The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos is now official for WrestleMania 34, as announced on tonight’s SmackDown episode.
Tonight’s show also saw a change made to the WWE United States Title Triple Threat at WrestleMania. Rusev has been added to the match to make it a Fatal 4 Way.
WrestleMania 34 takes place on April 8th from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
Below is the updated confirmed WrestleMania card:
Confirmed Matches:
WWE Universal Title Match
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
WWE Title Match
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles
Triple Threat for the WWE Intercontinental Title
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz
Fatal 4 Way for the WWE United States Title
Rusev vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton
RAW Women’s Title Match
Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
SmackDown Women’s Title Match
Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair
RAW Tag Team Title Match
Braun Strowman and a partner vs. Cesaro and Sheamus
Triple Threat for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles
The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos
Finals of the WWE Cruiserweight Title Tournament
Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali
Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn Zayn and Owens will get their jobs back if they win, they will remain fired if they lose.
First-Ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
Sasha Banks, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Naomi, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Natalya, TBA
Fifth Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder, Baron Corbin, Tye Dillinger, Mojo Rawley, Matt Hardy, Dolph Ziggler, Tyler Breeze, Fandango, TBA
– It looks like WrestleMania 34’s card will feature two Triple Threat matches for WWE titles. We’ve already seen that Monday Night RAW General Manager Kurt Angle has announced The Miz will be defending his Intercontinental Title in one against Seth Rollins and Finn Balor. Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reports that SmackDown Live will have a Triple Threat Title match of their own.
United States Champion Randy Orton is expected to defend his strap against both Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal in New Orleans. Roode announced his intentions to use his rematch clause at WrestleMania against Orton, after losing the strap this past weekend at Fastlane to “The Viper.” Mahal recently picked up a singles win over Bobby Roode, however, so it’s possible he’s added to the match on SmackDown Live next week.
– As for the finals of the 205 Live Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, Meltzer reports the plan has always been for Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali to take place in the finals. After Alexander already solidified his place in the finals, Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak will take place on next week’s 205 Live to determine Alexander’s opponent. It was also added that Alexander vs. Ali was the idea for the finals once the idea was developed to have the match take place at WrestleMania.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz took to Twitter to congratulate and welcome new United States Champion Randy Orton to the Grand Slam Champions club. Orton defeated Bobby Roode at the Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) event to capture the United States Title for the first time ever.
Orton is now the 10th Grand Slam Champion under the current format. He joins Big Show, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Edge, Kurt Angle, and Eddie Guerrero:
– Also at Fastlane last night, 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble winner Asuka chose to challenge SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34. She joined Talking Smack after the PPV event to offer her thoughts on whether or not “The Empress Of Tomorrow,” who has remained undefeated in WWE for two years, is overrated. Flair said she’s not underestimating Asuka ahead of their WrestleMania clash, and she doesn’t think the Japanese star is underestimating her either:
Randy Orton defeated Bobby Roode tonight at WWE Fastlane to become the new United States Champion. Jinder Mahal attacked Orton after the match. Roode wound up planting them both a Glorious DDT. Orton joined Renee Young and Sam Roberts on Talking Smack following the PPV.
Orton stated that the US Title was the only championship that eluded him throughout his career and that winning it was very special to him and that he will never forget this moment. Randy said that it was one of those things that it was hard to explain. He has accomplished so much but the US Title made him a Grand Slam Champion and it felt good to be on that list.
Randy addressed what went down after the match. Orton said that he wasn’t mad at Mahal or Roode for their actions. Orton praised Roode for busting his ass to make it to WWE and added that he had a lot of fun out there tonight. Orton added that he thinks the WWE Universe saw potential for a hell of a feud between the two Superstars and Orton vowed to give it to them as long as he is the United States Champion.
Orton was asked if Mahal had his number and Sam Roberts joked that The Great Khali wasn’t here tonight. Orton noted that Roode hasn’t been here long enough to get under his skin. Orton said that if he were Roode, he would have done the same exact thing tonight after losing the title. Orton added that it is always nice going into WrestleMania with a title around his waist and said that he planned on representing the title the best he can at WrestleMania.
Renee Young asked Orton about John Cena still not having a match at WrestleMania. Orton brought up watching RAW Talk with his kids following the Elimination Chamber and thanked them for making see John Cena cry during the interview. Orton also complimented Cena and said he put on a hell of a show tonight.Randy noted that Mahal and Roode stacked up with the best of them in terms of opponents that he has faced in the ring as the interview concluded.
Randy Orton defeated Bobby Roode to become the new WWE United States Champion at tonight’s Fastlane pay-per-view.
This actually Orton’s first United States Title reign. Roode has been champion since January 16th after defeating Jinder Mahal in tournament finals for the vacant title.
Orton is now the 10th Grand Slam champion in WWE under the current format. He joins Big Show, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Edge, Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero.
Below are photos and videos from tonight’s big title change:
It’s Tuesday and that means another episode of SmackDown Live is upon us.
Tonight (March 6), the show takes place inside the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. WWE.com has rolled out their preview for tonight’s episode. The show has two matches and one segment set. WWE is also teasing conflict between two female superstars.
The Lowdown
WWE champion AJ Styles is set to take on one of his Fastlane opponents in a non-title bout. He’ll meet Dolph Ziggler, who got a measure of revenge on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn last week. After losing to John Cena, Styles will look to redeem himself on the go-home show.
An old rivalry will be renewed. Randy Orton will do battle with Jinder Mahal. Back in May 2017, Mahal shocked the world when he defeated Orton for the WWE title. That rivalry sparked the return of the Punjabi Prison match. They’ll meet again tonight just five days before Orton challenges Bobby Roode for the United States championship.
Ruby Riott has been a thorn in the side of SmackDown Women’s champion Charlotte. Riott is the last member of the Riott Squad for Charlotte to take out. Before their title match at Fastlane, the two will have a faceoff.
Becky Lynch and Money in The Bank holder Carmella have been at odds on social media. Things got heated enough for Lynch to challenge Carmella to a match tonight. We’ll see how it all plays out tonight on SmackDown Live at 8 p.m. ET.
– Randy Orton appeared in a backstage segment with Bobby Roode on last night’s episode of SmackDown Live to promote their match for the United States Title at Fastlane next month on pay-per-view (PPV). Orton then wrestled in the night’s dark match after the SmackDown Live and 205 Live tapings wrapped up. The match lasted only five seconds as Orton hit Jinder Mahal with an RKO for the quick pin. Check it out here:
– One of the biggest storylines going on WWE TV right now is John Cena’s journey to WrestleMania 34. He was recently added to the Fastlane WWE Championship match, making it a Six Pack Challenge match now. If Cena is unsuccessful, however, he has no shortage of challengers (both WWE Superstars from past and present) who would be more than willing to share the ring with him at “The Showcase Of The Immortals”:
The New Day defeated Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin on tonight’s WWE SmackDown to become the new #1 contenders to SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos.
The New Day will get their title shot at the March 11th WWE Fastlane pay-per-view from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH.
Randy Orton vs. WWE United States Champion Bobby Roode has also been announced for Fastlane, as has Ruby Riott vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair.
Below is the updated Fastlane card:
Fatal 5 Way for the WWE Title
Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens vs. Baron Corbin vs. AJ Styles
WWE United States Title Match
Randy Orton vs. Bobby Roode
SmackDown Tag Team Title Match
The New Day vs. The Usos
SmackDown Women’s Title Match
Ruby Riott vs. Charlotte Flair
Randy Orton isn’t hopping aboard the Ronda Rousey hype train just yet. Not until she steps in the ring, at least that is.
TMZ reporters caught up with Orton at an airport recently and asked him about the former UFC bantamweight champion joining WWE.
Randy Orton on Ronda Rousey in WWE
At first, Orton gave his normal sarcastic blowoff to the reporter, stating he doesn’t watch Raw because he’s a Smackdown guy. He eventually did give a serious answer to the reporter, however.
“Based on what she’s accomplished, I would say she has a good chance to become one of the top female wrestlers eventually but she has a long way to go.”
The reporter continued to ask if he thought Rousey could one day become a Hulk Hogan type figure in wrestling.
“There’s no way to tell”, Orton responded. Orton then asked when Rousey was scheduled to sign her contract and stated we will all found out how she does from that day forward.
– On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live Randy Orton hit the ring and delivered an RKO outta nowhere to United States Champion Bobby Roode. He then proceeded to hit Aiden English and Rusev with one as well. There has been some speculation that this was done to set up a United States Title match between Roode and Orton at Fastlane.
Discussion: How do you feel about a possible Roode vs. Orton match at Fastlane? Would you like to see Orton win the Title from “The Glorious One?”
– Lita recently released a lengthy statement explaining why she wore ‘Times Up’ gear during her appearance in the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Here’s what the former WWE Women’s Champion had to say:
“On January 28, I was fortunate enough to have been included in the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. Historically, it was tough to have the women even represented at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, much less have equal representation and be the main event. With only a few days notice between when I was asked to participate and the match itself, I had to wonder: As much as I wanted to be a part of history, could I pull this off?? After all, I hadn’t been in the ring in a decade, and while my full-time tenure at WWE sowed the seeds for the current Women’s Evolution (led by a roster of kick-ass women), I knew this historic event was going to be much bigger than myself and my own contributions to the industry. A big factor in deciding to go for it was the position I was now in to represent women everywhere.
“First, to all the women in professional wrestling. Women who passed away before they were able to their contributions as a rung on this ladder [sic]. I wanted to step in the ring for these performers who came before me and sacrificed so much of their lives for their millions of fans. But this evolution is bigger than even them. I wanted to be an entrant in this match for all women who have felt underrepresented, in all aspects of their lives. That is why, when I stepped through the curtain, I wore my #TimesUp gear. Watching these women step forward, hearing their #MeToo stories, as difficult as they are to share, has brought strength and unity to women who previously felt alone, ashamed or scared.
“This is so much bigger than one match. Everyone has their own journey and their own way to heal. I am still figuring out mine, but am so proud of all of you who have been able to come forward and join together for the sake of the evolution, and the re-education that this is not right. Women should not be discriminated against, and I support you in whatever makes you feel like you are doing the right thing for you. Taking legal action is only one of those ways, but it also happens to be one of the ways where our support can do the most good. Which is why 100% of the proceeds of this auction is being donated to the #TimesUp Legal Defense Fund to honor the strength of ALL women. I support you, and applaud your courage and your healing, in whatever way is best for you.
WWE released a video ahead of the 2018 Royal Rumble which airs on January 28th from the Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia. The feature contains superstars reviewing their time in the 2017 Royal Rumble, as well as Charlotte and Becky Lynch discussing their feelings before the first Women’s Royal Rumble.
Other highlights include Mojo Rawley and Jack Gallagher offering a unique take on commentary, discussing weapons in the rumble match, and how to enter the ring.
Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch also give their prediction for the men’s rumble match, stating that Elias is the dark horse.
The most interesting and entertaining part of this video however, is how Randy Orton remembers last year’s Royal Rumble event.
On seeing Roman Reigns eliminate The Undertaker, Orton said:
“Yeah, [if] memory serves me correctly, this set up the mainevent for WrestleMania, even though I won the damn thing and if you win The Royal Rumble – you go to the mainevent of WrestleMania – this [Roman Reigns vs The Undertaker] was the mainevent of WrestleMania. So I remember that.”
Later in the video Orton re-lives his celebration after eliminating Reigns from the rumble to win the match, and explains how he was still placed behind Reigns on the match card for WrestleMania.
Opinion:
It’s such a fantastic video, and certainly one of the better promotional videos for Sunday’s Royal Rumble. It’s very easy to understand and appreciate Orton’s frustration, however I can’t see him making it to the end this year.
– WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall tweeted this photo from inside the Manhattan Center, one of the venues that will host tonight’s RAW 25th Anniversary special.
It’s nice to see WWE is going with a retro look for the Manhattan Center show and bonus points to Hall for the New Japan Pro Wrestling jacket.
– Randy Orton’s wife Kim posted the following on Instagram and voiced her displeasure with the fact that Randy will be participating in tonight’s #RAW25 show.
WWE.com is advertising that Superstars from SmackDown will be in attendance, so it’s odd that Orton won’t be there considering his numerous ‘RAW Moments’ over the years.
Shortly after last night’s SmackDown Live from Chicago went off air, a dark match main event took place in the form of a Six-Man Tag Team match between the teams of Jinder Mahal, Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura & AJ Styles. SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan served as the Special Guest Referee.
The team of Orton, Nakamura & Styles won the match to send the Chicago crowd home happy. At one point in the match, Bryan helped “The Viper” hit the RKO on Zayn to set up a Kinshasa from Nakamura for the win. Check it out here:
It’s good to be Randy Orton. After spending nearly 17 years with the WWE as one of its top stars, the 13-time World Champion is set to work a much lighter schedule come 2018 as opposed to being a full-time talent. “The Viper” is only bing advertised for a handful of shows in January, but is not being advertised for any between February 6th and April 9th. Despite this, he is still expected to compete at WrestleMania 34 on April 8th.
The 37-year-old also isn’t being advertised for the WWE’s annual WrestleMania Revenge tour of Europe in May. Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, people close to Orton say that he’s very happy with his life right now; as WWE gives him a lot of time off, compared to what other Superstars get, but is still being kept towards the top of the card and makes several million dollars a year.
It looks like Randy Orton is set to take some time off next year. According to a report from PWInsider, the former WWE Champion will be working a light schedule in January before taking the months of February and March off. Apart from SmackDown Live tapings and the Royal Rumble, “The Viper” is only advertised for the second and fourth week for WWE live events in January.
Orton has been announced for the February 6th episode of SmackDown Live but not anything else after that. Orton is heading into his 17th year with WWE and is a 13-time World Champion. The son of WWE Hall Of Famer “Cowboy” Bob Orton will certainly be joining his father in the hall once he decides to hang up his boots.
SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon announced on tonight’s show that he will be the special referee for Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura at the WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view. If Owens & Sami lose the match they will be fired from all of WWE.
Shane also announced that Natalya vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair will be a Lumberjack Match. Confirmed ringside participants include Carmella, Lana, Tamina, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan.
Finally, SmackDown saw Rusev & Aiden English defeat The New Day to earn a spot in the SmackDown Tag Team Title match at Clash of Champions, making it a Fatal 4 Way with champions The Usos, The New Day, Rusev & English and Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin.
Below is the updated card for Clash of Champions, which takes place on December 17th from the TD Garden in Boston:
WWE Title Match
Jinder Mahal vs. AJ Styles
Lumberjack Match for the SmackDown Women’s Title
Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair
Triple Threat for the WWE United States Title
Dolph Ziggler vs. Bobby Roode vs. Baron Corbin
Fatal 4 Way for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles
Rusev & Aiden English vs. The New Day vs. Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable vs. The Usos
Special Referee: SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura If Owens & Sami lose the match they will be fired from WWE.
Eddie Fatu died on December 4th, 2009. He was only 36 years old. His run as Umaga in WWE lasted from 2005 to 2009.
Randy Orton posted the following yesterday on the 8-year anniversary of his death.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcSskefnZ8X/
Randy Orton on Umaga
“8 years ago, many people including me lost a true friend. He was one of the most intimidating characters in the ring, but for those that knew him, he was one of the absolute funniest guys we knew. Here’s proof. In this pic if you look closely, he is wearing my trunks. They never fit me quite right after that night #RIPUCE”
Earlier this month, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were sent home from the WWE European tour. Speculation is they were removed from the tour for not following the script for their segment on last week’s Smackdown.
Owens and Randy Orton have been going back-and-forth with light-hearted insults on social media since this summer. Orton recently got in a good crack about Owens having been sent home from the tour.
Randy Orton and Kevin Owens Social Media Feud
It all started when Kevin Owens decided to crash someone’s wedding wearing a Rock t-shirt:
– WWE Superstar Randy Orton recently took to Instagram to take a bit of a shot at Kevin Owens. Orton posted a picture of a meal he got at McDonalds and claimed he needed the calories because he’s training for a feud with Kevin Owens. “KO” was quick to fire back in the comments section of Orton’s photo, saying he’s also preparing for the feud “I watched paint dry today. I’ve got you all figured out.” Check it out:
– Last night the Los Angeles Clippers had a “WWE Night” in which WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore, Intercontinental Champion The Miz, Becky Lynch, and Darren Young were in attendance. Becky Lynch slapped and stepped on the Clippers mascot for getting too close to her while Amore had fun by dancing out on the court. Check out the highlights below:
WWE Superstar Randy Orton was recently a guest on former WWE Tag Team Champs Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. During their conversation, Christian recalled an incident between he and Orton after one of their matches back in 2005. “Captain Charisma” jumped Orton after their match, however, he legitimately injured “The Viper” during the segment:
“I came out and I jumped you after a match … it was just going to be a little TV program. I cuffed you so hard in the head and I guess it knocked your equilibrium all crazy because you were down in the ring. You weren’t moving.“
Orton suffered from a ruptured eardrum after the attack, causing a great deal of worry from Christian as he knew Orton was set for a big push in the coming months. Orton covered for Christian by telling everyone backstage that he was okay and was just selling:
“They finally got you up, they carried you back and you opened the curtain and you said, ‘Relax everyone. I was just working. I was just selling it,’. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, cool, good job Randy.’ We got down the stairs, you put your arm around me and you whispered, ‘I am so f—ed up.’ “
Randy Orton was Edge and Christian’s guest on the latest episode of the E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness podcast.
During the discussion, Orton talked about how hard it is to stay in peak physical condition at 37 years old.
“I’m always up and down when it comes to my body,” said Orton. “It’s stressful, it is.”
Orton joked that Kevin Owens is in a great spot because he got himself over as a wrestler without needing a six pack.
“I guess Kevin Owens has it figured out,” he joked. “He started fat and he’ll finish fat. [Laughs] He’s trying to get himself over as the fat guy that can fight. Bless his heart, that’s great. I’m jealous.”
Christian mentioned that it’s easier for wrestlers who don’t have great bodies to get over, referring to it as “bad physique heat.” Orton admitted that he’s sick of playing a babyface and is a lot more comfortable portraying a villain.
“I love it and I’m gonna use that,” said Orton. “Hopefully sooner than later when I turn heel again because I’m sick of this babyface thing, that’s for sure.”
Check out the complete episode of E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness featuring the Randy Orton interview at Art19.com.
– John Cena met with Nintendo executives on Tuesday, including Nintendo of America President Reggie Fills-Aime and Nintendo’s Head of Sales and Marketing, Doug Bowser.
It’s unclear at this point what the meeting was about, whether it’s related to WWE 2K18 coming to Nintendo Switch this fall or another project.
Cena worked with Nintendo earlier this year as part of the marketing campaign for the Nintendo Switch launch.
Shane McMahon reveals how he brought his own WWE 2K18 playable character to life in this behind-the-scenes look at Shane-o-Mac’s motion capture session.
– As you probably know, many pro wrestlers are big gamers. Video games are great way for them to pass the time on the road and flex their competitive muscles outside the ring.
SmackDown Live stars Randy Orton and AJ Styles had a competitive game of Mario Kart for Nintendo Switch on Wednesday night, with Orton delivering a virtual RKO to the United States Champion. Orton says UpUpDownDown star Xavier Woods witnessed his win, but AJ Styles has multiple excuses for why he lost.
Played with a Joy-Con, not the full controller. He has all the upgrades for his carts. I just got the game, my thumb hurts and I'm sleepy. https://t.co/EEbG0xxnCu
– WWE will hold another round of NXT TV tapings tonight at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Last night’s show featured WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne defending against Wolfgang, Billie Kay & Payton Royce vs. Ruby Riot & Nikki Cross, Johnny Gargano and the Street Profits in action and an appearance from the Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish).
Click here to check out our detailed recap of this week’s NXT.
Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live featuring Randy Orton vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event to crown a new #1 contender to WWE Champion Jinder Mahal averaged 2.582 million viewers, up from 2.455 million viewers last week.
By comparison, Monday’s Labor Day edition of RAW drew 2.932 million viewers, down from the previous week’s 3.304 million viewers.
SmackDown was #5 in viewership, behind American Horror Story, The Haves & Have Nots, Rachel Maddow and Hannity. SmackDown was #2 in the 18-49 demographic on cable this week, behind American Horror Story.
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is advertised for next week’s show, so don’t be surprised to see the viewership continue to creep up as we head into Hell in a Cell.
Catch up on the Top 10 Moments from this week’s SmackDown Live:
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal recently spoke with QC Online to promote Saturday’s SmackDown live event at the iWireless Center in Moline, IL. Mahal is advertised to defend the WWE Title against Randy Orton at the live event. Here are the highlights:
On working with Randy Orton:
“He’s an incredible performer, 13 times champion. Randy is there to ultimately take the WWE championship away from me. It’s my duty to ensure I walk out of Moline the WWE champion.”
Representing India on WWE television: “It’s a great feeling to be champion, a proud feeling I’m representing India. India is proud to have a WWE champion. It’s very popular there, with a large viewership. Growing up, my uncle was a huge influence on me, and who I go to advice even still now in my current position.”