Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe tore the house down in the main event of Sunday’s Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view. Lesnar retained the WWE Universal Championship after a hard hitting match that will only strengthen Samoa Joe’s spot in the upper echelon of WWE.
Fans are giving the match rave reviews and friend of the site Sean Ross Sapp notes that Brock Lesnar was said to be “really, really happy” with how the match went.
Paul Heyman’s Reaction to Lesnar vs. Joe
Paul Heyman posted the following early this morning:
– WWE sold out the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX on Sunday night for their first-ever Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view. Michael Cole announced the attendance as 16,579.
– Paul Heyman took part in an interview during the pre-show for Sunday’s Great Balls of Fire where he took questions from fans on social media. Here’s the video of Heyman’s interview:
The confrontation between Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe could come to a head once again tonight (Mon. June 26, 2017) on Monday Night RAW.
A few weeks ago, Lesnar and Joe engaged in an all out brawl in the middle of the ring that needed the entire WWE locker room to come out and help separate. Joe is riding high after his Extreme Rules Fatal Five-Way match victory against Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Bray Wyatt to become the new No. 1-contender for “The Beast’s” Universal Title. Lesnar and Joe will lock horns in the main event of the WWE’s Great Balls Of Fire pay-per-view (PPV) next month (Sun. July 9, 2017).
Tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW will go down live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and Lesnar’s advocate, Paul Heyman, took to Twitter to reveal that his client plans on calling out Samoa Joe in the middle of the ring – and he’s looking for a fight:
Last night at the Money in the Bank PPV, Tyler Breeze and Fandango’s segment had a distinctly 80s flare to it.
The team’s Fashion Files segment was based off the old “Miami Vice” television show from the decade, and included references to numerous wrestlers and angles which took place during that era.
Paul Heyman Reacts to Breezeango
Paul Heyman’s “Paul E Dangerously” character was referenced during the sketch, as Fandango used a large mobile phone. Heyman, as Dangerously, used a similar looking phone as part of his gimmick.
– WWE has announced that Shinsuke Nakamura will headline a WWE live event in Osaka, Japan on September 16th at the Edion Arena. This show is in addition to two live events scheduled for Tokyo, Japan later this month.
– Lana tweeted the following about her upcoming SmackDown Women’s Championship opportunity at Money in the Bank:
– On Monday’s RAW, Samoa Joe sent a message to Brock Lesnar by choking out Lesnar’s Advocate, Paul Heyman. The two are getting rave reviews for the segment, which went a long way in solidifying Joe as a top-tier player and a serious threat to WWE’s Universal champion. The following day, Joe and Heyman had the following exchange on Twitter.
Brock Lesnar returns to WWE RAW next week and you can bet he won’t be pleased with what transpired this week. Lesnar and Joe square off in the main of event of Great Balls of Fire, which takes place Sunday, July 9th.
Paul Heyman, the Advocate of RAW Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, made a surprise appearance at rapper Desiigner’s concert from the Playstation Theater last night in New York City.
The ‘Panda’ and ‘Timmy Turner’ performer is a self proclaimed Paul Heyman Guy and you can read more about that situation over at HeymanHustle.com.
Here’s the footage of Heyman introducing Desiigner to the rabid crowd on Monday night. If Paul Heyman is introducing you (see: Brock Lesnar, CM Punk), you’re doing something right!
Paul Heyman’s “Looking For Larry” marketing agency has been hired by NASCAR to promote the September 9th race from Richmond, VA. The event will be held at the Richmond International Raceway.
Mike Waddell, head of communications for the Raceway, had this to say regarding bringing Heyman’s agency onboard.
“If you don’t come at it with a fresh angle, nobody’s ever going to notice you. If you don’t make waves, you’re going to drown. So we got out the wave machine, and we’re going to get after it.”
Both Heyman and Waddell have noted the challenge is to get young fans out to the track. By bringing in a “wave machine” like Heyman, Waddell is hoping to change that.
Heyman had this to say regarding his agency’s new project.
“Getting people out to the track has become more and more difficult,” Heyman stated, then continued to say his company will seek to bring “new people to at least see what it’s like to be a part of the NASCAR experience at Richmond International Raceway.”
The full article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, can be read here.
– NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced last week that he plans to retire at the end of the 2017 Monster Energy Cup season. What’s the connection to pro wrestling? In his first exclusive interview since announcing his forthcoming retirement, Earnhardt spoke with Paul Heyman about his decision.
Heyman’s Looking 4 Larry creative agency recently teamed up with the Richmond International Speedway, which hosts the final regular-season race of the NASCAR season.
– Chris Jericho is the new WWE United States Champion after defeating former best friend Kevin Owens last night at Payback. As a result, Jericho joins the SmackDown brand. Backstage after Payback, RAW General Manager Kurt Angle bid farewell to Jericho, but is interrupted by two stupid idiots who ultimately make .. The List.
– Jeff Hardy had his tooth knocked out at Payback during the Hardy Boys RAW tag title defense against Sheamus and Cesaro. WWE posted this video of Jeff receiving medical attention backstage:
Paul Heyman issued the following statement on Facebook and Twitter that addressed next week’s Superstar Shake-Up and his client Brock Lesnar:
“While my client Brock Lesnar and I are looking forward to WWE’s #SuperstarShakeup this coming Monday, let’s be perfectly transparent. There is everyone else on the WWE #RAW and #Smackdown rosters, and then there is Brock Lesnar (along with his humble #Advocate) ..It is imperative for Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan, Stephanie McMahon, Kurt Angle and even Vince McMahon to know the intrinsic value my client Brock Lesnar brings not only to the #SuperstarShakeup but simply to WWE as a whole. In layman’s terms (or, actually, in HEYMAN’s terms), even the mere DISCUSSION about BrockLesnar in regards to the #SuperstarShakeup requires a negotiation IN ADVANCE of any discussion, no matter how high up or serious that discussion goes! #SuperstarShakeup. With this in mind, my client Brock Lesnar and I are “open4business” and we look forward to hearing new, innovative ways for WWE to ….promote / market Brock Lesnar as the once-ever athlete and performer that has blessed WWE with his presence.”
Paul Heyman appeared at Axxess yesterday, and as per usual he had plenty to say on a variety of topics. Perhaps the most notable opinion expressed by Brock Lesnar’s advocate was his belief that Charlotte Flair will one day be in the main event of WrestleMania.
Heyman even suggested that Charlotte’s opponent at that WrestleMania could be Ronda Rousey.
Women in the main event of WrestleMania is something which will happen eventually. The goal is, or at least should be, to provide a division for the women which allows them to get over to the same degree the men do. This is what occurred in the UFC, when the company put Ronda Rousey’s first fight with the promotion in the main event of a PPV. The women’s divisions were seen as immediately on par with the mens’.
One of the frequently cited reasons for the Raw women’s division lacking momentum, is it’s small roster. It’s hard for a title to feel important when only a handful of women compete for it. Not to mention with the belt changing hands so frequently, fans of the Raw women’s division have become habituated to seeing new champions crowned.
Complex Sports is reporting that Paul Heyman’s agency, Looking4Larry, has signed a deal with independent record label Reviver Entertainment Group. Reviver Entertainment Group is headed by second generation music impresario David Ross. Heyman and his Looking4Larry partners will produce and direct music videos for Reviver artists. They will also handle introducing them to the public and promoting them.
On The Bella Twins YouTube channel, a video was uploaded of John Cena and Nikki Bella sharing a moment backstage during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Cena and Bella will face The Miz & Maryse tomorrow night at Wrestlemania 33.
Paul Heyman recently appeared on the Fight Society podcast to discuss Brock Lesnar, WrestleMania 33, Ronda Rousey and more. Heyman says that he envisions a day where a women’s match headlines WrestleMania – and it will be Charlotte Flair leading the charge.
“I think the female to bring the women’s division to that prominence is Charlotte. No doubt in my mind. she is a true game changer not just for the women’s division, but for the industry in and of itself. When Trish Stratus and Lita broke the mold and turned up the heat on the women’s division and paved the way for this crop of athletes that have come in and truly both revolutionized and evolved the presentation of women’s wrestling, I think also Natalya does not get the credit she deserves for being at the forefront of that movement. But Charlotte, to me, is the prototype of where women’s wrestling is going to go.
In the same way that anyone who was watching Strikeforce in the infancy of the women’s MMA explosion, and you saw Gina Carano followed by Cyborg followed by Miesha Tate and the global popularity of Ronda Rousey, I think it’s the same way in WWE. I think Trish and Lita paved the way. I think Natalya set a standard in terms of workrate. Then came in this crop from NXT, with Sasha Banks and Bayley and everyone else, but Charlotte is in a league of her own. I can’t even tell you that I think she’s one of the best women’s wrestlers i’ve ever seen in my life. I think she’s one of the best wrestlers I’ve seen in my life. I don’t think the global audience has come to realize her potential as a worldwide attraction yet. They will and at that time, I think she has the first female in a main event of WrestleMania.”
You can check out more highlights from the interview at FOX Sports. Listen to the full interview here:
Speaking of Heyman, his first ‘WrestleMania Week’ blog for Yahoo! Sports is now live. Heyman explains why Brock Lesnar is ready to bring the WWE Universal championship home to Suplex City. Check it out at Sports.Yahoo.com.
Paul Heyman is partnering with Yahoo! Sports once again in the lead up to WrestleMania 33.
Starting next Monday and running through WrestleMania Sunday, the popular Heyman Hustle website will drop an original blog post and a new video for Yahoo Sports’ The Turnstile sub-site.
The videos will feature exclusive footage of Lesnar preparing for his upcoming Universal Championship match against Goldberg, Heyman participating in “media row” in Orlando, outtakes and tons more exclusive footage.
“Last year, our partnership with Yahoo! Sports was the most successful collaboration we’ve ever done with the Heyman Hustle website,” Heyman told TheWrap. “It also provided a look into our Looking4Larry Agency that launched the bidding war for the rights to the reality show we’re currently shooting.”
“This year, we are debuting seven never-before-seen videos with behind the scenes footage of Brock Lesnar that even I find intimidating, and also doing a Facebook Live session for which I’m already lawyering up!”
Head over to The Wrap to see the first exclusive video featuring Brock Lesnar participating in a [very brief yet still terrifying] sit-down interview.
After Monday’s WWE RAW from Green Bay went off the air, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came out to issue an open challenge to the locker room. This is the third consecutive week WWE has run this angle.
Show and Lesnar fought for a few minutes until Lesnar hit the F5 and left the ring with Big Show down on the mat.
After Lesnar had laid waste to the giant, a WWE referee actually got on top of Big Show while another ref counted the pin.
Brock Lesnar and his advocate Paul Heyman made a surprise appearance after Monday’s RAW from Portland, OR went off the air.
Heyman and Lesnar came out after RAW ended and issued an open challenge, which was accepted by The Big Show. The match lasted less than 5 seconds when Lesnar blocked a chokeslam and hit a F5.
Earlier in the evening, Goldberg appeared live on RAW to Heyman and Lesnar’s challenge for a match at WrestleMania 33.
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman appeared on tonight’s Raw from Laredo and issued a challenge to Goldberg for Lesnar vs. Goldberg at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando this April.
Goldberg took to Twitter after the segment and announced that he will be on next week’s Raw from Portland, Oregon to respond. He wrote on Twitlonger:
– As of this week, WWE Network has not produced a second episode of “Bring It To The Table” with Peter Rosenberg, Paul Heyman and JBL, despite positive initial reviews.
– The WWE Network is debuting a new “Collection” on the rise and fall of The Shield. Below is a sneak peek:
– Mojo Rawley got a photo with 2016 Miss Louisiana USA Maaliyah Papillion as she was at this week’s WWE house show in her home town of Lake Charles, Louisiana:
– Heath Slater and Rhyno defeated The Usos in the dark match before this week’s WWE SmackDown. The dark main event of the show saw WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose retain over The Miz.
– Here’s the promo for Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman’s return to RAW next Monday in New Orleans to discuss Goldberg and the Royal Rumble match:
I’ve expressed my opinions on the Brock Lesnar and Goldberg match at Survivor Series before. To sum it up, I didn’t enjoy it. I thought it was done for shock value and that it made no sense for Goldberg, whom hasn’t been in a wrestling ring for over a decade, to dismantle Lesnar in 86 seconds. It was a snap judgement on my part. I found it cheap and was just done so that people would send out tweets about the match. Since Survivor Series, I’ve been proven wrong because the Goldberg and Lesnar storyline has continued and more weight has been put behind it. However, last night’s closing segment on Raw completely baffled me.
It was the debut of the Kevin Owens Show and his first guest was Goldberg. Owens and Jericho cracked jokes for a couple of minutes and Goldberg eventually joined them in the ring. Goldberg pretty much just said that he was going to win the Royal Rumble match and take the Universal Championship from either Kevin Owens or Roman Reigns. Paul Heyman then came out and said that Brock Lesnar was going to eliminate Goldberg at the Royal Rumble. Roman Reigns then emerged (without his United States Championship) and said that he was going defeat Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble and defeat whomever he has to face at Wrestlemania. Roman Reigns and Goldberg then had a stare down and Braun Strowman interrupted. Strowman stated that he was the one that was going to win the Royal Rumble match. The segment ended with Goldberg and Reigns hitting a Double Spear on Strowman. For some reason, everyone besides Goldberg then exited the ring and allowed him to celebrate in the ring.
I didn’t get it. The promo felt clunky and rushed. Chris Jericho also said that he was entering the Royal Rumble and Kevin Owens was upset about that. Owens was upset about that because he didn’t want to wind up having to defend his Universal Championship against his best friend, Chris Jericho, at Wrestlemania. There were just so many storylines and personalities crammed into that ten minute promo to close the show. Goldberg completely got lost in the shuffle and his presence didn’t feel special at all. I’m guessing that the WWE thought that the Double Spear with Reigns and Goldberg would be an epic moment but the crowd barely reacted.
Let’s breakdown Goldberg’s interactions to close last night’s Raw. Goldberg had a confrontation with Kevin Owens. Goldberg also threatened Chris Jericho when he announced that he was joining the Royal Rumble match. Goldberg then told Paul Heyman that he was going destroy Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. Goldberg then had a stare down with Roman Reigns. Finally, Goldberg Speared Braun Strowman. My point is that there was just way too much going in that segment. Goldberg’s appearances are limited so they should feel special. There shouldn’t be multiple storylines all crammed into one segment that feature someone as established as Goldberg.
Discussion: What did you think of the final segment of last night’s Raw? Did you have the same reaction or did you enjoy it? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Peter Rosenberg, JBL and Paul Heyman have teamed up for a new discussion-style WWE Network show to premiere tonight after RAW goes off the air. Below is the official synopsis for Bring It To The Table:
“Join Paul Heyman, John Bradshaw Layfield, and Peter Rosenberg as they debate controversial topics on the WWE Network.”
Rosenberg revealed in a screenshot that they will be discussing such topics as Bret Hart, three hours of RAW and Ric Flair, it appears. He tweeted this photo:
– Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar have been announced for the 1/16 RAW from Little Rock, Arkansas at the Verizon Arena. As of now, this is Lesnar’s only scheduled RAW before the 1/29 Royal Rumble PPV.
Goldberg is scheduled for the 1/2 RAW from Tampa and the 1/23 RAW from Cleveland but there are no pre-Rumble events where both men are scheduled.
– Sasha Banks reveals her workout routine in the new issue of Muscle & Fitness Magazine, which hits newsstands next week. WWE announced the following on the issue:
Sasha Banks wants to help you kick off 2017 right, with an article covering her intensive workout routine in “Muscle & Fitness.”
In the latest issue of the premier fitness magazine, WWE’s resident Boss breaks down her full-body workout to help you get in shape for the new year.
See the full feature in “Muscle & Fitness,” available on newsstands next week.
Brock Lesnar is now official for the 2017 WWE Royal Rumble PPV from The Alamodome in San Antonio.
Lesnar will be in the thirty-man Royal Rumble main event, along with Goldberg and other Superstars.
The announcement was made by Paul Heyman on tonight’s RAW, seen below. Heyman warned that a new side of Lesnar we’ve never seen will be coming for Goldberg at the Rumble.
– The Total Bellas preview clip above features an understandably emotional Daniel Bryan, discussing the end of his career with his wife Brie Bella. Daniel insists that he could conceivably return to wrestling, but Brie asks him to step back and look at the bigger picture. Brie knows it’s hard for Bryan to retire, but notes that his health is important to her. Bryan becomes frantic and paces about, before losing all composure.
– WWE claimed on RAW last night that Paul Heyman suffered an injury at the hands of Goldberg, and was taken to a local medical facility. WWE announced a storyline update earlier this afternoon and said Heyman was released from the hospital with bruised ribs. Heyman had the following to say regarding Brock Lesnar and Goldberg:
Goldberg returned to WWE TV on tonight’s RAW from Hartford and ended up taking out Rusev with a Jackhammer and Paul Heyman with a spear before the segment was over.
Heyman interrupted Goldberg’s show-opening promo and teased that Brock Lesnar was coming out to fight. Lesnar never showed but Rusev did. Rusev had words for Goldberg before attacking him. Goldberg fired back with some botched knees and a Jackhammer, then a spear for Heyman.
You can see photos and video from the segment below.
Goldberg and Lesnar are both scheduled to be on the 11/14 RAW from Buffalo. They will wrestle at the 11/20 Survivor Series PPV from Toronto.
– Ryback continues to fight WWE over the trademark of his “Feed Me More” phrase. The Big Guy attempted to trademark the phrase back on August 1st, 2016, however WWE had already filed for the mark back in January.
– Stephanie McMahon recently signed a “wrestling contract extension” according to a recent 10-Q filing from WWE. Stephanie will remain with the company through October 7th, 2019, at which point her deal will be extended on an annual basis until either party gives a 90-day notice prior to the auto-renewal date.
– Former WCW President Eric Bischoff shared his thoughts on Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar’s segment from Monday’s RAW on the latest episode of his Bischoff On Wrestling podcast. “Unless you are there in the moment and are a part of the process you really don’t have a 360 degree view of anything,” Bischoff said. “With that acknowledged and said, I have to question whoever’s decision it was to set the story up in Minneapolis. I’m not going to suggest that I ever sat down and tried to create a structure for a story or a time line for a story and asked somebody to tell me where we were going to be playing this story out. In which city. I never did that. I wasn’t that smart and didn’t have that vision if you will. I was smart enough to know that there are occasions because every city has it’s own personality. It really does.”
He continued, There were occasions like if we knew we were going to Philadelphia in three or five months for TV or PPV we created our format because we knew we were going to be in front of an audience with a certain type of personality that was going to react a certain type of way. It was kind of predictable.”