses, and Nattie wrote me a nice, super long text. They’ve all been waiting for a change and they’ve seen how hard I’ve been working and I think they are very happy for me; they felt it was very deserving.”
On her new goals: “I definitely want to accomplish so much more. This Divas Championship I hold so close to my heart and I love the Divas division and WWE, and we’ve seen what the power of Total Divas does for our Divas, I want to make this title so much, I want to make every Diva mean something, I want to have a long title run; I know AJ had an insanely long title run and i want to beat it. My first goal is to hold onto this for as long as I can; I want to be challenged every week ; I want to know that my title is on the line and I have to fight to keep it. Those are definitely my new goals with this and just to be the best Nikki Bella that I can be.”
– He might be gone from WWE, but CM Punk has left a presence in the company. Nearly ten months after his last appearance for the sports-entertainment organization, fans continue to chant for the Chicago native at live events. This often occurs during matches featuring his wife, AJ Lee. While WWE has been able to censor signs acknowledging the former WWE Superstar, this may now extend to chants.
According to a fan who sat ringside at last night’s Survivor Series pay-per-view event at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, WWE personnel directed security members for the venue to not allow fans to chant “CM Punk.”
wwe is telling security to not allow cm punk chants on the camera side. Yikes
– AJ Lee is once again a former Divas Champion after losing the title Sunday night at Survivor Series to Nikki Bella in 33 seconds. Brie Bella planted a kiss on Lee, leading Nikki to quickly pin the stunned Diva. As short as the match, it was actually supposed to be shorter. Plus, the participants weren’t notified of the creative direction for the match until the last minute.
“Do you know when these two were told they had 20 seconds?” Bryan Alvarez mentioned on today’s Bryan & Vinny Show on F4WOnline.com recapping Survivor Series. “They were told right as they were going over all of the spots in their match.”
Although the late “smart money” has yet to come in, below are the current online betting odds for tonight’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view, which shows the current betting favorites and underdogs.
– Team Cena -505 vs. Team Authority +335
– Nikki Bella -300 vs. AJ Lee +220
– Dean Ambrose -170 vs. Bray Wyatt +130
– The Miz & Damien Sandow -190 vs. Goldust & Stardust +160 vs. The Usos +210 vs. Los Matadores +350
– Team Natalya -125 vs. Team Paige -115
Remember, a (-) indicuates a betting favorite, while a (+) indicates an underdog. For example, in the main event, with Team Cena being (-505), it would take a $505 bet to earn $100 in profits. With Team Authority at (+335), a $100 bet would earn you $335 profit.
Make sure to check out the website later tonight for the best WWE Survivor Series live pay-per-view results coverage on the web!
Survivor Series is mere hours away at this point. This baby is totally free, so anyone paying for this pay-per-view is doing it all wrong. In total, there are five matches on the main card, including a traditional Survivor Series tag team main event. Without further ado, here are my predictions for tonight’s Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Fandango (with Rosa Mendes) vs. TBA
Although Fandango’s opponent has yet to be announced, I’d put my money on Adam Rose serving as the punching bag. The match will likely be used to further tension between Adam Rose and the Bunny, while also allowing Fandango to pick up a victory in his return to action.
Winner: Fandango by pinfall
Alicia Fox, Emma, Naomi, and Natalya vs. Paige, Cameron, Layla, and Summer Rae (Divas Elimination Match)
This will be similar to last year’s Divas elimination match in that it will be total waste of ten minutes (and if we’re really lucky, we might get to see it again on Raw tomorrow!). This could go in many directions, but my guess is that Paige’s team wins after last eliminating Natalya.
Winners: Paige, Cameron, Layla, and Summer Rae by pinfall
– In a new interview with Bill Apter, former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio teases big news regarding his future, noting that he is about to sign with two companies that have television deals, but it won’t be until January. You can check out the interview below.
– Nikki Bella noted on Twitter that this is the final week of Brie Bella serving as her “personal assistant,” and told fans to tune into RAW tonight to see what she is going to make her do.
– WWE Diva and Total Divas star Nikki Bella posted the following message on her Facebook page in response to her critics:
“I don’t have to tell you how hard I have worked. I don’t have to tell you the hours, sweat, blood and tears I have put into this. I don’t have to tell you stories so you’ll feel bad for me. My dream may have started later than yours but you can’t take my dream away from me. You say bad things about me but in the end you don’t really know me. I may not be your internet darling but what I am is Fearless. And being Fearless is what has gotten me to where I am today. 8 years of constantly being put down, I am still here. And that’s because I am a Survivor.”
– R-Truth welcomed his new baby girl to the world this weekend. The WWE Superstar posted the following photos on Twitter.
– The official website of the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, is advertising WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar for the Jan. 12, 2015 Raw.
Lesnar is also advertised for the following Raw tapings: Dec. 8, 2014 – Greenville, South Carolina; Dec. 29, 2014 – Washington, D.C; Jan. 19, 2015 – Dallas, Texas.
– Nikki Bella, who is set to challenge AJ Lee for the Divas Championship at Survivor Series, posted this message on social media addressing her critics.
“I don’t have to tell you how hard I have worked. I don’t have to tell you the hours, sweat, blood and tears I have put into this. I don’t have to tell you stories so you’ll feel bad for me. My dream may have started later than yours but you can’t take my dream away from me. You say bad things about me but in the end you don’t really know me. I may not be your internet darling but what I am is Fearless. And being Fearless is what has gotten me to where I am today. 8 years of constantly being put down, I am still here. And that’s because I am a Survivor.”
As you might have picked up on, the top priority for WWE television this past week was to elevate Ryback back to the top-tier status he enjoyed prior to his lost to CM Punk at Hell in a Cell 2013.
Speaking of Ryback, he’s official for “Team Cena” at the upcoming WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view on November 23rd, as he joins team captain John Cena and team members Dolph Ziggler, Big Show and Sheamus.
On the other end of the match, which is a traditional ten-man elimination style match with the big Authority stipulation, is Seth Rollins, Kane, Mark Henry, Rusev and Luke Harper.
Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt and Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee for the WWE Divas Championship are the only other two matches official for the show thus far.
As noted, Adam Rose vs. The Bunny in a Kickoff Show match and a WWE Tag-Team Championship four-way with Goldust & Stardust vs. The Usos vs. Los Matadores vs. The Miz and Damien Mizdow is also expected.
Survivor Series is less than two weeks away, and while three matches on the card are essentially set, much of the program is still unannounced. So, will the WWE work to build a pay-per-view that is solid from top to bottom, or are they simply throwing in the towel because this is a “free” event? Here is the card is expect to see on November 23rd in St. Louis.
Adam Rose vs. The Bunny
After attacking the Bunny last week on Raw, it appears these two legends of the squared circle will square off sooner rather than later. This pairing has kickoff show written all over it, as the company tries to get the crowd going with a “humorous” contest.
Gold & Stardust (Tag Team Champions) vs. The Miz & Damien Mizdow vs. Los Matadores vs. The Usos
Los Matadores have picked up a few victories over Gold & Stardust over the past few weeks, and the Miz and his stunt double have also feuded with the champs. Throw in the Usos to make an even number of teams, and you’ve got yourself an elimination tag team match for the straps.