Sources indicate that Daniel Bryan will in fact be defending the WWE World Heavyweight championship against Kane in a Buried Alive Match.
Bryan is expected to retain, because Kane is taking time off from WWE soon until he returns to promote the new WWE Studios film See No Evil 2. The movie does not have an official release date yet, but is expected to be released around October.
Evolution vs. The Shield is also going to happen, but it might not be a 6-man tag match. As of this week’s RAW, WWE has also been talking about a series of 3 singles matches featuring members of the rival factions.
– According to one source, Adam Rose’s in-ring debut on the main WWE roster is expected to take place at the WWE Payback pay-per-view on June 1st, where Rose will compete against Jack Swagger.
– The WWE SummerSlam themed edition of “Chasing Maria Menounos” debuts tonight on the Oxygem channel. You can check out a video promoting the show below:
– John Cena’s feud with. Bray Wyatt feud is expected to continue for some time, past the June 1st WWE Payback pay-per-view.
– Another independent wrestler that was part of Adam Rose’s entourage on RAW was “Portugal’s Perfect Athlete” Shanna, who was previously a TNA Gutcheck contestant.
– As noted earlier, a version of the RAW script that was changed on Monday afternoon featured Daniel Bryan wrestling Batista instead of Kane. Another version had Batista wrestling Roman Reigns, with Reigns getting the victory. WWE announced on Monday afternoon that Evolution would be guest timekeepers during the Wyatt Family vs. The Shield main event, however that idea was nixed as well.
As previously reported, WWE has been considering a “Buried Alive” match between Daniel Bryan and Kane as the main event of the upcoming WWE Payback pay-per-view on June 1st. As noted, they even set the stage for such a match by having Kane sit-up after the match last night at Extreme Rules.
According to one source, it looks like the Bryan-Kane match is on, as it looks like Batista will be sticking around for Payback, but will not be working with Bryan in the main event as WWE originally hoped.
The other expected main event at Payback is a rematch between The Shield and Evolution.
As previously reported, the original plan was for Batista to take some time off from WWE after tonight’s Extreme Rules show, as he was not scheduled on any upcoming WWE events past the pay-per-view. Apparently, those plans have changed.
The latest word going around backstage at Extreme Rules tonight is that Batista has agreed to stick around through the next pay-per-view, which is WWE Payback. Originally the plan was for Batista to work a program with Daniel Bryan, one that would culminate with the two competing for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Payback, however there’s talk now that the program between Evolution and The Shield — which Batista is a key part of — may continue past tonight’s show.
As previously reported, WWE is still looking to convince Batista to work a program with Daniel Bryan for the main event of the upcoming WWE Payback pay-per-view. If those plans fail, WWE already set the stage for their alternative option.
WWE’s “plan B” for the Payback show is to have Daniel Bryan vs. Kane in a Buried Alive match. WWE set things in motion to go that direction at Extreme Rules, as that was said to be the reason that Kane sat-up at the finish of last night’s main event. The feeling was that they needed that last scene in case they are forced to go in that direction.
Batista is scheduled for tonight’s post-Extreme Rules edition of WWE RAW, which emanates from Albany, New York. According to reports, hours before The Shield vs. Evolution match last night, nothing had been settled as far as plans for Batista going forward.
As previously reported, the original plan was for a Batista vs. Daniel Bryan main event at the upcoming WWE Payback pay-per-view, however Batista turned that idea down. Apparently Vince McMahon and other WWE officials were less than pleased with Batista changing their plans for the show, however McMahon is still looking to talk Batista into doing the program with Bryan before taking his hiatus.
According to one source, the original plan was for Evolution to defeat The Shield at tonight’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Those plans reportedly changed when news came down that Batista was going to be taking time off after tonight’s show.
However, with the latest reports indicating that “The Animal” may be sticking around through WWE’s upcoming Payback pay-per-view, it’s possible that the original plan of an Evolution victory could be back in effect.
As of last word, the plan was to keep the Evolution vs. Shield program going after tonight’s show, which would mean it’s likely that the heels are going over.
The following is an updated list of official dates and locations for WWE’s pay-per-view events all the way through WrestleMania 31.
May 4th – Extreme Rules, IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ
June 1st – Payback, Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL
June 29th – Money In the Bank, TD Garden in Boston, MA
July 20th – Battleground, Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, FL
August 17th – SummerSlam, Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA
September 21st – Night of Champions, Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN
October 26th – Hell In A Cell, American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
November 23rd – Survivor Series, Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO
December 14th – TLC, Quickens Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH
January 25th – Royal Rumble, Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA
February 22nd – Elimination Chamber, Fedex Forum in Memphis, TN
March 29th – WrestleMania 31, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA
Adapt or perish. That is the message Triple H has been sending to the Shield in recent weeks since reforming Evolution. The concept seems simple enough when applied to professional wrestling: either evolve your character over time or quickly become irrelevant.
However, Triple H should be heeding his own advice, because it appears Evolution is the stable that will need to adapt in the near future in order to survive. With Batista taking some time off after Extreme Rules and Triple H only working a part-time in-ring schedule, Randy Orton will be the only full-time competitor left in Evolution in a few weeks.
The ultimate goal of the entire Evolution/Shield feud is to set up a contest between Triple H and Roman Reigns sometime this fall, most likely at SummerSlam. If Batista takes a significant amount of time off and Triple H only appears to cut promos, it seems like it will be difficult to drag out the program until August.
Batista is taking some time off after Extreme Rules, leaving only one full-time competitor in Evolution.
Ric Flair is scheduled to appear on Raw this week, meaning he could also be inserted into the program for a brief period of time. I highly doubt that Flair will be around for long though, as he was not originally slated to rejoin Evolution, and considering the fact that he hasn’t shown up to a WWE event sober in months, it seems unlikely that too much importance will be placed on the Nature Boy.
Flair’s sobriety, or lack thereof, aside, he is also not someone who is going to compete in the ring, so his involvement seems rather pointless, especially when considering that Triple H is basically playing the same managerial role that Flair occupied during the stable’s original incarnation.
The ticket sale advances for several of WWE’s upcoming pay-per-views are looking strong. The WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 4th is set up for 14,000 seats and is already nearly sold out.
The WWE Payback event, which takes place in Chicago, Illinois on June 1st is set up for 11,000 seats and is also nearly sold out.
WWE Money In The Bank, which takes place in Boston, Massachusetts on June 29th has sold 10,000 tickets already, with only approximately 2,000 tickets still available right now for a show that is more than two months away.
– This year’s WWE Payback pay-per-view on June 1st will take place from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois for the second straight year.
– WWE returns to Madison Square Garden for a Road To WrestleMania live event on Saturday, March 8th. Here’s the advertised card:
* John Cena, Batista & Rey Mysterio vs. The Wyatt Family
* CM Punk vs. Kane
* Tag Team champions Goldust & Cody Rhodes vs. The New Age Outlaws
Also advertised to appear are Divas Champion AJ Lee, The Bella Twins, Alberto Del Rio, Damien Sandow, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, The Miz and others. WWE World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton is not currently advertised for the show.
After tonight’s WWE Payback PPV went off the air, John Cena celebrated at the top of the entrance ramp, and then left to a mixed crowed response. This ended the show.
– WWE has released the following video hyping Rob Van Dam’s return to WWE at next month’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. The video first aired at Payback:
This week on Because Wrestling, we’re recapping the latest news from WWE Payback! Wins, losses, twists, turns, and all the major news that happened at the show! (more…)