The 2025 Royal Rumble is mere hours away, with fans excited to see who punches their ticket to WrestleMania 41. The Royal Rumble is typically a night of surprise returns and one of the biggest names from ECW could be in action tonight.

According to PWInsider Elite, Rhyno was seen at the hotel WWE talent and crew are staying at, where he was greeted by Talent Relations staff before being “quickly whisked away to a more private area.” This sighting has fueled speculation that Rhyno could be making a surprise appearance in the Men’s Royal Rumble match.

Rhyno recently finished his time with TNA Wrestling, and the former ECW World Champion is currently a free agent. While the Man-Beast was already in town for WrestleCon, his presence at the hotel has left many believing he will be doing something at WWE’s first PLE of 2025.

2025 Royal Rumble: Preview, Matches, How to Watch

Rhyno’s last WWE appearance took place on November 7, 2024, when he made a special cameo on NXT at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia while still under contract with TNA. That show was a special tribute event for ECW and saw other extreme alum including Rob Van Dam, Francine, Dawn Marie, and Bubba Ray Dudley.

The Man Beast made his Royal Rumble debut in 2004 where he lasted 14 minutes and scored an elimination over fellow ECW alum Tajiri. Now, two decades later, fans may be seeing the former ECW World Champion back in the Royal Rumble match.

Former WWE Superstar Rhino was a recent guest on Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk Is Jericho. During the course of their conversation, Rhino addressed his final run with WWE and how he managed to keep his wrestling name upon leaving the promotion. 

“My last run in WWE was for three years, a three-year contract, and I’m thinking, ‘Okay, well wh wasn’t it more successful?’ When I was going in, I didn’t go in with enough steam. So anyways I’m like, ‘Well, okay, what was wrong, what did I do wrong?’ And I think what it was is I was working so hard on the campaign, not just on knocking on doors, you have to file with the campaign finance committee and all that stuff, so there’s a lot of detailed work trying t get your message there and all that stuff, and then getting ready for one opponent and the next round.”

He reflected on the mistakes of his final run with WWE before noting that he still enjoyed it as he got to work with Heath Slater. Rhino stated that despite this, he wished he could have had a more successful experience. For him, that doesn’t necessarily translate to being on TV more as he mentioned coaching others and working more behind the scenes.  

Keeping The Rhino Name

Turning his attention to how he managed to keep the ring name ‘Rhino,’ the former Superstar recalled the different names WWE once tried to pitch him, including “Mary.”

“They were kicking around different ideas, Juggernaut was one. The worst one Edge said was Mary and he goes, ‘Yeah, he kept the best one and the worst one.’ They didn’t have me sign R-h-y-n-o over to them but when they re-signed me, I think it was 2002, they re-signed me a year early, and they had in there signing over r-h-i-n-o and r-h-y-n-o. And I said I’ll sign over r-h-y-n-o because you guys did the homework and all that stuff but I’m not signing over the one with an ‘i’ and they go, ‘Okay, no problem.'”

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

Former WWE Superstar Rhyno debuted on Impact Wrestling soon after his contract with WWE had ended. Turns out that he did so despite being offered a deal that was allegedly double what he was making. 

Speaking with Wrestling Inc., Rhyno addressed his decision to leave WWE and his experiences with the company during his last run.

“It was a great experience with WWE; they treated me great,” he admitted. “I enjoyed wrestling with [Heath] Slater, tagging with Slater, traveling with Slater. And you know, we talked about re-signing, and they offered me more than double what I was making. Way more than double.”

He knew he was in a position to help younger talent develop but ultimately felt his services would be more beneficial to Impact Wrestling and the independent scene. When it came to re-signing with WWE, Rhyno expressed that he “just didn’t want to.”

“[…] there’s a lot of men and women there, my job is to try and help the younger talent out and try to discover guys like The Rock, the next Stone Cold, and all that. And I think I can service the wrestling business more on a level like Impact Wrestling and on the independent scene too. So it’s very important for guys that have been wrestling for so many years to help out the younger generation because the guys that came before me helped me out a lot.”

Rhyno debuted for Impact Wrestling on July 7th during the promotion’s Slammiversary event.

Rhino officially returned to Impact Wrestling at the promotion’s latest set of tapings in Windsor, ON, Canada after possibly having appeared at Slammiversary under a mask. This is his 3rd stint with the promotion, though much is different since the last time he was there. He spoke to the Sporting News recently about why he decided to sign with Impact.

“It’s a company on the right path for almost two years,” Rhino said when asked what signing with Impact meant to him. “They have been moving in a direction where wrestling fans want a company to go in terms of letting the talent be the talent, having bookers booking the matches on the card opposed to writers.”

The 43-year-old won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship as a member of the TNA roster in 2005.

“I think a lot of fans are drawn to a promotion like that. Not speaking against other promotions, but you other promotions doing it differently because they’re very successful. But I think there’s nitch where you have to let talent be talent and have enough talent where it’s not drowned out too much and where you don’t have enough TV time and run enough shows to use them. It’s up to the talent, whether to sink or swim. And Impact because guys have more control when their contracts are up.”

Rhino On Dixie Carter’s Impact Wrestling

He was also asked about his previous runs with the company including working under Dixie Carter.

“I had a lot of fun. I got a chance to work with guys like AJ Styles, Abyss, Sting, James Storm, even to Rob Van Dam, who was one of my last feuds there. It was a lot of fun. Look at Van Dam now. He’s still so talented.”

• 6 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 7/26

Was That Rhino At Slammiversary?

When asked if that was him at Slammiversary giving Michael Elgin a Gore, Rhino wouldn’t answer directly.

“I cannot confirm or deny. But I will go on the record of saying I was still under contract no matter who I worked for. Whether it’s my word or a contract, I will do it justice. But with that being said, Rob Van Dam was also under contract when he appeared on Monday Night Raw for the Reunion show,” Rhino said.

“So, does Impact and WWE have some sort of backdoor understanding type of agreement? Or was that not me? Or was that me? Did WWE allow me or give my blessings? Because at the end of the day, what are they going to do? Fire me? But at the end of the day, doing business is one of the essential things in wrestling. I try to stress that to younger talent. It’s always beneficial to do good business because it ends up being best for the wrestling business and the fans.”

The full interview can be read here.

As expected, former WWE star Rhyno is headed to Impact Wrestling. 

Just one day after his WWE contract expired, Impact Wrestling is already advertising him to appear at upcoming events. The promotion will be partnering with Championship Wrestling From Hollywood next month for events in Southern California. 

He is at the forefront of the advertisement. This comes after Rhyno made an appearance at the end of Slammiversary pay-per-view event to stop Michael Elgin from attacking Don Callis by hitting the wrestler with a Gore. 

Although he appeared under a mask, WWE is reportedly not taking any action against Impact Wrestling for using him despite Rhyno still being under contract with WWE at the time. 

Rhyno Leaving WWE, Turned Down Pay Increase

The following shows will be taking place in Southern California

• Unbreakable – August 2nd in Santa Ana at the Esports Arena
• Star Struck Twitch special – August 3rd in Hollywood at Florentine Gardens
• Impact Wrestling TV tapings – August 4th in Port Hueneme at the Oceanview Pavilion

Back in May, Rhyno did an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Rhyno revealed that his contract expired with WWE on July 17th. Rhyno told WWE officials he was not going to re-sign with the company despite being offered big money. 

Rhyno was spotted backstage in Dallas this weekend, where Impact Wrestling hosted their Slammiversary PPV last night. During the PPV broadcast, a masked man who resembled Rhyno quite a bit, ran into the ring and prevented Michael Elgin from attacking Don Callis.

As Elgin was about to attack Callis, a masked man who looks much like Rhyno delivered a Gore.

Rhyno had teased being in Texas in the days leading up to the event:

• Former ECW Champion At Slammiversary XVII, Will Appear On PPV (Spoiler)

Slammiversary XVII Results

1. Willie Mack defeated Jake Crist vs TJP vs Trey
2. Impact Tag Team Championships: the North (c) defeated LAX vs the Rascalz
3. First Blood: Eddie Edwards defeated Killer Kross
4. Moose defeated Rob Van Dam
5. Knockouts Championship Monster’s Ball: Taya Valkyrie (c) defeated Havok vs Su Yung vs Rosemary
6. X-Division Championship: Rich Swann (c) defeated Johnny Impact
7. Impact World Championship: Brian Cage (c) defeated Michael Elgin
8. Inter-Gender: Sami Callihan defeated Tessa Blanchard

Rhyno In Impact Wrestling

Rhyno is a former 2x World Champion. He won the ECW World Championship (and was the last to hold the title from the original promotion) on January 7th, 2001 at the Anarchy Rulez PPV. Rhyno also won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 2005 when it was the world title for TNA Wrestling. He would defeat Jeff Jarrett for the belt but drop it back to him just 2 days later.

Rhyno will be leaving WWE when his contract comes up this summer. During a recent discussion with Chris Van Vliet, the former ECW World Champion reveals he turned down a substantial pay increase in order to leave the company.

“July 17th is my last date there,” Rhyno said. “They actually offered me more than twice my downside but it wasn’t where they would have to use me because the downside is so large and it wasn’t about money it was about me wanting to be on the road work and helping the younger guys kind of like a player-coach.”

Rhyno Leaving WWE

Ultimately, however, Rhyno told WWE he was not going to re-sign.

“It was a mutual understanding that we were not going to figure out a number. And they’ve been great, I can’t say anything bad about them. I had a lot of fun. I was afraid that they would say yes to a larger downside than what they offered me because I was afraid that they would still sit me at home.”

It seems Rhyno doesn’t want to take a pay increase if it means he still won’t be used.

“I came back and I said I want to be on the road,” Rhyno continued. I feel good, I feel very blessed that my health is there. My job is to find the next John Cena, the next Stone Cold Steve Austin, the next Rock and how can I help these guys if I’m not on the road? If I’m sitting at my marina, that’d be nice I’d be very fortunate to do that, but I can’t help those younger men and women improve.”

Rhyno continued to mention some promotions where he feels he could benefit their younger stars.

“On the indies, I can do that (help younger wrestlers). And with other companies whether it’s AEW, Impact, Ring of Honor or New Japan I’ve done that before in the past and that’s something I can do now in the future.”

Watch: Rhyno talks with Chris Van Vliet:

It appears that after Dean Ambrose, Dustin Runnels and Tye Dillinger, another WWE star is on his way out of the company and he will be leaving the promotion very soon.

WrestlingInc is reporting that one half of the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion’s Rhyno has his current WWE contract expiring in July this year.

It appears that he is not going to re-sign as in a surprising move; the former ECW Champion has already started taking bookings outside of the company.

One such booking he has taken is for an appearance for indie promotion IWC who made the announcement of his return to the territory in the tweet seen below, though they didn’t confirm the exact date for his comeback:

Rhyno signed a full-time contract with WWE in 2016 and he was assigned to the SmackDown Brand. His storyline with Heath Slater where they became the inaugural tag champions of the brand was considered one of the best of the year.

He lost to Slater in a loser leaves WWE match last December and the former ECW Star has sparingly been used on WWE Television since then. His last PPV appearance was at WrestleMania where he took part in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Rhyno lost a loser-leaves-Raw match against Heath Slater 8 days ago. While his former partner is now an ethically-shady referee, Rhyno’s future was left in doubt. The former ECW Champion recently cleared the air regarding his retirement status in the following video:

EXCLUSIVE: After being fired last week on #Raw, @Rhyno313 sent in a video clearing the air about his in-ring future. pic.twitter.com/U1HArv9eYS

— WWE (@WWE) December 11, 2018

Rhyno Clarifies Retirement Rumors

“Hey guys,” Rhyno begins his video. “This is Rhyno here. I just want to clear up a rumor that I’ve seen going on for about a week now on Twitter about me retiring. I am not retiring, I have no plans on retiring. It apparently started after I competed in a match with Heath Slater and the loser was fired from Raw, which Heath Slater won, a match that we were put in by Baron Corbin. So, I just wanted to clear up that rumor and say I’m not retiring. I am fulfilling my contractual obligation with WWE, the December live events and January live events, I’m going to continue. And after that, I don’t know whether I compete in WWE or somewhere else still, your guess is as good as mine. Hopefully, I cleared up any rumors and look forward to seeing you guys at the live events.”

Rhyno is a former United States, Smackdown Tag Team, and Hardcore Champion during his WWE career.

On Monday night, Rhyno lost a single’s match to Heath Slater. Unfortunately, Baron Corbin stated that the loser of the match would be fired from Raw. Slater didn’t make out much better, however, as he has now been relegated to serving as a referee. Rhyno then announced his retirement to the live audience in a segment which didn’t air on Raw.

It doesn’t appear as though Rhyno is actually fired or retired, however. His status was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Live.

“All I can tell you is Rhyno is still booked for house shows,” Bryan Alvarez said on the show. “If he’s being fired or if he’s retiring, it’s not happening anytime soon, so that’s that.”

Heath Slater and Rhyno

Heath Slater and Rhyno were paired together not long after the brand-extension in 2016. After Rhyno defeated Slater to win a spot on the Smackdown roster, the two ended up teaming together in a tag-team tournament. Against all odds, the team was able to win the tournament and became the new Smackdown tag-team Champions.

The title win was just the 2nd non-hardcore championship win of Rhyno’s WWE tenure. He is a 3x Hardcore Champion and a former WCW US Champion (during the Alliance vs WWE angle) as well.

Heath Slater and Rhyno were seen fighting for their jobs during the latest episode of Monday Night Raw after General Manager elect Baron Corbin announced the bout earlier in the night.

Corbin said that they only had spot for one of the stars on the roster and gave both the partners a chance to quit the company to save other’s job but they decided to fight.

The match which took place midway through the episode saw Slater defeating the former ECW Star using a roll up. In a backstage segment after the match, Baron told Heath that he is keeping him in the roster as a referee.

This made many believe that WWE has plans for Rhyno as well and we’ll see him returning to the company in coming weeks but it appears this won’t be the case.

While the show went into commercial after the bout, Rhyno didn’t leave the ring immediately. He announced his retirement to the live crowd in a short promo.

Rhyno made his wrestling debut in 1994 but he didn’t gain fame until a few years later when he joined Paul Heyman’s ECW in 1999 using the name Rhino.

He was signed by WWE after the company folded and Rhyno also spent a lot of time in TNA where he worked from 2004 to 2010 before returning to the independent circuit.

– Rhyno’s Twitter account (Rhyno313) got hacked on Thursday.

Followers of the WWE Superstar noticed the hack after the username was changed to MrjayGG and a tweet was sent out encouraging people to buy Bitcoin.

https://twitter.com/iAmKelsey91/status/964266857564856320

https://twitter.com/symbolofchange/status/964478028326801408

While all of Rhyno’s tweets were deleted, it retained its verification badge and most of its 74,000 followers. Furthermore, after the hacker changed the account’s username, a WWE fan registered the original username for himself.

– WWE developmental wrestler Steffanie Newell, better known as Nixon Newell, is close to returning to action after sustaining an ACL tear in her knee last June. F4WOnline.com’s Dave Meltzer addressed her status in a tweet on Saturday, saying she should be back “fairly soon.”

https://twitter.com/kingofthecentre/status/964973129129975811

Should be fairly soon https://t.co/tIUVW3Wccl

— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) February 17, 2018

Without having wrestled a single match, the injury came shortly after the Welsh grappler reported to the WWE Performance Center last year. Newell appears in this Ask the WWE PC video that WWE posted on Saturday where she reveals the first thing she did after being offered a WWE contract.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M46kotxrQzw&w=620&h=349]

• Who is Paige’s new boyfriend?

Former Smackdown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater and Rhyno are now on the Raw roster. Slater and Rhyno haven’t been featured prominently on Smackdown since losing the titles.

Former #SDLive #TagTeamChampions @HeathSlaterOMRB and @Rhyno313 are also on their way to Monday Night #RAW! #SuperstarShakeup pic.twitter.com/S4Gf5l7Q2D

— WWE (@WWE) April 11, 2017

It was also announced that Kalisto will be making the switch from Smackdown to Monday Night Raw. Kalisto and Apollo Crews recently had a feud with Dolph Ziggler. Now, both Crews and Kalisto are a part of the Monday Night Raw roster.

The high-flying @KalistoWWE is coming back to Monday Night #RAW as part of the #SuperstarShakeup! pic.twitter.com/GETuuFwQ0l

— WWE (@WWE) April 11, 2017

It was also announced earlier in the show that Curt Hawkins was now a part of the Raw roster. He appeared on the show and immediately made an impact.

A WARM WELCOME to Monday Night #RAW for @TheCurtHawkins, courtesy of @WWETheBigShow! #SuperstarShakeup pic.twitter.com/qNw9CuSySJ

— WWE (@WWE) April 11, 2017

Check back here on SEScoops and join our live discussion to find out which other WWE Superstars will be changing brands during the Superstar Shake-Up.

Rhyno was dressed as Santa Claus last night for the entire episode of Talking Smack. He creepily hit on Renee Young the entire show and it was glorious.

Santa Rhyno? #WWE #TalkingSmack pic.twitter.com/G338KiW3xv

— Aaron (@aj0314) December 21, 2016

Natalya was also a guest on Talking Smack and she continued to take shots at Nikki Bella. Natalya stated that she is wrestling royalty and Nikki Bella was handed everything because she was pretty. Daniel Bryan took exception to this given the fact that he is married to Brie Bella. Natalya claimed that the Bella twins were not in her class because she is a member of the Hart family.

Becky Lynch appeared on Talking Smack and she was still dressed as La Luchadore. Becky stated that she was ashamed that the Women’s division was represented by Alexa Bliss on Smackdown. Rhyno Claus started acting naughty again and rubbed a chocolate chip cookie on his chest in an effort to impress Becky Lynch.

Baron Corbin went on Talking Smack and claimed that he was the biggest threat in the Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship next week on Smackdown. Corbin went on to say that Styles would pay for the four chair shots he gave to Corbin last night on Smackdown. Corbin didn’t seem to worried about Dolph Ziggler or AJ Styles. Corbin was also frustrated that Daniel Bryan made a match to determine the #1 contender to the WWE Championship while Corbin was away accepting his award for Most Metal Athlete of 2016.

It would be shocking if Baron Corbin won the WWE Championship next week but there is no denying that he will be in the main event picture in 2017. Corbin has been on Talking Smack several times and he has done well every time he has appeared on the show. On Smackdown, Corbin’s promos sometimes feel forced. I’m not sure if it is because the promos are scripted or if Corbin simply tries too hard during Smackdown. Either way, Corbin has the potential to be great once he puts everything together. He is well on his way to becoming WWE Champion and one of the biggest stars on Smackdown.

Last night on Talking Smack, Rhyno walked out on Heath Slater. Rhyno blamed the loss on Smackdown to Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton on Slater. Rhyno stated that he was the only one competing in the match and Slater let him down. Slater and Rhyno lost the Tag Team Championships to Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt at WWE TLC on Sunday. Heath Slater responded to Rhyno’s accusations that Slater was holding them back by pointing at that Rhyno was the one who got pinned on Sunday. Rhyno didn’t seem to take that well and stormed off the set.

It appears that this is the beginning of the end for the tag team of Heath Slater and Rhyno. It was an unexpected run, given the fact that Heath Slater wasn’t drafted to either Monday Night Raw or Smackdown during the brand split. The two going their separate ways makes sense given the fact that they lost the titles and all of their momentum with the WWE Universe. It will be interesting to see where things go from here, especially for Heath Slater. Heath has become a bit of a crowd favorite and he earned the crowd’s praise by constantly battling for a roster spot when he wasn’t drafted. As for Rhyno, I’m not sure what the future holds for him. I don’t believe the initial plans were for Rhyno and Slater to form a tag team in the first place. It was lightning in a bottle and the team was destined to be short-lived.

• Naomi Pissed About Being Left Off Of Total Divas Ad, Sasha Banks Comments

WWE Smackdown (11/29)

This week’s episode of Smackdown kicked off with Renee Young in the ring. Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch joined her in the ring for a contract signing for their Smackdown Women’s Championship match this Sunday at WWE TLC. Alexa Bliss told Renee Young to get out of the ring. Bliss also scolded Renee for her fashion choices. Becky Lynch then compared Alexa to her four year old cousin. Bliss continued to insult Becky Lynch and they both signed the contract. After they both signed it, they brawled in the ring. Lynch hit the Becksplex on Alexa Bliss. Alexa then fought back and shoved Becky through a table off of the turnbuckle.

Reaction: I thought this promo was really good. Becky Lynch can be a bit of adventure on the microphone but tonight she did a good job. Alexa Bliss is excellent on the microphone and her facial expressions are hilarious. I find this feud to be much more interesting than the one between Charlotte and Sasha Banks on Raw.

.@AlexaBliss_WWE blocks @BeckyLynchWWE's #Bexploder, and sends the Champ crashing through the table! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/gbOh4XYeVU

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

Dolph Ziggler & Kalisto vs Baron Corbin & The Miz

Corbin dominated the match early and threw Ziggler out of the ring. The Miz was then tagged in and he immediately grabbed a ladder from under the ring. Ziggler got up and connected with a DDT on The Miz outside the ring. Ziggler then hit Corbin with a Superkick. Back in the ring, Ziggler tagged in Kalisto. The Miz hit Kalisto with a boot to the face and dove outside the ring onto Ziggler. Miz then launched Ziggler into the barricade surroinding the ring.

Kalisto then dove onto Corbin outside the ring. Ziggler hit a Superkick on The Miz as he was lying on the ring apron. Maryse shoved the ladder into Ziggler’s face. Kalisto landed the Salida del Sol on The Miz in the ring. Before the referee could count to three, Baron Corbin nailed Kalisto in the back with a chair. The referee then disqualified The Miz and Baron Corbin.

Winners via DQ: Dolph Ziggler & Kalisto

Reaction: This was a quick match but it served a purpose. Ziggler will be facing The Miz in a ladder match for the IC Title on Sunday. Corbin will be squaring off with Kalisto in a chairs match at TLC. Both the ladder and a chair came into play during this match. I like it when things make sense, don’t you?

.@BaronCorbinWWE, you can't do that until Sunday at #WWETLC! @HEELZiggler & @KalistoWWE win by DQ! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/IDPvwvv19j

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

American Alpha were interviewed backstage about their match tonight versus Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton. Gable and Jordan stated that they will prove again tonight why they are the best team in the WWE.

Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Luke Harper were then shown backstage. Orton interrupted Wyatt and questioned Luke Harper. Orton asked Harper if he was going to do what needs to be done tonight against Kane. Harper looked aggravated and Wyatt instructed Harper to go send Kane back to hell. There is obviously some friction between Harper and Orton. I do not believe that Harper is completely sold on Orton joining the Wyatt Family.

"Harper … go send @KaneWWE back to HELL!" – @WWEBrayWyatt #SDLive #WyattFamily pic.twitter.com/GLnJn5MvrR

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

Carmella came down to the ring for a match but that never happened. Carmella gave a special message to John Cena. Carmella apologized for what she will do to his girlfriend, Nikki Bella at TLC. Carmella claimed that she was going to rearranged Nikki’s “Bella twins” and her face as well. Nikki Bella came sprinting from backstage and attacked Carmella. The referee seperated them and that allowed Carmella to haul off and slap Nikki in the face. Nikki then got up and continued the assault on Carmella.

"@JohnCena, I want to publicly apologize for what I'm going to do to your girlfriend [at #WWETLC]." – @CarmellaWWE #SDLive pic.twitter.com/lNqKBBw8PB

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

Ambrose Asylum w/ Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose introduced James Ellsworth as his first guest on the Ambrose Asylum. An “Ellsworth!” chant broke out amongst the crowd. Ambrose poked fun at Ellsworth’s old wrestling boots. Ellsworth thanked Ambrose for helping him become an official WWE Superstar. Ellsworth stated that if Ambrose ever needed anything he would do it. Ambrose asked Ellsworth to wash his car, do his laundry and pick him up a six-pack and some candy for later.

Ambrose asked Ellsworth who he will be rooting for this Sunday at TLC. Ellsworth stated that it would be an honor to wrestle Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Championship. AJ Styles interrupted the party and stood on the announce table. Styles poked fun at Ellsworth and called him a dummy. Ambrose stated that Styles had then lost to a dummy three times.

Styles got in the ring and claimed that he was tired of Ambrose making him out to be a joke. Styles demanded respect and claimed that he was going to beat the hell out of Ambrose at TLC. Styles dared Ellsworth to show up during his match againt Ambrose at TLC. Ambrose claimed that Styles was weak mentally. Ambrose stated that this Sunday the fun and games were over. Ambrose went on to state that he will recapture the WWE World Championship at TLC.

Styles pushed Ellsworth into Ambrose who fell into a ladder. AJ then whipped Ellsworth into a table and smashed Dean Ambrose with the steel steps. Styles returned to the ring and beatdown Ellsworth. Styles hit Ellsworth with a ladder and then tossed him out of the ring. Ellsworth’s feet got caught up in the bottom rope and Styles hit him with a steel chair. AJ then hit the Styles Clash on Ellsworth off of the steps onto the floor outside the ring.

Reaction: Finally, Styles got the upper hand on Ellsworth and Ambrose. I find Ellsworth to be very entertaining but I’m not really interested in seeing him in the WWE World Championship picture. Having said that, this was a very good promo. There has only been one match in the first hour and fifteen minutes of tonight’s Smackdown. Usually that would annoy me but tonight’s promos have all ended in brawls.

"@AJStylesOrg has just delivered the MOTHER OF ALL #StylesClashes to @RealEllsworth!" – @MauroRanallo#SDLive #WWETLC pic.twitter.com/KKihIY7zO4

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

Luke Harper vs Kane

Kane and Harper tied up to begin the match. Kane shoved Harper down and Harper got back up and they locked up again. Harper bounced off of the ropes and hit a couple of shoulder blocks but Kane was not phased. Kane then leveled Harper. Luke Harper got back up and hit Kane with a series of uppercuts. Kane once again shrugged them off and came right back at Harper. Smackdown went to a commercial break with Luke Harper outside the ring with a shocked look on his face.

When Smackdown returned, Harper was in control of the match and had a Chinlock applied to Kane in the center of the ring. Kane battled out of the Chinlock and hit a Jawbreaker. Kane went for a Chokeslam but Harper blocked it and kicked Kane in the head. Harper went for a pinfall but Kane kicked out at two. Kane fought back and connected with a DDT on Harper. Kane followed it up with a Sidewalk Slam and went for a pin but Harper kicked out. Harper battled back and hit Kane with a Dropkick to the ribs. Kane was affected and hunched over in the corner. Harper leaped on him twice and connected with a couple of shots to the ribs. Harper then then climbed to the second turnbuckle and hit Kane with a couple of punches.

Kane fought out of the corner by hitting a Powerbomb on Harper. Kane once again went for the Chokeslam but Harper grabbed the rope. Harper connected with a Sidewalk Slam of his own but Kane kicked out once again. Kane slammed Harper to the mat and climbed to the top rope. Kane went for a Clothesline off of the top rope but Harper ducked it and drilled Kane with a Superkick. Kane once again powered out of the pinfall at two. Harper then climbed to the top rope but Kane got up and punched him in the face. Kane then joined Harper on the turnbuckle and connected with a massive Superplex to Harper.

Both men slowly got back to their feet and began to trade punches. Kane blocked a punch by Harper and grabbed his throat. Kane then connected with a Chokeslam and picked up the victory.

Winner: Kane

Reaction: When you think of Kane versus Luke Harper it doesn’t sound like it would be a good match. This match was actually quite good. The announcers made a comment after the match that Bray Wyatt will not be happy with Luke Harper following this loss to Kane. I’m intrigued with the Wyatt Family storyline right now. It appears that Harper may be on his way out and Orton will be replacing him. I’m curious if this will wind up with Orton turning his back on Bray after he has already destroyed the Wyatt Family from the inside. I do not really know where they are going with this and that is a good thing. Luke Harper has always been one of the more underrated Superstars on the roster. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in the Intercontinental Championship picture and having a single’s run of his own. Harper can work well with almost any male Superstar on the Smackdown roster. I think if you put him up against someone like Baron Corbin they would put on some very physical and entertaining matches.

#CHOKESLAM by @KaneWWE!!! ONE TWO THREE!! #SDLive @LukeHarperWWE pic.twitter.com/46nPuNNTqZ

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

Smackdown Tag Team #1 Contenders Match: Randy Orton & Bray Wyatt vs American Alpha

Randy Orton and Jason Jordan started out the match. Jordan went on the offensive to start things off. The WWE cut to Slater and Rhyno watching the match from backstage. This was humorous because the television screen they were watching was black for a second and essentially Slater and Rhyno were staring at nothing.

Bray Wyatt entered the match and Jordan went to jump onto him but Wyatt ducked and Jordan went flying into the ropes. Bray tagged in Orton and he continued the assault on Jordan. Gable tagged himself in and immediately connected with a Crossbody off the top rope on Orton. Gable climbed to the top rope again but Wyatt knocked him to the outside of the ring and Smackdown went to a commercial break.

When Smackdown returned, Wyatt and Gable were in the ring. Wyatt hit Gable with a DDT on the ring apron. Wyatt then went for a pin but Gable kicked out at two. Orton then entered the match and applied a Chinlock to Gable. Orton hit a Powerslam on Gable and once again went for a pinfall but it was unsuccessful. Orton tagged in Wyatt and Gable connected with a Dropkick then sent Bray to the mat. Gable tried to tag in Jordan but Bray got up and punched Jordan off of the ring apron.

Bray mounted Gable on the mat and punched him in the face several times. Orton was tagged back in and propped Gable up on the top rope. Orton connected with a Superplex on Gable. Jason Jordan and Bray Wyatt were then tagged in. Jordan leveled Wyatt with an overhead Belly to Belly Suplex. Chad Gable hit Orton with a Cannonball off of the ring apron. Back in the ring, Jordan hit a German Suplex on Bray Wyatt.

The lights then went out and Luke Harper was ringside. Bray went for the Sister Abigail but Gable prevented it. American Alpha then went for the Grand Amplitude but Orton hit Gable with an RKO out of nowhere. Jordan went to hit Bray with a Spear but Harper pulled Bray out of the way. Wyatt then hit the Sister Abigail on Jordan for the victory. Wyatt and Orton will now face Slater and Rhyno at TLC this Sunday. Slater and Rhyno were interviewed backstage but AJ Styles interrupted. Styles stated that nobody cared about the Tag Team titles. Ambrose then appeared out of nowhere and attacked Styles and Smackdown went off the air.

Reaction: This was a very solid match to close out a good episode of Smackdown. It appears that Harper and Orton are back to getting along for now. Tonight’s episode was promo-heavy but they all were effective. TLC is shaping up to be an exciting show and I cannot wait to watch it on Sunday.

Winners & #1 Contenders For The Smackdown Tag Team Championships: Randy Orton & Bray Wyatt

#SisterAbigail!! The #WyattFamily is going to #WWETLC to face @HeathSlaterOMRB and @Rhyno313!! #1Contender pic.twitter.com/telCi0c0T9

— WWE (@WWE) November 30, 2016

205 Live (11/29)

Austin Aries and Corey Graves joined Mauro Ranallo on commentary. All of the Superstars on 205 Live were on the entrance ramp and they were introduced to the WWE Universe. A vignette for the Bollywood Boyz was then shown.

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/803797913251917824

Bollywood Boyz vs Drew Gulak & Tony Nese

Harv and Gurv Sihra started out the match on the offensive. Tony Nese was laid out by both of them but was able battle back and tag in Gulak. For the next few minutes, Gulak dominated the match. Nese was tagged back in and he continued the assault on the Bollywood Boyz. Gulak got back into the match and maintained control of the match.

Nese got back in the match and he applied a Chinlock to one of the Bollywood Boyz. Harv battled out of the Chinlock and connected with a Neckbreaker. Harv tagged in Gurv and he hut Gulak with several chops and a kick to the face. The Bollywood Boyz hit a double Superkick on Drew Gulak for the pinfall victory.

Winners: The Bollywood Boyz

Reaction: Not the best way to start off the debut episode of 205 Live. There were some cool spots in this match but overall it was very clunky.

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/803800282756878338

TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick had a confrontation. Perkins stated that he is still owed a rematch and that he wants Kendrick to retain the Cruiserweight Championship tonight. Perkins wants Kendrick to keep the belt so he can get his rematch and take the title away from him.

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/803801771600580608

Ariya Daivari vs Jack Gallagher

Gallagher started out this match extremely cocky and applied a few submission holds to Daivari while posing for the crowd. Daivari battled back and but Gallagher escaped his Headlock. Gallagher did a handstand on the top turnbuckle and then took Daivari down. Gallagher then tied Daivari up in a knot in the center of the ring and taunted him from the corner. Gallagher then hit him with a running kick and Daivari escaped the knot.

Daivari connected with a Neckbreaker on Gallagher and slapped him in the face a couple of times. Daivari applied a Chinlock but Gallagher fought out of it and connected with a couple of Dropkicks. Gallagher then headbutted Daivari and hit him with a Dropkick in the corner for the victory.

Winner: Jack Gallagher

Reaction: This match was bizarre and entertaining. Jack Gallagher may look ridiculous but he is fun to watch. The main positive to take from this match is that Gallagher was able to get the crowd into it. That is something that has escaped the Cruiserweight division when it is featured on Monday Night Raw.

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/803803266274369537

Cruiserweight Championship Match: Brian Kendrick (c) vs Rich Swann

Kendrick started off the match in control. Swann battled back and hit a Dropkick. Kendrick kicked out of a pinfall and Swann applied a Chinlock. Kendrick reversed the Chinlock into a German Suplex. Kendrick attacked Swann in the corner but Swann fought back and connected with several chops to the chest of Kendrick.

Swann landed a Tiger Bomb on Kendrick and Kendrick rolled out of the ring. Swann followed him out of the ring and hit a Summersault Clothesline off of the barricade. The action returned to the ring and Kendrick connected with another German Suplex. Kendrick then hit a Neckbreaker and Swann’s head hit the top turnbuckle. Swann then fell out of the ring and to the floor.

Swann was able to get back in the ring before the referee counted him out. Kendrick immediately hit him with a Suplex. Kendrick went for the Captain’s Hook but Swann blocked it. Swann then connected with a Michinoku Driver on Kendrick. Swann followed it up with a kick to the face of Kendrick. Swann went for the Standing 450 but Kendrick got his knees up and then locked in the Captain’s Hook.

Swann was able to reach the bottom rope and the crowd cheered him on. Both men were on the top turnbuckle and Kendrick bit Swann’s wrist and hit Sliced Bread. Swann kicked out and the crowd started to chant “this is awesome!”. Swannt connected with three spinning heel kicks in a row and pinned Kendrick for the victory.

After the match, Swann thanked his mother that has passed away and dedicated the match to her. Kendrick was also interviewed on the entrance ramp. Kendrick blamed the loss on TJ Perkins for playing mind games with him earlier in the night. Kendrick also stated that the WWE Universe should not get used to Swann as the Cruiserweight Champion. Kendrick vowed to get his title back and walked away.

Winner & New Cruiserweight Champion: Rich Swann

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/803809979639558144

Reaction: 205 Live started off slow but picked up momentum and wound up being a pretty decent show. I thought the match between Kendrick and Swann was very good. I hope that the Cruiserweight division gets some more time on Monday Night Raw as a result of this show but I doubt that will be the case. Overall, both Smackdown and 205 Live were good shows tonight.

What did you think of this week’s episodes of Smackdown and 205 Live? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

– NXT taped the following matches before SmackDown hit the air on Tuesday night in Ottawa: Eric Young vs. No Way Jose, NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. local wrestler Nichole Matthews and Tye Dillinger vs. NXT Champion Samoa Joe.

– After SmackDown ended, WWE taped Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi for this week’s Main Event episode.

– The dark main event to close the show saw Kane and Dean Ambrose defeat Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt with a chokeslam and Dirty Deeds. That match took place after the Main Event taping.

– Below are backstage SmackDown Fallout videos from last night with SmackDown Tag Team Champions Rhyno & Heath Slater vowing to fight the #1 contenders no matter who wins between The Wyatts vs. American Alpha next week, and WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz adding another notch to his IC Reunion Tour:

SmackDown tag team champion Rhyno (Terrance Gerin) issued the following statement on Facebook regarding his unsuccessful bid to become State Representative of the 15th District in Dearborn, Michigan.

“The numbers are in and I regret to say I was unsuccessful in my bid for State Representative, 15th District (Dearborn). But I was very successful in becoming closer to my community, knocking on doors, talking with residents, and just forming a bond.

I knew going into this that Dearborn is a Democratic district and it would be an up hill battle, a battle I was willing to take on. Myself and my volunteers created something out of nothing (a campaign), we pushed forward with honor and pride. I’m very proud to of had them in my corner. I’m also proud of my opponent Abdullah Hammoud, we agreed on some issues and disagreed on others. He and his volunteers worked extreme hard and did it with honor. It was a clean race that focused on ideas and issues.

I would personally like to thank every person that voted for me, I’m deeply honored to of earned your support and vote. Thank you!

One of the many things I enjoyed in my campaign was talking at schools in my community, something I will continue to do moving forward. The kids loved me being there and they had great questions. I know I’ve inspired them. Hopefully I inspired you! So go to council meetings, volunteer in your community and just get involved. We all know it’s a great feeling when you make a difference in someone’s life.

So thank you for all your well wishes, and may God Bless us all.”

Despite having the highly sought-after endorsement of Tommy Dreamer, Rhyno lost to Abdullah Hammoud (Democrat).

Terrance “Rhyno” Gerin failed to win his bid for the Michigan House Representative for the 15th District.

The current SmackDown Tag Team Champion, running as a Republican, won 35.6% of the vote. His Democratic opponent Abdullah Hammoud won with 64.4%.

As of this writing, Rhyno has not commented on the Election Day defeat.

WWE’s next pay-per-view offering is Hell in a Cell this Sunday, but November’s Survivor Series event is already taking shape. In addition to the blockbuster Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar main event, SmackDown Live saw several developments regarding the RAW vs. SmackDown team elimination matches.

SmackDown tag teams confirmed for the Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match with RAW teams vs. SmackDown teams include The Hype Bros and SmackDown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater and Rhyno. The Hype Bros defeated The Ascension on tonight’s SmackDown in a qualifying match and the champions were automatically put into the match. No word yet on who the other 3 SmackDown teams will be.

On a related note – Nikki Bella became Team Captain for the Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match featuring female Superstars by defeating Natalya tonight. Because of the loss, Natalya will not be one of the 4 Superstars joining Nikki.

The RAW brand is expected to start announcing Survivor Series participants on Monday.

The Usos defeated American Alpha on tonight’s SmackDown to become the new #1 contenders to SmackDown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater and Rhyno. They will get their championship shot at No Mercy next month.

Below is the updated card for the 10/9 PPV from Sacramento:

WWE World Championship Triple Threat: AJ Styles (c) vs. John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Alexa Bliss

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: Slater & Rhyno (c) vs. The Usos

Heath Slater and Rhyno won the finals of the SmackDown Tag Team Championship tournament at Backlash to become the first-ever SmackDown Tag Team Champions tonight.

Slater and Rhyno defeated The Usos in the finals. The Usos defeated The Hype Bros. earlier in the night to earn a spot in the finals.

Slater also earned a SmackDown contract by winning the match.

#WWE's @HeathSlaterOMRB & @Rhyno313 are your FIRST EVER #SDLive Tag Team Champions!!!!! #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/zHiKFSY6mO

— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2016

"BEULAH, WE'RE GETTIN' A DOUBLE-WIDE, BAYBAY!" – @HeathSlaterOMRB #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/JYFO4A6Xz0

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) September 12, 2016

CHAMPS, BAYBAY! @HeathSlaterOMRB is a #SDLive Superstar AND Tag Team Champion! #WWEBacklash @Rhyno313 pic.twitter.com/z4TYdbgb1n

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) September 12, 2016

https://twitter.com/heathslateromrb/status/775168696314531840

As noted in the past here on SEScoops, WWE star Rhyno, real name Terrance Guido Gerin, has a career outside of the ring in politics. He won the Republican primary for Michigan’s 15th House District seat and will now be facing Democrat candidate Abdullah Hammoud this November.

The campaign commercial that former WWE Champion Kurt Angle filmed for Rhyno this summer has been released online and you can check it out in the video above. The ad shows Kurt Angle going door to door to campaign for Rhyno, and putting an undecided voter in the ankle lock.

Rhyno made his surprise return to WWE back in February 2015 on NXT, after being released by the company back in 2005 for getting in an argument at the WrestleMania 21 afterparty. He’s currently taking part in SmackDown’s Tag Team Titles tournament with Heath Slater.

• Kurt Angle On Lesnar-Orton Finish At SummerSlam, Lesnar’s Drug Test Issues

HEATH: "Did we just become PARTNERS?!?"
RHYNO: "YUP!" #SDLive #TagTournament @HeathSlaterOMRB @Rhyno313 pic.twitter.com/cVMBN0xBaE

— WWE (@WWE) August 24, 2016

– Rhyno received eight stitches following his match on last night’s SmackDown Live. He was busted open by Mosh while standing on the apron towards the end of the match.

– Early 1993 episodes of Eastern Championship Wrestling are being added to the WWE Network. This is from the pre-Paul Heyman era of ECW, when the promotion was still owned by Tod Gordon.

– After Tuesday’s SamckDown went off the air, John Cena teamed with Roman Reigns to face Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins. The finish of the match saw Reigns hit Rollins with a spear to get the win.

https://twitter.com/johncenaam/status/770810599005650949

– Kevin Owens’ wife Karina posted this video of their son Owen reacting to KO’s Universal Championship win on RAW:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJvwkfihzZN/

– Rhyno recently spoke to the local ABC affiliate in Detroit about his successful bid to become Michigan State Representative of the 15th district. He said he’s happy and honored to win but going into the general election, he knows it’s a different ballgame now. The ECW Original will now face Democratic challenger Abdullah Hammoud in the general election in November. He confirmed that he will continue to wrestle while campaigning:

“Wrestling is my job, you know sports entertainment. It’s a passion of mine. It’s a great vehicle where I can motivate and inspire people. Kids look up to me, adults look up to you and I wouldn’t want to walk away from that now.”

– In the video below, WWE looks at a long-standing pre-match show of respect that some WWE stars still practice – wiping their feet before entering the ropes.

– We’ve reported on how Ryback is launching a new wellness/personal website soon. He just revealed that the site will go live on Monday. While plugging his many merchandise previews, Ryback took a shot at his time in WWE with this post:

In life when glass ceilings are presented to prevent you from that illustrious brass ring there is only one way to handle it, Break It Take It! Don’t ever let anyone prevent you from your dreams. Front: The Big Guy Fist with brass ring and R logo Back: Break It Take It

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIqaxu8g0St/