As seen on Monday’s post-Battleground edition of WWE RAW, former NXT Champion Kevin Owens was one of the wrestlers involved in breaking up the brawl between The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, a spot usually designed for lower to mid-card talent.
Since beating John Cena at the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in May, Owens has not had a televised victory over a main event talent. In fact, Owens’ last win on television — excluding NXT — was at the June 16th SmackDown television taping, where he pinned Cesaro.
Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez reported on Tuesday that Owens has been dropped to an “upper mid-card position” due to the fact that WWE officials do not see him being on the level of Cena, Randy Orton or Seth Rollins.
Based on recent storylines, it appears that Owens will be feuding with Cesaro and Rusev for the foreseeable future.
On Sheamus and Ted Dibiase Jr. interrupting Daniel Bryan the first time he had sex with Brie: “We were naked and about to do our thing when all of a sudden we heard the sound of the door handle turning and then the door popped open. Bri jumped under the covers as Teddy and Sheamus barged into the room, inebriated as can be, wit the ‘Ahhh fella!’ and all that.”
On being slated to wrestle Charlie Sheen at SummerSlam in 2012: “He was going through a very public breakdown at the time, and somehow WWE brokered a deal for him to perform against me. He taped a couple of videos for ‘Raw’ insulting me, and even though it was a goofy match to be in, it would’ve put me in one of the top matches at SummerSlam. Unfortunately, whoever brokered the Sheen deal never got him to sign any sort of contract to do the event, and in typical Charlie Sheen fashion, he bailed.”
On his blowup with Triple H after a match with Randy Orton on RAW: “Usually I don’t get super angry, and when I do it’s barely visible. This time, I was furious and I let everyone know it. When I walked through the curtain, I yelled, ‘What the f— is that all about. That’s f—ing bull—-!’ ‘You need to calm down,’ responded Triple H, who had been communicating with the doctor over the headset and called for the match to be stopped. ‘No, you need to calm the f— down,’ I replied. We were up in each other’s faces and both ready to fight.”
– WWE has officially confirmed Randy Orton vs. Sheamus for this Sunday’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view event. The final push for the match will take place on tonight’s Battleground “go-home” edition of RAW.
– The Bella Twins has been nomindated as a duo in the “Best Female Athlete” category of this year’s Teen Choice Awards. The event is scheduled to air on FOX on August 16th. For more information, visit WWE.com.
– Brock Lesnar celebrates his 38th birthday today. Lesnar was born on July 12, 1977.
– Randy Orton granted a Make-A-Wish prior to last Monday’s RAW in Chicago, Illinois. Below is a photo of Orton with the kid, courtesy of the official WWE Community Twitter page.
– Today marks the two year anniversary of the opening of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The official NXT Twitter page tweeted the following:
The North American Wrestling Rankings website, which has been keeping WWE television related statistics since November of 2006, reported the following on Sheamus breaking a record this week:
“When Sheamus defeated Roman Reigns by countout on the 7/6/15 episode of Raw it was his 200th televised singles victory! The Celtic Warrior is the first wrestler to win 200 tv matches!!! [He was just the 4th wrestler to win 100 matches back on 8/3/12]. Others nearing this milestone [as of 7/8/15] are Randy Orton with 197 wins and John Cena with 188.”
Sheamus tweeted the following about the record:
First Superstar to notch-up 200 televised singles victories? In @WWE history, you say?
– Chris Jericho suffered a neck injury during his match in Japan with Neville this past weekend. The injury happened when Jericho caught Neville on a dive spot. Originally, the injury was believed to be a serious one, however he has reportedly recovered from it already and is under the belief that it will be completely gone in a few days.
– In addition to the announced matches for this month’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view, Randy Orton vs. Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev and Nikki Bella vs. Paige are expected. While Bella-Paige isn’t official yet, we can confirm that it was on the books for the event as recent as a week ago. In the case of Ziggler and Rusev, WWE is doing an angle where Ziggler is “out indefinitely,” so they might hold off on that match.
– Randy Orton is engaged to be married to his girlfriend of a year-and-a-half, Kim Marie Kessler. Kessler revealed the engagement this afternoon on Twitter.
This will be Orton’s second marriage. In June 2013, the WWE Superstar divorced his wife of six years, Samantha Speno.
– The synopsis for the second episode of the new season of Total Divas (airing Tuesday, July 7, at 9/8 C on E!) is as follows: “WrestleMania Week is off to a rocky start as diva drama escalates. Included: Brie fears she and Bryan are facing fertility issues; Nattie worries her dad may relapse; and Paige discovers she’s unprepared for the biggest event of the year.”
Total Divas returns for its fourth season this Tuesday, July 7, at 9/8 C.
– In the wake of his match against Kofi Kingston in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, WWE.com has released this playlist of Brock Lesnar’s most unusual and surprising opponents, including Rey Mysterio and Vince McMahon.
On Monday, WWE confirmed two new title matches for this Sunday’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view event.
Below is the current official lineup for WWE Money In The Bank 2015:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship (Ladder Match)
– Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
Money In The Bank Ladder Match
– Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. Neville vs. Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Kane
WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Ryback (c) vs. Big Show
WWE Divas Championship
– Nikki Bella vs. Paige
WWE Tag-Team Championship
– The New Day (c) vs. The Prime Time Players
– John Cena vs. Kevin Owens
WWE Money In The Bank Kickoff Show
– R-Truth vs. King Barrett
WWE Money In The Bank is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, 2015 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com for live results of the event!
On Monday’s WWE RAW, which was the second to last edition of the show before this year’s WWE Money In The Bank event, three matches were made official for the pay-per-view.
Below is the current official lineup for WWE Money In The Bank 2015:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship (Ladder Match)
– Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
Money In The Bank Ladder Match
– Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. Neville vs. Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston
– John Cena vs. Kevin Owens
WWE Money In The Bank is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, 2015 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com for live results of the event!
WWE announced six of the participants for the Money In The Bank ladder match at the upcoming Money In The Bank match.
During Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber special event on the WWE Network, WWE announced Neville, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston, Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler will be taking place in this year’s Money In The Bank ladder match.
It’s worth noting, however, that WWE made it clear that the aforementioned six WWE Superstars are only some of the participants who will be featured in this year’s Money In The Bank contest.
The WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 14, 2015 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
– Actor Stephen Amell of “Arrow” fame has expressed interest in guest hosting and possibly even wrestling in the past. The actor shot a brief angle with Stardust while attending RAW this past Monday night and now we can confirm that WWE is looking at doing a program of sorts between Amell and Stardust.
– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins is celebrating his 29th birthday today. Rollins was born on May 28, 1986. Also celebrating birthdays today are WWE legend Kamala (65), former WWE Tag-Team Champion Chaz “Headbanger Mosh” Warrington (44) and Randy Orton’s uncle, former WWE Superstar Barry Orton (57).
– WWE taped the following matches this past Tuesday night for tonight’s edition of SmackDown.
Lumberjack Match: Sin Cara and Kalisto vs. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd
R-Truth vs. King Barrett
Rusev vs. Ryback
Paige vs. Naomi
Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Kane and Seth Rollins
Michael Cole interviews Kevin Owens
– Randy Orton and Big Show have purposely been kept off of WWE television because they are not booked in matches at this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Both Superstars are scheduled to return for the two weeks of build-up between the Elimination Chamber and Money In The Bank pay-per-views.
– The WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida is said to be very understaffed right now. The employees who work at the facility are said to be working endless hours because they have so many tasks and responsibilities. WWE is trying to keep NXT under a specific budget and while the brand and developmental system itself is a money loser, it’s considered necessary for the future of WWE.
– Below are some recent WWE and NXT attendance figures.
May 22nd in Manchester, NH drew 5,000 fans (John Cena tour)
May 23rd in Starke, FL for NXT drew a sellout of 225 fans
May 23rd in Worcester, MA drew 6,000 fans (John Cena tour)
May 23rd in Utica, NY drew 3,500 fans (Randy Orton tour)
May 24th in White Plains, NY drew 3,700 fans (John Cena tour)
May 24th in Binghamton, NY drew 3,700 fans (Randy Orton tour)
May 25th on Long Island for RAW drew 9,500 fans
– It’s worth pointing out that Randy Orton did not work this week’s RAW or SmackDown tapings. As things stand now, Orton is still advertised to work this weekend’s WWE live events in New York, as well as Monday’s RAW in Long Island.
– Goldust, who is still on the sidelines recovering from shoulder surgery, was recently working out with actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. Björnsson is best known for his role on the HBO show “Game Of Thrones,” where he plays the character “The Mountain.” Goldust tweeted the following photo of the two together:
– The Rock has officially “cemented” his legacy — literally — at the famous TLC Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Below are some photos, which WWE tweeted today:
– Top independent wrestling star Biff Busick, who is a former CZW World Heavyweight Champion, is one of the independent wrestlers scheduled to attend the WWE tryouts at the WWE Performance Center in June.
– Longtime German WWE announcer Bernhard Wullf has parted ways with the company. Wullf has been replaced by Manu Thiele, a new, 22-year-old German announcer.
– Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:
May 8th in Broomfield, CO drew 2,900 fans (missing John Cena and Daniel Bryan)
May 8th in Largo, FL for NXT drew a sellout of 275 fans
May 8th in Louisville drew 7,500 fans (John Cena tour missing Daniel Bryan)
May 9th in Orlando for NXT drew a sellout of 400 fans
May 9th in Charleston, WV drew 6,500 fans (Roman Reigns, Randy Orton tour)
May 10th in Lexington, KY drew 2,500 fans (John Cena tour missing Daniel Bryan)
May 10th in Wheeling, WV drew 2,200 fans (Roman Reigns, Randy Orton tour)
May 11th in Cincinnati for RAW drew 9,000 fans
Sting, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Dolph Ziggler and Paige are scheduled for this weekend’s big Philadelphia Comic Con event at the the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Here’s the full schedule:
– Thursday, May 7: Roman Reigns (autographs, photo-ops, Q&A panel)
– Friday, May 8: Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler (Ziggler doing a solo Q&A panel)
– Saturday, May 9: Sting (autographs, photo-ops)
– Sunday, May 10: Paige (autographs, photo-ops, Q&A panel)
It appears that the late decision to add Dean Ambrose to the WWE Payback pay-per-view main event, making it a match with all three members of The Shield involved, was done by design.
Cable TV ads that aired after this week’s RAW, where the angle was shot, still listed a regular triple-threat match between Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Randy Orton, meaning the Ambrose decision was definitely a late decision.
What’s interesting about the change from a historical standpoint is the fact that WWE had been planning to hold off on having all three former Shield members in a high-profile title match at WrestleMania 32.
On a related note, there is speculation that in the fatal four-way match at Payback, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns may end up turning on Orton. The company is lacking in credible heels but they do have new up-and-coming babyface talents that they could be pushing.
If Ambrose and Reigns turn on Orton, that would leave Rollins. Whether or not that means Ambrose-Reigns-Rollins would become a trio again, referred to as The Shield again, or otherwise, remains to be seen.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins was Michael Cole’s guest for this week’s WWE.com sit-down interview.
– Rollins say it’s no secret that the odds are stacked against at Payback, but he’s used to that by now. Rollins ran down his WWE career achievements and said he almost forced Ambrose and Orton into retirement already. He called his WWE Championship win was the greatest moment in WrestleMania history and he likes when the odds are stacked against him.
– Cole asked Rollins about his ongoing issues with Kane. Rollins doesn’t have a personal issue with Kane. His actions may be misguided, but that’s driven by jealousy. Rollins says he can do things in the ring that Kane only dreams of. He’s the hottest thing in WWE and Kane is in the home stretch of his career.
– Cole asks if there will be chaos in the Fatal 4 Way contract signing on SmackDown. Rollins says this is a completely different setting from what happened don RAW and he doesn’t conduct himself in a volatile nature in that type of setting. Rollins says it doesn’t matter what happens on Thursday or leading up to Payback because he will leave with the WWE World Heavyweight Title and The Authority will come out on top.
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.
On Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, a big segment was announced for this week’s SmackDown.
On this week’s SmackDown, which airs on Thursday night but will be taped tomorrow night, a contract signing will be held for the WWE Payback pay-per-view main event.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose will all be on hand to take part in the official in-ring contract signing for their fatal four-way title match at this month’s pay-per-view.
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on Tuesday night for live WWE SmackDown spoiler play-by-play results coverage!
The main event for this month’s WWE Payback pay-per-view was changed on Monday’s edition of RAW.
At Monday’s RAW, which took place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a match was made between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, with a special stipulation. The stipulation, set by “WWE Director of Operations” Kane, called for Ambrose to be added to the WWE Payback title match main event, making it a fatal four-way match.
As the show went on, Ambrose would go on to defeat Rollins in the match, which also featured J&J Security banned from ringside per pre-match stipulations. With the victory, Ambrose is officially added to the main event of Payback.
With that said, the new main event for WWE Payback will be Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose in a fatal four-way match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
WWE RAW takes place tonight at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with more build-up to this month’s WWE Payback pay-per-view.
The WWE Superstars advertised for tonight’s show include John Cena, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Kane, Sheamus, Rusev, Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins. Daniel Bryan is not advertised to appear.
While no official matches have been announced for tonight’s show, it is confirmed that John Cena will be holding another “U.S. Open Challenge.”
WWE is focusing on the following points for tonight’s show:
– Who is the greater threat to Seth Rollins’ championship?
– Will Dean Ambrose get retribution against The Authority?
– Might we see a new United States Champion?
– Will Ryback feast on Bray Wyatt?
– What will be Barrett’s first act as King of the Ring?
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com tonight, beginning at 8pm EST. for the best live WWE RAW results coverage on the web!
– WWE United States Champion John Cena and “The Viper” Randy Orton are both off of this weekend’s WWE live events. With Cena and Orton off the shows, one tour will be headlined by Ryback, Dean Ambrose and Rusev while the other will be headlined by Roman Reigns vs. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. WWE Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan, who has been pulled from all live events, was originally scheduled to headline one tour with Ryback.
– It was originally announced by WWE that 14,197 fans were in attendance for their Extreme Rules pay-per-view this past Sunday night. The actual attendance was 11,000, however it was still a sold out show. Monday’s RAW in Green Bay, Wisconsin had 5,800 fans in attendance.
On Monday’s post-Extreme Rules edition of WWE RAW in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the main event for the upcoming WWE Payback pay-per-view was revealed.
Seth Rollins will be defending his WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a triple-threat match against Randy Orton and Roman Reigns. The decision was made by the fans via a WWE App poll during RAW.
WWE Payback takes place on Sunday, May 17, 2015 at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
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.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated the blog section of his official website, sharing his predictions for tonight’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view and talking about some other subjects. Below are some highlights:
On Friday’s “Cheap Pops” taping: “Had a great week down in Orlando observing the NXT TV tapings and doing some RINGSIDE w/ Jim Ross Show business before Mick Foley’s ‘Cheap Pops’ WWE Network TV special was taped that will air this Wednesday night. My 30 minute set will not be a part of Mick’s special which will be a great, one hour TV special that I encourage everyone to check out.”
On the WWE Extreme Rules main event: “WWE Title Bout to be held inside a Steel Cage with Randy Orton’s RKO ‘Banned’…Rollins has to retain and one can expect a “cast of thousands” so to speak to be involved but hopefully the integrity of the cage will not be overly compromised in the process. Seth Rollins is still evolving as the WWE Champion and he’s a great choice for that role as, like many of his successful predecessors, Seth is a “beatable” champion but not tonight. Rollins and Orton should have a great match before all the shenanigans commence one would hope.”
On the Russian chain match: “US Title Bout is a ‘Russian Chain Match’ which will, I think, be the first for both men which is always an iffy proposition. Having a run through in a live event would’ve been ideal but be that as it may I am not a fan of beating the villain in allegedly his type of match but I also find it challenging to see WWE beat John Cena who is doing a grat job of making the US Title mean something since he won it. Unique booking to say the least which isn’t a bad thing but I’d have Cena lose the Title, chase Rusev and thus continue to add equity and attention to the championship. That’s what I’d do but that’s not likely to happen as I could see a Cena-Rusev blowoff match for the Title at Summer Slam if Rusev wins tonight.”
On Daniel Bryan’s status for tonight: “IC Title bout between Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett isn’t likely to happen due to DB’s health status that well could be related to concussion type symptoms but that’s merely my speculation. Nothing is more important than a wrestler’s health so this bout not occurring doesn’t bother me.”