Apparently one of the reasons behind Zack Ryder’s loss to Rusev on Monday night was because of some of the negative tweets that he has been posting on Twitter as of late.
Some are going as far as to say Ryder had a “JTG moment” on RAW last night, referring to when JTG spoke out against WWE in public, which WWE followed up on by having him come to RAW the next week to get squashed by Ryback.
After his loss to Rusev on Monday night, Ryder tweeted the following:
As we noted earlier today, Ryback is expected to be out-of-action until late September. Since those reports surfaced, Ryback himself has spoken out on his absence in WWE, noting that he’s been working injured for about seven months.
Check out the above video from Ryback, who is in a hospital bed, promising that he will be coming back “in a big way.”
– Following the great reception he received from his hometown fans in Las Vegas, Nevada at Monday’s RAW, Ryback tweeted the following to his fans, thanking them for their support.
– In addition to the new WWE World Heavyweight Championship that was presented to Brock Lesnar on Monday’s RAW, WWE has altered the other WWE championship belts to reflect the new WWE logo as well. Above is a clip of Dolph Ziggler showing off his new WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Last night’s Raw was held in Las Vegas, Nevada and featured a total of seven matches, including another classic between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins.
Notably absent was former WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena, as he was recovering from injuries sustained at SummerSlam. Overall, a few questions were answered, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following this week’s episode of Raw.
5. Can Big Show/Mark Henry Generate Interest?
The so-called “World’s Largest Team” has been running through the tag team division over the past week or so. The two giants once again teamed up this week on Raw, destroying Luke Harper and Erick Rowan in a relatively short contest.
Both of these guys have been largely absent over the past few months, so it’s good to see some sort of program, but can they generate interest as a tag team? With the Usos having beaten every team on the roster, it makes sense to find new challengers and I think Show/Henry against the Usos could make for a decent program. Obviously both teams are working as faces, so the best way to go about the feud could be to turn Show and Henry heel.
4. Should Swagger Be Given More Time to Speak?
Zeb Colter was notably absent last night after taking a kick from Rusev at SummerSlam. In his absence, Jack Swagger cut a surprisingly decent promo before his match with Cesaro.
Although Colter has served as Swagger’s mouthpiece for well over a year and the only words I’ve heard come out of Swagger’s mouth are “We the People,” I believe he should be given more time to speak. It would allow him to develop a non-robotic character, while also still receiving mentorship from one of the top managers in the business.
The following are highlights of a new First We Feast interview with Ryback:
On what he likes to eat and if he can cook: “Right now, I’m here in Vegas. I got whole wheat protein pasta cooking and a whole pound of steak cut up, loaded on a low simmer, cooking as well. That will be my first real meal of the day. I’ll take that, pour it all in a big bowl with a little bit of pasta sauce. When I’m home, that’s usually my first meal every day. That, or low fiber oatmeal with natural peanut butter. From there, every two, two-and-a-half, three hours, I eat something. It’s usually steak, grilled chicken, tuna fish, eggs, egg whites, brown rice, sweet potatoes. I eat the same meals over and over again all throughout the day. I got my protein shakes. I usually try to get one or two of those down a day, just straight natural whey isolate. That’s pretty much it, as far as what I eat.
When I’m home, I got my places. We have a Port of Subs here near me. When I’m home, I usually like to swing out there once. I’ll get a foot-long wheat bread, light mayonnaise, and double steak sub. At Panda Express, I’ll get grilled chicken, brown rice. No matter where I go, it’s always pretty much the same regular foods.
For my first meal on the road, I always like to go sit down, especially on live event days. I’m very fond of Applebee’s because they’re the same everywhere you go. We’re always in different places, and I like to go to a place where no matter what Applebee’s I go to, it’s like the same one as going to the Applebee’s at home. It gives me a sense of stability while I’m on the road. Besides that, their food is awesome. I’ll go there and I’ll always get the French onion soup. I’ll get 10 chicken wings with the bone in, and then usually a steak, vegetables, and roasted red potatoes.
I’m pretty consistent with all that, but I can cook. I’m just very simple, though. I’ve got some garlic salt, some sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Those are pretty much all the spices that I use, and I go from there.”
On WWE catering: “I have a routine when I go to WWE catering. I go in there, and we got the paper plates and the forks and everything. I always load up three, four, five plates—not individual plates, but three or four stacks on top of each other to reinforce my first plate. I put so much food on there, the last thing I want is while I’m walking from the food to the table is [for] the plate to break or slip out of my hand ’cause it bends. There’s that much food on my first plate. My first meal of the day when I get to TV is ridiculous. Every time, there’s somebody that just looks at me like, ‘Oh my God, you’re going to eat that?’ I’m like, ‘Every week, you guys say this. It’s not a surprise anymore.’ There’s always a large amount of food whenever I’m around.
It’s always either brown rice or white rice. You have your soup of the day. It’s not all the time we’ll have a chilli. They’ll put out the cheese and sour cream and the chives and the jalapeños. I know that WWE catering chilli is always a hit every time they have it. Sometimes, they’ll even do a turkey one or a little healthier one. Whenever we have that, I’ll make sure to get a bowl usually at some point in the day.
I’m pretty simple as far as what I eat. I’m usually steak and chicken all throughout the day. I go to tuna fish later on as I get closer to the show as that’s a little bit lighter for me. But early in the day, it’s usually chicken, steak, brown rice, or sweet potatoes, and then I go from there.
As we go down, we have our salad bar. The popular one is the sweets. Sometimes, we walk in and they just have the entire place decked out with sweets. They’ll have a sweet table. They’ll have a cake up right by the front. It’s like, ‘Why the hell’s this cake sitting right here? [It’s] just random. Are they trying to make us eat this or to see how strong we are?’ I don’t eat a lot of sweets, but that’s usually the popular place to go amongst talents after a Tuesday show taping SmackDown if you’re done with your match or you’re done with your segment or you’re not booked for the night.”
Check out the complete interview at FirstWeFeast.com.
At one point, the plan for the WWE SummerSlam “Kickoff Show” match was a four-way tag-team match for the WWE Tag-Team Championships, with The Usos defending against Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, Ryback and Curtis Axel and Goldust and Stardust.
As things stand now, the pre-show match for the pay-per-view is being discussed and a decision is expected to be made at some point during the next week.
It’s worth noting that the new “Slater Gator” duo (Heath Slater and Titus O’Neil) may end up being involved if they go the tag-team route, which is expected, as the new tag-combination recently picked up a notable win over Goldust and Stardust on WWE Main Event.
-WWE is considering splitting up the team of Ryback and Curtis Axel in the near future. There is no exact timetable on when, but the plan at this point definitely seems to be to end the team.
– Next week’s edition of WrestleMania Rewind, which airs Tuesday night on the WWE Network, the focus will be on the Triangle Ladder Match for the WWE Tag-Team Championships between The Hardy Boys, The Dudley Boys and the team of Edge and Christian.
Following Monday’s RAW, here is an updated look at the official WWE Battleground pay-per-view lineup:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
– Kane vs. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena
Battle Royal for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, The Great Khali, Rob Van Dam, Dolph Ziggler, Big E., Ryback, Curtis Axel, Alberto Del RIo, Bo Dallas, Sheamus and Fandango
– Following Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Montreal, here is the updated list of official participants confirmed for the Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal at the upcoming WWE Battleground pay-per-view: Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, The Great Khali, Rob Van Dam, Dolph Ziggler, Big E., Ryback, Curtis Axel, Alberto Del RIo, Bo Dallas, Sheamus and Fandango.
– The following is the Bret Hart and “Bret Sandhart” segment from Monday’s RAW:
Following Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown, here is the updated list of official participants in the WWE Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal at the upcoming WWE Battleground pay-per-view:
– Cesaro
– Kofi Kingston
– Damien Sandow
– The Great Khali
– Rob Van Dam
– Dolph Ziggler
– Big E
– Ryback
– Curtis Axel
– Alberto Del Rio
– Bo Dallas
Below is the latest edition of “SmackDown Fallout,” which features WWE United States Champion Sheamus:
The following is the final card for tonight’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view:
Money In The Bank Ladder Match (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
– John Cena vs. Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton vs. Cesaro vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
Money In The Bank Ladder Match (Briefcase For Title Shot Up To One Year)
– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Bad News Barrett*
WWE Tag-Team Championship
– The Usos (c) vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
WWE Divas Championship
Paige (c) vs. Naomi
Divas Match (Special Guest Referee: Fandango)
– Summer Rae vs. Layla
Tag-Team Match
– Goldust & Stardust vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel
Singles Match
– Rusev vs. Big E.
* – Barrett suffered a separated shoulder during the SmackDown taping this past Tuesday, however WWE has yet to announce whether or not he has been pulled from his match.
Make sure to join us here later tonight for the absolute best live play-by-play results coverage of the fifth annual WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view!
The WWE’s brightest stars will attempt to cash in at this Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Two ladder matches will main event the program, with one being held to declare a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. In addition, former champion Daniel Bryan will address the WWE Universe during the pre-show.
Here are my predictions for this Sunday’s event.
Summer Rae vs. Layla (Fandango Guest Referee)
I was never the biggest Fandango supporter, but I definitely thought he would be doing something bigger than referring a divas match a year ago. He has regressed over the past year and lost a lot of momentum. This will likely be the bathroom break match of the night, and Fandango will play a major role in the outcome, of course. Summer Rae will win this one by either rejoining Fandango or using him to influence the outcome of the contest before abandoning him.
Winner: Summer Rae by pinfall
Rusev vs. Big E
These guys performed well together at last month’s Payback, even though they were given less than four minutes total. They will hopefully get a little more time during this one, allowing both superstars to showcase their strengths.
I think Rusev will ultimately win this one, but Big E will also look strong during the match. Big E cut a passionate promo on last week’s Raw, so it appears the WWE wants to showcase him a bit more. Both guys will look good, but Rusev will force Big E to tap out in the end.
Winner: Rusev by submission
Stardust and Goldust vs. Ryback and Curtis Axel
The Rhodes Brothers storyline has been moving slowly over the past few months. It first looked as if the two brothers were going to feud with one another, with Cody searching for an adequate replacement because he felt Goldust deserved better.
He eventually rebranded himself as Stardust and the two have been on a winning streak ever since. They will continue to look strong on Sunday, picking up the win after Cody hits his Diamond Dust finisher on Curtis Axel.
One week from today, WWE’s annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view will be held in Boston, Massachusetts. The event has quickly become one of the most anticipated programs of the year, as it provides exciting action and sets up the storyline for months by allowing a WWE superstar to stalk his prey while holding a contract for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.
There will be two Money in the Bank ladder matches this year. One will be held for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and the other will be a traditional contest for a shot at the title. The first contest will feature perennial title contenders such as John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Alberto Del Rio, as well as up-and-coming stars such as Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, and Cesaro.
It seems like John Cena is once again the favorite to leave Boston as the champ.
The second ladder match will feature Seth Rollins, with the rest of the lineup to be determined in a series of qualifying matches. Thus far, only three matches have been announced for the entire pay-per-view, and with only one week left before the event, one has to wonder how the WWE will tie everything together in such a brief period.
Other than the two ladder matches, a matchup between the Usos and Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of the Wyatt family is the only confirmed contest on the card. It seems apparent that Dean Ambrose will be one of the participants in the traditional ladder match. Potential options also include those who did not qualify for the championship ladder match, including Bad News Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, and Rob Van Dam.
The two ladder matches will soak up a large portion of the roster, meaning the midcard will have to pick up some slack in order to fill up the three hours of airtime. Rumored contests include Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. RybAxel, Rusev vs. Big E, and a Divas Championship match involving Paige and all or part of the Funkadactyls.
– The dark match before Tuesday night’s WWE TV tapings saw Natalya defeat Rosa Mendes.
– The dark match in between Main Event and the SmackDown tapings saw Los Matadores defeat Ryback and Curtis Axel after El Torito distracted Ryback.
– After the SmackDown tapings concluded, Bray Wyatt called Seth Rollins to the ring. It looked like they were going to start fighting, but instead they attacked Dean Ambrose, who was still in the ring following the Wyatt vs. Ambrose SmackDown main event.
Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Luke Harper and The Usos then hit the ring and a huge brawl broke out. Reigns and Ambrose both grabbed steel chairs and went after Seth Rollins as the ring cleared out. The night ended with Reigns and Ambrose playing to the crowd.
Former WWE and WCW talent Diamond Dallas Page recently appeared on The Wrestling Podcast Network. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
“The Resurrection of Jake The Snake” Documentary: “Our goal is to not just make a movie. Our goal coming into this movie is to do an Oscar nominated documentary. That’s our goal. Whether that becomes true or not remains to be seen. I would love to do something with the WWE when it comes to it.”
Teaching DDP Yoga to WWE talent: “Triple H brought me down there about four months ago. I did a seminar with the guys and girls down there and they loved it. Everybody has the program now. It’s great for healing your body. Ryback is another guy that does it (DDP Yoga) and does it consistently too. Ryback is still hitting the weights obviously so he can maintain that massive size that he has. For him, its strength and conditioning, preventive maintenance for his body so he doesn’t break down.”
It seemed as if the tag team division had been revitalized last year. However, almost as soon as fans started to become excited about the division again, half of the teams were broken up and it has been largely ignored.
The Usos are the current champions, and I think their pay-per-view exposure shows how confident the WWE is that the Uso brothers will draw. After all, they defended their tag titles on the pre-show at WrestleMania and did not appear in any capacity at Extreme Rules.
With that said, it would not take much effort to get the division back to where it was at the end of last year. Here are five current or potential tag teams that could help make the division relevant again (or at the very least, get it onto the pay-per-view card).
5. Rybaxel – At first, this team seemed like it would go nowhere. They had both just basically flopped while under the tutelage of Paul Heyman, so why would anyone believe that they would fare well without him? Surprisingly, both have improved since leaving Heyman, especially Ryback. He is hilarious on the microphone and can actually be pretty entertaining when he’s allowed to speak. I think the WWE still has plans to push both guys in the future, and a run with the Tag Team Championships could help elevate both superstars.
4. Damien Sandow and Dolph Ziggler – These guys have adopted similar personality traits in recent weeks, most notably because both guys seem disgruntled, annoyed, and displeased that their talents are not being properly utilized. Sandow and Ziggler would make a great team if paired together, as both are impressive in the ring and on the mic. There were rumors a while back of a possible stable of disgruntled superstars being formed, including Ziggler and the Miz, but a team of Sandow and Ziggler would work even better and could make the tag title picture exciting again.
3. Jack Swagger and Cody Rhodes – It is no secret that Zeb Colter has been trying to recruit a new member to the Real Americans since Cesaro betrayed him a few weeks back. With Cody being the son of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, it would make sense for him to become a Real American. Cody and Goldust are definitely going to part ways soon, with Cody likely being the one to turn heel, so it would provide the perfect opportunity for Cody to align with Swagger and Colter afterward.
WWE kicks off their European tour today with their first stop in Glasgow, Scotland. With Daniel Bryan off of the tour due to injury, here is the updated list of talent that is scheduled for this part of the tour: Kane, The Shield, Big E, Rob Van Dam, Bad News Barrett, Big Show, Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Ryback, Curtis Axel, Paige, Layla, Fandango, Cameron, Naomi, Jack Swagger, Zeb Colter, Sin Cara, Rusev, Lana and more.
Originally, Bryan vs. Kane in a “Last Man Standing” match was being advertised, but with Bryan’s injury, that is obviously off the table. As of right now, no new opponent or match for Kane has been announced.
Also advertised for this leg of the tour is a six-man tag-team match featuring The Shield vs. Randy Orton, Ryback and Curtis Axel.
The following are highlights of a new Miami Herald interview with Ryback:
On the roller coaster ride of being a WWE Superstar: “I came in 2012 and burst on the scene. I believe I was the most popular thing. Before the ‘Yes Movement’, there was the ‘Feed Me More’ movement. I took the WWE by storm. I was undefeated for some time, sometimes taking on two guys at one time. I jumped in the main event scene very quickly and stayed very popular with the WWE Universe for a long time. We made the switch and went an opposite way and took it all away. Not that I necessarily agreed with it at the time, but I feel it was a good move.”
On Ryback in and out of the ring: “Through Twitter and everything else like that I’m just myself. A lot of people like to see that. When I’m in the ring I’m very intense. I consider myself a modern-day gladiator when I go out there. Social media and things like WrestleMania Axxess, this is my whole personality. On TV you can only catch so much. When I’m in the ring performing I’m a gladiator. Outside of it is different. If look at guys like Kurt Angle, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and The Rock, they were very diverse characters. Ryback is a very diverse character as well.”
On his time with Paul Heyman: “I got absolutely nothing [from that]. It’s a time period I will not even think to look back on.”
On Curtis Axel: “Curtis Axel is a great, amazing human being. Working with him is the most fun I’ve had in wrestling in some time. The only positive thing from Paul Heyman was getting to be around Curtis Axel and getting that out of it. Me and Curtis go back to developmental together. I’m very happy we are getting a chance to mesh and gel on TV and come together as RybAxel.”
The following is a non-spoiler match listing for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which was taped on Tuesday night and will air on Friday, May 2, 2014 on the SyFy Network.
– Rob Van Dam vs. Jack Swagger
– Alexander Rusev vs. R-Truth
– The Wyatt Family vs. Sheamus & The Usos
– Damien Sandow vs. Dolph Ziggler
– Big E. vs. Titus O’Neil
– Dean Ambrose vs. Ryback vs. Curtis Axel vs. Alberto Del Rio
For a complete spoiler report for this week’s WWE SmackDown, click ahead to page two …
– It was confirmed on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW that on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which is taped on Tuesday night and airs on Friday night on the SyFy Network, WWE United States Champion Dean Ambrose will be defending his title in a three-on-one handicap match against Ryback, Curtis Axel and Alberto Del Rio.
– Jim Ross tweeted the following about the opening segment on tonight’s edition of WWE RAW:
The opening segment on #RAWSTLOUIS was memorable..creepy..provokes thought.
Like a blind date…
The WWE Extreme Rules “go-home” edition of WWE RAW takes place tonight in St. Louis, Missouri. Advertised for tonight’s show, among other things, is the return of Daniel Bryan.
Also scheduled for tonight’s show is the final round of the WWE Intercontinental Championship contender tournament between Rob Van Dam and Bad News Barrett. The winner will go on to face Big E. for the title at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view this Sunday night.
A WWE Tag-Team Championship match between The Usos and the team of Ryback and Curtis Axel will take place tonight on the show, as well as the return of WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair.
Finally, a segment has been advertised for tonight that features Stephanie McMahon apologizing to Daniel Bryan for the attack he suffered at the hands of Kane on last week’s show.
Make sure to join us here tonight at SESCOOPS.COM for live WWE RAW play-by-play results coverage.
WWE has announced a title match for this coming Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, which takes place in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Usos, who are the current WWE Tag-Team Champions, will be defending their titles against the team of Ryback and Curtis Axel.
As previously reported, it is expected that both teams will compete against each other at the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which takes place on May 4th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. We also noted previously that the match will likely serve as the solo bout on the pre-show for the event.
It is expected that Monday’s match will set the stage for the PPV pre-show bout.
– Brie Bella has been given the weekend off by WWE to be with Daniel Bryan and spend time with he and his family during their time of mourning. As previously reported, Daniel Bryan’s father recently passed away.
– As of right now, it’s believed that the WWE Tag-Team Championship match between The Usos and the team of Ryback and Curtis Axel is going to be the featured match on the WWE Extreme Rules pre-show.