SEScoops

Tag: Rusev

  • 2015 WWE Fastlane Preview And Predictions

    The Road to WrestleMania will become a lot clearer after Sunday’s pay-per-view. Fastlane is available for free to all new WWE Network customers, and even those who previously cancelled their account and re-subscribed, so there’s really no reason to miss out on the action. Here is how I expect the event to play out.

    Goldust vs. Stardust

    Screen shot 2015-02-21 at 2.40.50 PM

    Man, they really should have saved this one for WrestleMania, but I guess there is only room on the card for one tag team breakup storyline, and it looks like that’s going to be Miz and Mizdow. Expect these guys to put on one hell of a match, as they have been lobbying for it for what seems like years. After a solid ten-minute contest with a number of near-falls, Stardust will pick up the win with Cross Rhodes.

    Result: Stardust via pinfall

    Rusev (United States Champion) vs. John Cena

    Screen shot 2015-02-21 at 2.39.21 PM

    These guys have done a pretty good of building up this match over the past few weeks, and it genuinely seems like Cena is interested in winning the United States Championship, which is always a plus. It’s almost guaranteed that this feud is going to continue into WrestleMania, so I expect Rusev to pick up the win, but certainly not clean.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHA5g_T227k

    Lana will become involved at some point, possibly distracting Cena long enough for Rusev to pounce and pick up the win via the deadliest finisher in all of wrestling (the distraction roll-up), or by using the title as a weapon to knock out Cena while the Ravishing Russian distracts the referee. This will set up a rematch at WrestleMania where Cena will most likely go over.

    Result: Rusev via pinfall

    Nikki Bella (Divas Champion) vs. Paige

    Screen shot 2015-02-21 at 2.39.33 PM

    Paige is the most popular diva in the entire company by far right now. They are going to want her to capture the title at WrestleMania. Nikki wins with help from her sister before dropping the title to Paige next month.

    Result: Nikki Bella via pinfall

  • Updated Betting Odds For Sunday’s WWE Fastlane Pay-Per-View

    Below are the latest online betting odds for Sunday’s WWE Fastlane pay-per-view. Keep in mind that the numbers, which are from the 5Dimes website, don’t mean much until about 90 minutes or so before the beginning of the show, where at that point they have approximately a 95-percent accuracy rate.

    Rusev -300
    John Cena +220

    Nikki Bella -400
    Paige +280

    Bad News Barrett +400
    Dean Ambrose -600

    Usos -180
    Tyson Kidd & Cesaro +140

    Roman Reigns -1350
    Daniel Bryan +650

    Bryan wins clean +794

    Reigns wins or no contest -1675

    Ending a no contest +376

    Bryan or Reigns wins -566

  • 5 WWE Feuds For Samoa Joe We Want To See

    Earlier this week, Samoa Joe took to Twitter to deliver a shocking announcement. After nearly ten years as one of the pillars of TNA, Joe announced he would be parting ways with the company, effective immediately. Much like an RKO, the announcement came from out of nowhere.

    Since the announcement, there has been speculation that Joe could try his luck with the WWE, as former superstars such as Steve Austin and Mick Foley have publicly stated they believe the company should sign him. However, what role would Samoa Joe play if he and the WWE reach an agreement? Here are five worthwhile feuds for Samoa Joe if the two sides can reach an agreement.

    5. Finn Balor

    finn-balor

    If Samoa Joe does sign with the WWE, he will have to do his best Drake impersonation and start from the bottom, with NXT being the starting point. Finn Balor is currently the number one contender for the NXT Championship, and should be in NXT for at least the rest of the year. With Joe’s agile, submission-based style, and Balor’s high-flying, strong style, the two could mesh well together and provide a nice juxtaposition of styles in an entertaining program.

  • WWE RAW Pros And Cons (2/16/15)

    As the entire northeast freezes under a mountain of snow, the WWE decided to dip down to Orlando in an attempt to heat things up heading into Sunday’s Fastlane pay-per-view. The show featured eight matches, as well as appearances from Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from this week’s episode of Raw.

    Pros

    Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler was pure gold. Before the match, the two engaged in a hilarious back and forth, with Rollins laying down some burnsauce by telling Ziggler: “I know you fancy yourself a comedian but the only thing funny about you is that joke you call a career.” It was also hilarious to hear Ziggler question whether J&J getting him the wrong chocolates ruined his Valentine’s Day. Something tells me his Valentine’s Day was ruined for other reasons… As for the match, it was fast paced, full of spots, and exactly what you’d expect from two of the best workers in the business. Other than the J&J interference and non-finish, this was pretty much perfect on every level. I suspect a match between these two will be added to Fastlane after Smackdown. Here’s to hoping they give these guys 15 minutes and let them tear the house down. Highlight of the night by far.

    I enjoyed the Dusty Rhodes backstage segments. The match between the New Day and Gold and Stardust was also nice, as it served as a nice juxtaposition between the brawling opening contest between Ambrose and Harper. Following the match, Stardust attacked his brother and called Dusty a “polka-dotted freak of a father.” I’ll admit, they’ve dragged this out forever and I wasn’t too excited at first, but I’m now getting into it.

    Roman Reigns was the man last night. He sounded like a completely different person during his backstage interview before his match with Kane. His calm, confident, and collected demeanor is a stark contrast from the nervous guy we saw out there a few weeks ago talking about beanstalks while stumbing over every other word. His match with Kane was actually decent too, with Reigns winning via countout after hitting a big Spear. Daniel Bryan was on commentary during the match, with he and Reigns playing off of one another very well. It was also humorous to hear Michael Cole state: “Daniel Bryan is trying to steal Roman Reigns’ thunder. Roman Reigns just beat Kane, guys!” That means about as much as beating the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015.

    For a comedy segment, the Paige bit was actually hilarious. The outfit was funny, it actually served some sort of purpose in furthering her feud with Nikki Bella, the fans seemed to be enjoying it, and the match with Summer Rae was good for the time they were given.

    The Dean Ambrose “weekend update” promo, where the Lunatic Fringe was parked at a desk looking like a shady used car dealer, was also entertaining. His match with Luke Harper featuring some nice, brawling action and was a good opening contest. JBL’s “we’ve got an air psycho” line had me cracking up, and his plot to force Barrett to sign the contract for Sunday was perfect. Nobody in the midcard deserves the IC Title more than Ambrose, and it looks like he’s going to find a way to capture the gold on Sunday.

    Bray Wyatt’s promos are starting to become a bit repetitive, but I still enjoyed his work this week. He once again attacked the Undertaker, stating: “You’re an empty shell, and any fear that I once of you has turned into nothing more than putrid, hateful pity.” I can’t wait to see this program.

  • Backstage News Regarding How Serious John Cena’s Eye Injury Is

    John Cena is suffering from a legitimate eye injury. The injury is actually a combination of reality and WWE storyline.

    Cena first suffered the eye injury at the WWE live events two weekends ago, as it was evident on the February 2nd RAW, but ended up getting worse as time went on.

    As a result of the injury, Cena did not wrestle at this past weekend’s live events or at Monday’s RAW.

    The injury is said to be a corneal abrasion. They shot an angle on RAW where Rusev went after Cena’s bad eye, but in the end, they ultimately said Cena would be ready for the WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view.

    Those in the company are under the impression that Cena is cleared to compete as early as the WWE tour of Abu Dhabi.

    PHOTOS: Several HOT Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY In Sports Illustrated’s SWIMSUIT ISSUE!!

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • WWE Doctor Comments On John Cena’s Eye Injury

    WWE.com has released a diagnoses on John Cena’s eye injury from Dr. Chris Amann. Cena’s eye has been bruised for weeks and the injury was worked into his storyline with Rusev last night on RAW.

    Dr. Amann told WWE.com:

    “John Cena had been [competing during] last weekend’s Live Events when he sustained a corneal abrasion during his Live Event matches. This evening during the attack by Rusev, John Cena’s injuries were exacerbated. As mentioned [on commentary], those injuries were a scratched cornea and a ruptured blood vessel. We’re going to do periodic eye exams to make sure the scratch on his cornea is healing and he will be ready for WWE Fastlane.”

  • WWE RAW Pros And Cons (2/9/15)

    The Road to WrestleMania took a brief detour last night, stopping at THE Ohio State University for Raw. Sting finally answered Triple H’s challenge, and the show was bookended by a pair of nearly identical matches. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Raw.

    Pros

    The highlight of the night was easily Dolph Ziggler vs. Bray Wyatt. These guys have competed over the past two weeks, and have exhibited amazing chemistry on both occasions. There were a number of impressive spots in this one, including Wyatt delivering a brutal blow to Ziggler’s midsection and a devastating clothesline outside the ring that eventually set up Sister Abilgail for the win. Wyatt later cut another promo, presumably directed toward the Dead Man.

    Triple H calling out Sting was a close second. The video package, which featured Sting’s makeup being transposed onto Triple H’s face, was both eerie and entertaining. The only downside to this was the absolutely dreadful Sting doppelganger they sent into the ring. With that said, I absolutely can’t wait to see what these guys have planned for Fastlane.

    The Usos squared off with Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. Kidd and Cesaro put in some decent heel work by crashing the dinner party on SmackDown, and it’s certainly nice to see them getting some television time.

    Rusev continues to improve on a weekly basis, in my opinion. I loved his promo, where he made claims such as, “You don’t want me. I am a hero.” His brawl with Cena was also entertaining and helped further their feud heading into Fastlane.

    eDJxbXduMTI=_o_katie-vick-segment-featuring-triple-h

    The opening promo was also entertaining, but nothing to really write home about. Reigns seems to be more confident on the mic each week, despite a minor flub. It was also nice to see Bryan on the mic, taking a humorous shot at Triple H for his involvement in the Katie Vick storyline.

    It’s nice to see Axel getting more time on the mic. His promo was humorous, even if he was quickly dispelled after being hit with Dirty Deeds. Barrett’s new BNZ segment could also be entertaining, but I’m not totally sure how much shelf life it has.

    Finally, the main event helped further the tension between Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. The match was nothing incredible, by any means, but there were a few memorable moments, including Dolph Ziggler getting involved at the end. Roman’s spear to Bryan was also the perfect way to end the show. It seems like the next step in Roman’s evolution will be to turn him heel and possibly pair him with Heyman following WrestleMania.

  • Cena-Rusev Confirmed For U.S. Title, WWE Officially Announces Rikishi’s HOF Induction

    – WWE confirmed Rikishi as the next official inductee into the 2015 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame. Rikishi’s video package played after The Usos’ match on Monday’s RAW. Once the video was done airing, The Usos, who were still in the ring, applauded their father along with the fans in Columbus.

    – It was also confirmed on Monday’s RAW that the match between John Cena and Rusev at the upcoming WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view will in fact be for Rusev’s WWE United States Championship.

  • WWE RAW Pros And Cons (2/2/15)

    After being postponed last week due to snow, the good ole live, in-ring version of Raw was back last night, emanating from the Mile High City. The company was back in full force, with Triple H making a “major announcement” and a big main event between Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Raw.

    Pros

    The clear highlight of the night was the main event between Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan. Anytime you get two guys with this type of talent in the same ring, you know you’re in for a treat. They certainly didn’t disappoint either, pulling off a number of impressive spots and exhibiting impeccable chemistry. The spot of the match was probably Rollins countering Bryan’s Running Knee finisher into a Powerbomb. In the end, Bryan picked up the win and will face Roman Reigns at Fast Lane for a chance to go to WrestleMania (more on this later).

    The second best part of the night was probably the segment involving Curtis Axel and Dean Ambrose. It’s sad when the first thing Axel has to say when coming out is, “Don’t change the channel.” It’s like he’s a mind reader or something. Anyway, it was hilarious to see Ambrose quickly toss Axel over the top rope before telling him he’s now eliminated. Even more exciting was that Ambrose called out Bad News Barrett. This is a program that really needs to happen, as Ambrose is the type of guy who could bring some prestige back to the Intercontinental Title after the company has played hot potato with it over the past few years.

    Bray Wyatt had a big night. His match with Dolph Ziggler was incredible, and it was nice to see two guys who don’t work together much get a chance to shine. Wyatt hit a devastating Sister Abigail that Ziggler sold better than anyone to end the match. Later in the night, he cut a promo saying things like, “I am the new face of fear” and, “We cannot wait to see you again.” It looks like they are going with the rumored Wyatt/Taker program for WrestleMania and I, for one, cannot wait. If only they had gone this route last year instead of wasting the streak on a part-timer…

    Rusev’s beating of Rowan and post-match promo was money. I absolutely love this guy and he played off of the Russian flag miscue perfectly. Please push this guy to the top and don’t feed him to Cena.

    Jimmy Uso and Cesaro looked great together. The highlights were a Cesaro Swing into a Half Crab and a brutal uppercut to end the contest. It was nice to see Cesaro pick up a victory, but the only downside was that they are already teasing tension between Cesaro and Kidd. I’d like to see these guys stick together for a while and get a run with the titles.

    Finally, the Miz/Mizdow promo was absolutely hilarious. It was nice to see the Miz berate his now former stunt double and put the wheels in motion for a breakup. Here’s to hoping for a payoff at WrestleMania.

  • Triple H Comments On Austin Podcast Interview, Rusev On Flag Incident On RAW, Ernie Ladd

    – Triple H posted the following comment on his official Twitter account (@TripleH) immediately after his interview with Steve Austin on the live “Stone Cold Podcast” on the WWE Network after Monday’s edition of RAW.

    For those interested, you can read a detailed recap of HHH’s appearance on the Stone Cold Podcast, as well a short clip of the interview by clicking here.

    – Below is the video package on WWE Hall Of Famer “The Big Cat” Ernie Ladd that aired on Monday’s RAW in honor of “Black History Month.”

    – WWE ended up posting a fourth RAW Fallout video on their official YouTube channel after this week’s show. The fourth installment of RAW Fallout, which you can view below, features Rusev reacting to the Russian flag incident during RAW.

    For those who missed the initial three RAW Fallout videos, you can check those out by clicking here.

  • Updated WWE Fast Lane Card: New Matches Added

    On Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Denver, Colorado, we saw the beginning of several programs leading into the first ever WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view, which emanates live from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee on Sunday, February 22, 2015.

    Below are some confirmed and rumored matches for the show:

    Confirmed

    – John Cena vs. Rusev

    – Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan (#1 Contendership Match)

    – Nikki Bella (c) vs. Paige (WWE Divas Championship)

    – Triple H and Sting face-to-face confrontation

    Rumored

    – Bad News Barrett vs. Dean Ambrose (WWE Intercontinental Championship)

    Make sure to visit us here on the website on Sunday, February 22, 2015 for the best WWE Fast Lane live results coverage on the web!

  • Title Match Announced For WWE Fast Lane PPV: Updated Card

    On the live edition of WWE SmackDown on Thursday night, WWE announced a new title match for the WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view, which is scheduled for Sunday, February 22nd.

    Nikki Bella will be defending the WWE Divas Championship against Paige at the show, which is the final pay-per-view before this year’s WrestleMania 31 event in March.

    With the Bella-Paige match announced, below is the latest official lineup for the first-ever WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view event:

    – John Cena vs. Rusev

    – Triple H and Sting face-to-face confrontation

    – Nikki Bella (c) vs. Paige (WWE Divas Championship)

    Make sure to join us here on Sunday, Feb. 22nd for the best WWE Fast Lane live results coverage on the web.

  • Reigns vs. Lesnar Official For WrestleMania, Cena-Rusev Feud Kicks Off

    Roman Reigns was the last man standing in the 2015 Royal Rumble match and earned a WrestleMania title shot against Brock Lesnar, who retained the World Heavyweight Championship in a phenominal 3-way match with John Cena and Seth Rollins.

    During the WWE Royal Rumble Fallout post-show on the WWE Network, Rusev interrupted John Cena’s interview with Renee Young, leading to the two going nose-to-nose and being kept apart by other Superstars. This is the kickoff to a Cena vs. Rusev WrestleMania feud.

    With those two matches set and Triple H vs. Sting all but announced, the top of the card is starting to take shape.

  • Bubba Ray Dudley, DDP & Boogeyman Appear In The Rumble, The Rock Returns & More

    Former TNA star Bully Ray, know once again known as Bubba Ray Dudley, made a surprise return to WWE in the 2015 Royal Rumble match.

    Bubba Ray entered the match at number three and got a huge reaction from the Philadelphia crowd. He last wrestled for the company 2005 and finished a 9-year run with TNA at Bound for Glory back in October. He tweeted after the Rumble:

    Also appearing as surprise entrants in the 30-man Royal Rumble match were The Boogeyman and Diamond Dallas Page.

  • WWE Superstars Address The Rock Being In Philadelphia For Tonight’s Royal Rumble PPV

    WWE personality Lana referenced The Rock being in Philadelphia in a new tweet posted on her official Twitter account.

    Lana, who manages Rusev, was part of an angle with The Rock during one of his most recent returns, which took place on the October 6, 2014 edition of WWE RAW.

    “The Rock doesn’t scare me or Rusev,” wrote Lana. “He is just another pathetic American too busy stuffing his face with cheesesteaks in Philadelphia!”

    You can check out Lana’s tweet below.

    WWE Superstars Darren Young and Sin Cara also referenced The Rock, noting that they haven’t seen any “great ones” or “rocks” in the area yet.

    Make sure to visit us here at the website later tonight for the best live WWE Royal Rumble results coverage on the web!

  • One Year Ago: The 2014 WWE Royal Rumble

    A lot can change over the course of a year, especially in the WWE. At last year’s Royal Rumble, Batista earned the opportunity to headline WrestleMania, going from fan favorite to Bootista in a matter of moments.

    It will be Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, and a whole slew of others hoping to earn that opportunity this time around, as the card for this Sunday’s Royal Rumble appears to be officially set. Here is a look at the superstars who have taken a leap forward over the past year, as well as those who have taken a step backward.

    Progression

    1. The Shield

    the-shield

    Nobody has progressed over the past year more than the three men who formerly comprised The Shield. Roman Reigns set the record for the most eliminations at last year’s Rumble, although he was never really seen as a serious threat to win it all. This time around, he’s the odds-on favorite to win the Rumble and headline WrestleMania.

    Reigns eliminated his former partners at last year’s event as a means to tease tension between the former Hounds of Justice. Both of those men have moved onto better things. Seth Rollins will be challenging for the title this time around, and Ambrose is seen as one of the most credible entrants in the Royal Rumble match. Believe that.

    2. Brock Lesnar

    lesnar-gold

    Lesnar destroyed Big Show’s back at last year’s Rumble, walloping him with a chair about 50 times in a match that lasted two minutes. His character’s direction was unclear at the time, having engaged in various feuds in 2013 that didn’t really go anywhere, largely due to Lesnar’s limited schedule.

    A few accomplishments have been added to his resume since last time around. Most importantly, he apparently broke some sort of WrestleMania undefeated streak that fans held dear to their hearts. Cena and Rollins will attempt to slay the Beast this year, as he comes in as WWE World Heavyweight Champion and undisputed top dog in the company.

  • Plans Back On For John Cena vs. Rusev At WrestleMania 31?, News On WWE’s MSG Return

    It was reported a while back that WWE officials were contemplating doing a John Cena vs. Rusev feud for WrestleMania 31. The idea at that time was to have Rusev cost Cena his chance at recapturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

    As of right now, WWE is advertising a tag-team main event of John Cena and Randy Orton vs. Rusev and Seth Rollins for the live event in Madison Square Garden on February 27th. Some view this as a possible sign that WWE is going forward with their original plans for Cena vs. Rusev at WrestleMania.

    Thus far, there has been no interaction between Cena and Rusev that would indicate that match being booked. Some are of the opinion that Cena and Rusev is simply a live event program for WrestleMania season, possibly because Brock Lesnar doesn’t work non-televised events.

    In related news, other matches advertised for the aforementioned 2/27 live event at MSG include Daniel Bryan vs. Kane, Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro and an appearance by Chris Jericho.

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Latest News On Plans For Additional Matches At This Year’s WWE Royal Rumble PPV

    As things stand right now, aside from the 30-man over-the-top Royal Rumble match itself, there are only two matches that have been officially announced for the 2015 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, those being Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and The Usos vs. The Miz & Damien Mizdow for the WWE Tag-Team Championship.

    It appears that Nikki Bella vs. Natalya for the WWE Divas Championship will be added, and with the Rumble match itself being such a lengthy match, and one with so many competitors involved, there’s a good possibility that only one or two additional matches will end up being added to the card.

    Matches such as Roman Reigns vs. Big Show and Ryback vs. Rusev were being pushed, however three of those four are announced as Rumble participants, and nothing can be officially booked for Ryback until WWE wraps up the “firing” angle from last week’s RAW.

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Pros And Cons: WWE Raw (1/12)

    Last night’s episode of Raw was held in the Big Easy, and it’s obvious that the company knew they were going up against the CFP Championship because they seemed to be holding something back all night. Anyway, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Raw.

    Pros

    The best thing to come out of last night’s show was the announcement that the “Macho Man” Randy Savage will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. It’s about time one of the most talented and influential superstars of all-time takes his rightful place amongst fellow legends. Some will probably complain about the choice to have Hogan induct Savage, but as someone who loved the Mega Powers as a child, I think it’s a good choice and has the potential to be a touching and heartfelt tribute to one of the company’s most iconic figures.

    I wasn’t expecting a ton out of the New Day vs. Kidd/Cesaro matchup, but it turned out to be one of the better contests of the night. Kidd and Cesaro worked well together, with the Cesaro Swing into a dropkick spot being particularly impressive. It would have been nice to see Kidd and Cesaro pick up the win, but I guess it’s a minor victory just to see them on television.

    dean-ambrose-interview-ses-1

    The recurring promos featuring Dean Ambrose and the doctor were certainly humorous. Ambrose seems like a natural actor and really at ease on camera, so it’s nice to see him get a chance to show off his talent. The promos were entertaining and it was an original way to have Ambrose gain entry into the Royal Rumble.

    Finally, it was nice to see Daniel Bryan back in the city where he captured the title at last year’s WrestleMania. The interactions between Bryan and Stephanie were on point, especially when she tried to present Bryan with her crappy workout DVD. It was finally announced that Bryan would make his return to the ring against Kane on SmackDown this Thursday. As Kane approached the ring, Bryan dove threw the ropes and took out the Devil’s Favorite Demon before celebrating with the crowd.

  • Two New Entrants Officially Added To This Year’s WWE Royal Rumble Match

    Two new entrants have been officially added to the 30-man over-the-top battle royal match at the upcoming WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

    Current Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett, as well as Bray Wyatt, join the three previously announced Royal Rumble match entrants, which includes Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan and Rusev.

    The 2015 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event is scheduled to take place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Sunday, January 25th.

  • Legitimate Contenders In This Year’s Royal Rumble

    The most exciting sixty-plus minutes of wrestling action is only a few weeks away, where bodies will assuredly be flying over the top rope, Kofi Kingston will likely avoid defeat in dramatic fashion at least once, and one superstar will walk away with a spot in the main event at WrestleMania.

    However, although thirty men ostensibly have a chance to headline the biggest event of the year, even the most delusional fan realizes there are only a handful of competitors who are legitimate contenders to walk away victorious. Here are those men.

    Odds-On Favorite: Roman Reigns

    roman-reigns-vs-brock-lesnar-ses-1

    After his record-breaking performance last year, the Powerhouse is easily the favorite to win it all in 2015. Even though there are still questions regarding Reigns’ ability to headline a major pay-per-view such as WrestleMania, it appears the company is ready to pull the trigger on what they apparently believe to be their next big thing.

    Assuming the company goes this route, they need to be careful, because the crowd could easily turn on Reigns in a situation similar to last year’s Rumble. If fans think the Pittsburgh crowd was harsh toward Batista last year, try putting Reigns over Bryan in the city whose fans at one point pelted Santa Claus with snowballs. Trust me, it won’t be pretty.

  • Too Cool Speaks On Helping The Rock Early On, Rusev, Relationship With Vince McMahon

    The following are highlights of a new Wrestling 101 interview with the former three-man tag-team, “Too Cool,” which consisted of Rikishi, Brian “Grandmaster Sexay” Christopher and Scotty 2 Hotty:

    Brian Christopher on The Rock: “He would pick my brain because he was getting a lot more TV time than I was, so he would ask me how I thought his interview went and I would tell him he need to work on this or you need to pause a little bit longer before you say this…we then worked on his moves together and came up with things like ‘The Peoples Elbow.’”

    Brian Christopher on defeating the Legion of Doom: “I’ll never forget that because the Road Warriors at the time couldn’t believe that they were about to lay down to a couple of 215lbs guys because their egos were as big as you could get and their muscles were as big as the steroids would get them.”

    Scotty 2 Hotty on wrestling whilst still in school: “That was awesome, I was still in high school at the time which is just crazy for me to think about now. I was with the WWF when I was in high school, I was in a locker room at a WWF event with Hulk Hogan, Sid Vicious, The Undertaker, and Bret Hart then two days later I’m sitting back in class. I was getting to wrestle some of the biggest names in the world, it was an amazing experience.”

    Rikishi on the Rusev/Rock segment: “Oh my god, we were all happy, anytime you work with The Rock that’s a treat because Rusev’s not the champ. It was a good deal, Rock knew Rusev came from our school and he didn’t have to do that but he did, family looking out for family. That segment with The Rock just took Rusev to another level, and I was very excited.”

    Rikishi on Vince McMahon: “He is the type of person that likes it when you go over and talk to him and ask him questions they may have about their character. Nine times out of ten when they’ve finished talking to him he hasn’t really answered their question but at the same time they’re not.”

    Check out the complete interview at Wrestling101.com.

  • WWE Pulling Content From Netflix & iTunes, Steve Austin Wraps Movie & More

    – In an effort to boost sales for the WWE Network, virtually all WWE content has been removed from Netflix and iTunes.

    – WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin recently wrapped production on a new movie titled “The Echo Effect,” which was filmed in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Here’s a photo of Austin and fighter/actor Michael Jai White on set:

    – Lana has been tweeting that she and Rusev are currently in Russia for the Christmas holiday, which is celebrated there on January 7th.

  • Third Entrant Announced For 2015 WWE Royal Rumble Match

    On this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, which took place in Laredo, Texas on Tuesday night and aired live on the WWE Network, another entrant into the 2015 WWE Royal Rumble match was announced.

    In what is now the third participant for the 30-man over-the-top-rope annual classic, WWE United States Champion Rusev is now officially entered into the match.

    Rusev joins Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan as the first three entrants into this year’s Rumble match, which takes place at the 28th annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view, scheduled for January 25th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

  • Pros And Cons: WWE Raw (1/5)

    Last night’s Raw was the first of 2015 and the company started the year not with a bang but with a whimper. The show was held in Corpus Christi, TX, and it’s unclear whether the audience was drugged prior to filming, because it was probably the most silent crowd I’ve ever heard at a WWE event. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

    Pros

    The clear highlight of the night was the Ambulance Match between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt. As always, the two worked pretty well together and delivered a few memorable spots. The ending felt just a bit sloppy, but the rest of the match more than made up for it. In all, it was good to see Wyatt come out on top, as he needed the win more than Ambrose. This program has been one of the only good things going over the past few weeks, so it’s kind of sad to see it come to an end.

    Another clear highlight was the Intercontinental Championship match. It was a good way for the Authority to exact revenge against Ziggler, and the 2-out-of-3 falls swerve was decent. It’s also nice to see that the company still has confidence in Bad News Barrett, and this hopefully means that Ziggler will move into the main event picture permanently.

    It was nice to see the program actually have an intro and pryo again. This is a minor complaint, but the intro-less format felt really cheap, with it simply going to a lifeless Michael Cole saying, “Welcome to Raw” while panning over the crowd. Unfortunately, the intro and pyro will probably be gone next week due to budget cuts.

    Adding Seth Rollins to the main event at the Royal Rumble was brilliant. With Rollins essentially having two chances to win the title in a few weeks, it provides many booking possibilities. My interest level in the main event went from nonexistent to moderately intrigued in a matter of seconds.

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    Booker T on commentary was a nice change of pace. Hopefully King is well soon, but they really need to shake up the commentary team. I wouldn’t mind seeing Booker become a regular at the table again.

    The Kane/Rollins vs. Ryback match was somewhat entertaining but nothing to write home about. The double Curb Stomp was at least a decent finish.

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    Finally, it was nice to see the company giving guys more time to cut backstage promos. Rusev, Reigns, Ambrose, Wyatt, and possibly a few superstars whom I’m forgetting all received promo time last night. Good to see the company letting the talent speak instead of filling that time with ads or plugs for the Network.