WWE just announced that Sami Zayn vs. Mike Kanellis is official for Sunday’s WWE Battleground PPV. Sami Zayn has been an annoyance for Mike and Maria Kanellis on recent episodes of SmackDown. Sami kept accidentally interrupting Mike and Maria as they were showing affection for each other. Zayn apologized but Mike and Maria were still annoyed. Maria then went looking for Sami on the July 11th episode of SmackDown. Eventually, Sami found Mike and Maria backstage and Maria slapped him in the face. Mike Kanellis then smashed a glass vase over the back of Sami’s head.
On last night’s episode of SmackDown, Mike Kanellis made his WWE in-ring debut in a match against Sami Zayn. Sami pretty much controlled the entire match and had Kanellis set up for the Helluva Kick. Maria got into the ring and stood in front of Mike. As the referee was telling Maria to get out of the ring, Mike punched Zayn in the face and hit the Samoan Driver for the victory. Sami Zayn will now look to get his revenge Sunday night at WWE Battleground.
Here is the updated card for WWE Battleground:
WWE Championship Punjabi Prison Match
Jinder Mahal (c) vs Randy Orton
United States Championship Match
AJ Styles (c) vs Kevin Owens
Flag Match
John Cena vs Rusev
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Usos (c) vs New Day
Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match To Determine #1 Contender For SmackDown Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch vs Lana vs Charlotte vs Tamina vs Natalya
Sami Zayn’s real name is Rami Sebei. He was born in Laval, Quebec Canada, the son of Syrian immigrants who moved to Canada in the 1970s.
He grew up Muslim and speaks fluent Arabic, French and English. Zayn has spoken before of wanting to use his WWE fame as a way to dispel myths about muslims.
Yesterday he launched his “Sami for Syria” program, aimed at raising money for medical clinics in the war-torn country.
Today is a special day. Happy to launch #SamiForSyria!
“SAMS’s mission is to save lives and alleviate suffering. SAMS is one of the most active and trusted medical organization working inside Syria.
In Syria, SAMS operates over 100 medical facilities that provide general and specialized medical care for Syrians in need. Programs range from primary care to more specialized treatment, such as our GI endoscopy program, in order to provide effective and needs-based healthcare in Syria. SAMS proudly supports medical programs in eight governorates. To learn more about our work in Syria, please visit the Medical Relief Work page.
“The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) is a nonpolitical, nonprofit medical relief organization that is working on the front lines of crisis relief in Syria and neighboring countries to alleviate suffering and save lives. SAMS proudly provides medical care and treatment to every patient in need.”
more information about the Syrian Medical Society can be found here.
WWE has made a habit of giving out championship belts to to championship-winning sports teams, but will also do so for those who they feel have earned the honour in other ways.
Off-duty police officer, Charlie Guenigault, received multiple stab wounds while helping to protect others during the recent London Bridge attacks. He was wearing a Sami Zayn t-shirt at the time. Since the attack, Guenigault has been recovering in hospital.
Charlie Guenigault Presented with WWE Championship
“The highest recognition a WWE Superstar can get is winning the WWE Championship. But this honour is also reserved for those in real life who go above and beyond.” – Paul Levesque
Triple H also had this to say regarding Guenigault’s actions on that day:
“To run in the direction of a scary situation that can’t even be described in words, to help others, for that to be your instinct to help others – that is a hero.
People say a lot of times that they watch WWE because these guys are like real-life superheroes. Well, Charlie is a real hero.”
Sami Zayn also sent Guenigault a personal video message which included the following message:
“You put yourself in the line of danger at a time when you really had no obligation to do so.
I can’t tell you how much respect I have for you. The fact you were wearing my shirt at the time really puts it into perspective for me.
Sami Zayn has always been the guy known to stand up to the bad guys, but you did it in the most horrific of circumstances.
Man, I’m just blown away, I really am.”
Guenigault had this to say regarding Triple H’s visit:
“It was an absolute pleasure to meet one of the greatest Superstars ever.
My comments when he first walked in the room are probably not suitable for a PG audience!”
WWE’s Superstar Shake-up was a few weeks ago and a bunch of talent switched brands. The change has certainly benefited some Superstars as they have been able to hit the reset button and were given new opportunities. For other Superstars, the brand switch has either done nothing for them or made matters even worse. Below is the list of every Superstar that switched brands after WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up and what they have done on their new show so far.
From SmackDown to RAW:
Bray Wyatt: Bray Wyatt was having a hell of a run on SmackDown until everything fell off the rails. He captured the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, only to lose it rather quickly to Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 33. It took years for WWE to put a title on Bray Wyatt. They pulled the plug on his title run really quick and he is now feuding with Finn Balor on RAW. The change of brands may help Wyatt in the long run, but right now it is hard to take Wyatt seriously after the match at Wrestlemania 33 and the terrible House of Horrors match at WWE Payback.
The Miz & Maryse: The Miz had an excellent run on SmackDown. He was the Intercontinental Champion and had a terrific feud with Dolph Ziggler. There is no reason that he shouldn’t be able to continue that success on RAW as he is currently the #1 contender for the IC Title. The only down side of Miz joining RAW is that he will no longer be a guest on Talking Smack. His insane rants towards Renee Young and Daniel Bryan will be missed.
Dean Ambrose: Ambrose is currently the Intercontinental Champion, but absolutely needed a fresh start. Even though he is continuing his feud with The Miz from SmackDown, Ambrose was already more entertaining on this past week’s RAW than he was for the last month on SmackDown. Time will tell if Ambrose will grow stale again, but for now he has benefited from the Superstar Shake-Up.
Alexa Bliss: Alexa Bliss was terrific on SmackDown and has carried that over to RAW. She is the best female talent on RAW when it comes to promos. She also has great in-ring ability and always gets a reaction from the crowd. Alexa Bliss has already become RAW Women’s Champion and is the first female Superstar to hold both the Smackdown and RAW Women’s Championships.
Apollo Crews: Shockingly, Apollo Crews has actually benefited from the Superstar Shake-Up. It is hard to believe that becoming a part of the “Titus Brand” is an upgrade, but it actually is. Crews was doing absolutely nothing on SmackDown. At the very least, Crews is becoming a weekly part of RAW. Crews struggles with promos, so the idea of having Titus O’Neil manage him actually helps him.
Kalisto: Kalisto went from getting beatdown by Dolph Ziggler on SmackDown to getting destroyed by Braun Strowman on RAW. To be fair, Kalisto actually did defeat Strowman in a Dumpster Match, he also happened to get stuffed in the dumpster and shoved of the entrance ramp after the match.
Heath Slater, Rhyno & Curt Hawkins: Heath Slater and Rhyno were the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions. After losing the titles, they faded away into obscurity. Since joining RAW, they have essentially done nothing besides backstage segments. Tune in on Monday nights to see if Rhyno is eating cheese and crackers. Curt Hawkins was getting his ass kicked on SmackDown and the exact same thing is happening on RAW. I guess that is an improvement for Hawkins given that more people watch RAW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGDC-DtppTY
From RAW to SmackDown:
Kevin Owens: Kevin Owens was the Universal Champion for a long time on RAW. However, it wasn’t the best version of Kevin Owens. He relied on Chris Jericho to win matches and consistently looked weak. Once Owens dropped the Universal Championship to Goldberg, he actually became more entertaining. Things really picked up when he turned on Jericho at the Festival of Friendship. Since joining SmackDown, Owens has been declaring himself the “Face of America”. He is back to being ruthless in the ring, while also showing off his impressive promo skills. I think the Superstar Shake-Up has benefited Kevin Owens. The United States Championship may be less important than the Universal Championship, but Owens is much more entertaining in his current role.
The Colons: Formerly The Shining Stars, The Colons have absolutely benefited from the Superstar Shake-Up. Even though SmackDown barely features their tag team division, The Shining Stars was just an awful gimmick and anything would be an upgrade from that.
Sami Zayn: Everyone was hoping for Sami Zayn to join SmackDown while he was on RAW. He was seemingly always coming up short on RAW and SmackDown felt like the perfect show for him. Zayn is gifted in the ring and people believed that he would shine on SmackDown. Unfortunately, that has not been the case at all so far. Zayn’s move to SmackDown has made no difference at all in how he is booked. He is back to losing matches and wrestling people much bigger than him. The Superstar Shake-Up has done nothing for Zayn so far as he seems to be stuck in the same role.
Charlotte Flair: Charlotte Flair is probably the best female wrestler on WWE’s roster. Her athleticism is insane and she can put on a terrific match with anyone. However, Charlotte’s character got old on RAW. Her promos eventually sounded robotic and the WWE Universe was starting to get tired of it. Since joining SmackDown, Charlotte has gone from a heel to a fan favorite. The crowd erupted when she made her way to the ring after being attacked backstage on this past week’s episode of SmackDown.
Jinder Mahal: Without a doubt, Jinder Mahal has been the Superstar that has benefited the most from the Superstar Shake-Up. It didn’t look like that would be the case after his SmackDown debut where he lost to Mojo Rawley. Mahal also took a beer to the face courtesy of Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski. Mahal went on to win a Six-Pack Challenge to become the #1 contender for Randy Orton’s WWE Championship. He even stole Orton’s title and beat him down at WWE Payback. Mahal had an unsuccessful run with WWE and was released from the company. He made his WWE return last year and it looked like it was going to be more of the same. That clearly is not the case and he now has the chance to make a major name for himself heading into his WWE Championship match at WWE Backlash.
New Day, Rusev & Lana: New Day have yet to make their SmackDown debut due to Kofi Kingston being injured. New Day has been boring to me for a long time, hopefully the change of brands brings something fresh to their act. Rusev also hasn’t been on SmackDown yet as he is out with an injury. However, he has demanded a title shot at Money in the Bank. Time will tell if he gets his wish. Finally, Lana hasn’t made her SmackDown debut yet but she will be introducing a new gimmick as seen in the video below.
Discussion: Now that we are a few weeks into it, what are your thoughts on the Superstar Shake-Up so far? Which Superstar do you think has benefited from it the most?
Baron Corbin Attacks Sami Zayn During Talking Smack
The more things change, the more they stay the same for Sami Zayn. Sami joined the SmackDown roster after WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up. Zayn had a rough go of it on RAW and people really wanted him to join the SmackDown roster. Since joining SmackDown, Zayn has lost a #1 contenders match for the US Title and lost a #1 contenders match for the WWE Championship. Now, Zayn is back to getting his ass kicked by Superstars that are much bigger than him.
Zayn spent a long time on RAW getting destroyed by Braun Strowman. He played the role of Kalisto in this past week’s Dumpster Match on RAW. Instead of Kurt Angle asking Kalisto if he was sure that he wanted to fight Strowman, it was at the time RAW GM Mick Foley begging Zayn not to enter a match with Braun. Zayn wound up asking for a trade to SmackDown and Foley shot it down.
Now, Zayn is finally on SmackDown and it appears he is going to enter a feud with Baron Corbin. WWE is very high on Corbin and folks like Jim Ross believe he is a future main-eventer. Zayn may have switched brands, but his role on the show looks like it has remained the same. Last night on Talking Smack, Baron Corbin attacked Sami Zayn. It was retaliation for Zayn hitting a Helluva Kick on Corbin earlier in the night. Corbin beat the hell out of Zayn and also launched a referee across the room.
Breezango Celebrate Becoming #1 Contenders To SmackDown Tag Team Championships
Breezango competed in a Beat The Clock Challenge last night on SmackDown to determine the #1 contenders to the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Breezango defeated The Ascension in the quickest amount of time and will now face The Usos at WWE Backlash for the titles. WWE has uploaded a new video of Breezango celebrating their victory.
We’ve got some more newsworthy quotes from Jim Cornette’s recent appearance on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast. Below, can you can read what Cornette said about where he stands on Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Kenny Omega and Joey Ryan.
The perception that he does not like Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn:
“Once again everyone said that Cornette must be hanging himself in his closet and slitting his wrist because they are so successful. Which is ridiculous. Kevin Steen (Owens) and El Generico (Sami Zayn) were both pains in the asses to deal with. It was the 80/20 principle where you spend 80% of your time dealing with 20% of your talent’s problems. Part of it is that they are French Canadian and I’m sorry but French Canadians in wrestling have always been pains in the ass except for Pat Patterson.
But part of it was we are paying them to play professional athletes on television so Steen, we’d like you to lose some weight, f*cking buy some new clothes and f*cking trim your beard up and look a little neater. El Generico a television company has just bought the promotion you work for so we’d like you to be able to do interviews instead of being a mute and we’d like you to take the God damn mask off ( I didn’t even broach that with him) because OH MY GOD it would have been like I sodomized his f*cking mother if I would have said take the mask off. But you’ve got a French Canadian muslin with red hair trying to play a Luchador and nobody understood it.”
“When people that are paying you ask you to do and get a long a little better and son of a gun we just found out that Ring of Honor wasn’t paying them enough money because when somebody comes along and pays them more money they do what we asked them to do and as a result they are tremendously successful. I never said that they were f*cking horrible wrestlers. We made Steen the World Champion for a f*cking year, we tried to sign Generico to another contract but that is when he had the WWE sniffing around him so he wouldn’t do it so we didn’t use him. Everybody said ‘oh God damn’ Cornette has run these guys off…well no. I just wanted them to be more accessible to a wider audience. Now when they have done everything I had asked them to do they are now superstars, imagine that? Wouldn’t you know who won the pony.”
“I never said that (once again) they were bad wrestlers and they couldn’t get over. I said they ain’t getting over unless they do certain things and tweak what they’ve already got. They’ve done that and they have been successful. They’ve never embarrassed the business by beating up grade school children or having matches with blow up dolls. Kenny Omega (I’ve said this about him) I don’t care if he discovers the cure for cancer in his spare time, brings Lou Thesz back from the grave and stretches him in a shoot..he is still a piece of sh*t that should never be in the business because he had matches with nine year old girls and blow up dolls. I don’t care how good he is. I don’t have any time for him, don’t want to look at him, don’t want to hear about him and if I had complete control over pro wrestling I would have Dan Severn go and beat the f*ck out of him and leave him laying in a f*cking ditch.
Why he still has such strong feelings about the wrestling business and how comedy spots hurt the industry:
“He (Omega) embarrassed his profession and he embarrassed everybody that has ever been in it. Steen and Generico never did that. They just had misguided ideas of the facets of their gimmicks and their personalities. They didn’t do phony spots with their d*ck like that f*cking idiot Joey Ryan. He just blatantly does phony bullsh*t because he is an underneath guy that doesn’t have the talent to compete with the major main event level wrestlers so he does this sh*t to get attention.
Everybody says that Cornette says all that stuff because he wants people to listen to his podcast and how can he take wrestling that seriously. Well I do! I’ve made several million dollars off of wrestling and not only because it has been my profession but it has been my favorite thing in life as a hobby since I was nine years old. So yeah I do take it that seriously and Joey Ryan is an embarrassment to it and so is Kenny Omega. At least Omega has a job on top and Joey Ryan is still working ‘outlaw’ shows in front of 400 people shaking his d*ck because that is all he can do.”
Sami Zayn Frustrated After Another Loss On SmackDown
Last night on WWE SmackDown, Sami Zayn competed in a Six-Pack Challenge. The winner of that match would become the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. Sami Zayn was about to hit the Helluva Kick on Jinder Mahal but the Bollywood Boyz appeared and grabbed his legs from behind him. Jinder Mahal then won the match and Sami Zayn came up short yet again. WWE has uploaded a new backstage interview with Zayn after his latest loss and Zayn was visibly frustrated. Zayn stated that he was really angry and heartbroken about coming in second place again.
Jinder Mahal Confident He Will Defeat Randy Orton
Jinder Mahal appeared on Talking Smack last night after WWE SmackDown. Mahal said that he heard the boos from the crowd when he won the match. Mahal also stated that when he wins the WWE Championship he will become the new American Dream. Jinder was asked about Randy Orton and Mahal claimed that Orton should be worried. Mahal claimed that he could see fear in Orton’s eyes and that he is going to take the WWE Championship away from him.
WWE posted the video below just recently, predicting 5 superstars who could win their first world championship in the not too distant future.
While the WWE.com division of the company operates without knowledge of future storylines or superstar pushes, their predictions still do carry some weight.
Who Does WWE.com Predict Are Future World Champions?
Don’t have time to watch the above video? I’ll save a few minutes.
Samoa Joe
The first superstar mentioned as a possible future world champion is Samoa Joe. It’s hard to argue this point, as Joe is a former NXT champion who has been protected since debuting on the main roster. Since coming to Raw Samoa Joe is 5-0 in singles matches, including wins over Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn (2x), Cesaro, and Chris Jericho.
Baron Corbin #2 on the list is Baron Corbin. There’s no doubt the company is high on Corbin, but considering he lost clean to Dean Ambrose at WM33 it’s not certain if the ceiling placed on him is lower than world champion level. Not sure about this pick, but it’s possible.
Sami Zayn
#3 on the list is Sami Zayn. This seems probable, but not certain. Should it happen it would the culmination of the ultimate underdog story, with Zayn finally accomplishing his dream. It wouldn’t be a long run, and he’d be pushed down the card immediately after as Vince would feel his character has nothing left to chase.
Shinsuke Nakamura
#4 is Shinsuke Nakamura. If a world champion run never happens for Nakamura in WWE, it would be shocking and upsetting for fans.
Cesaro The #5 entry on this list sounds more like wishful thinking more than anything else. Considering Vince McMahon’s statements regarding Cesaro and brass rings not too long ago, the company would most likely have to fully be under Triple H’s control for this to happen. Many fans hope it does someday however.
Kevin Owens kicked off Smackdown and came down to the ring in a suit. Owens also had shaved his beard off. The crowd at the TD Garden erupted as he made his way to the ring. Owens grabbed a microphone and stated that Smackdown was now the “Kevin Owens show”. Owens claimed that Smackdown Live just got a huge upgrade because he was here now.
Owens played up the fact that Canada was better than the United States. Owens also insulted the Boston crowd by stating that the Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins all the time. Owens challenged someone to come out to the ring for a fight. Owens said that he wants to become the new face of America. Baron Corbin interrupted and claimed that Owens cannot beat him up. Corbin claimed that he beat up Dean Ambrose so bad last week that he went and hid on Raw.
Corbin said that technically he is owed a Championship match and challenged Owens to a match. Sami Zayn then came down to the ring and Kevin Owens lost it in the ring. Zayn announced that he was finally on Smackdown Live and the crowd erupted. AJ Styles came down to the ring and said that this was not the Kevin Owens show, it is Smackdown Live.
Daniel Bryan came down to the entrance ramp and revealed that whomever wins the United States Championship at Payback between Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens will officially join the Smackdown Live roster. Daniel Bryan made a Triple Threat Match, Baron Corbin vs Sami Zayn vs AJ Styles. The winner of that match will face the winner of the United States Championship match at WWE Payback.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens battled in the main event of Friday night’s WWE live event from Montreal. Zayn defeated his longtime rival in what was described as a great match with a red hot crowd.
After the match, Zayn cut a promo talking about his history with Owens. Zayn told Owens he respects him, which earned Owens a standing ovation. Zayn said he doesn’t know what he’ll be doing at WrestleMania, but this match was his WrestleMania.
Following Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn and Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks have been added to the main card for Sunday’s WWE Fastlane PPV.
In cruiserweight action, Noam Dar & Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa & Rich Swann has been announced for the pre-show.
WWE Fastlane 2017 will feature:
– Kevin Owens defends the WWE Universal Championship against Goldberg
– Bayley defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Charlotte
– Gallows & Anderson defend the RAW Tag Team Championships against Enzo & Cass
– Neville defends the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Jack Gallagher
– Braun Strowman goes to war with Roman Reigns
– Samoa Joe battles Sami Zayn
– Sasha Banks looks for revenge on Nia Jax
– Akira Tozawa and Rich Swann face Brian Kendrick & Noam Dar on the pre-show
Fastlane takes place this Sunday from Milwaukee. Join us for live PBP beginning at 7pm.
– Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn is expected for the 3/5 WWE Fastlane PPV after Joe attacked Sami on RAW this week. Joe vs. Seth Rollins was originally booked for Fastlane until Rollins injured his knee.
– NXT Champion Bobby Roode recently spoke with Philly.com and commented on his 12-year journey to WWE. Roode says he has no regrets on how he made it to WWE as he got to work with some of the best wrestlers around the world. Roode commented:
“I firmly believe not just in business but in life that everything happens for a reason. Not getting hired back in those days fueled the fire a little bit to go out there and get over and go different places and work harder. I have no regrets. I got to work with some great people over the last 12 years.
The experience that I gained and the people that I met and the travels that I did, I wouldn’t change that for the world. I think it’s made me a better worker. It’s made me a better wrestler. It’s made me a better person. I think in sports entertainment timing is everything. It was a learning experience for me back in those days. I obviously wasn’t ready and I got to go to a different spot and for over 12 years kind of work on my brand and become somewhat of a household name and get better and get older.”
– R-Truth is busy working on his hip-hop career during downtime from WWE. He posted the following video from a recent studio session working on his “I Got It” single, and a photo from Monday’s music video shoot for his “Back Against The Wall” single:
Sami Zayn was born and raised in Montreal, QC Canada, but his family comes from Syria. His real name is Rami Sebei, his family is Muslim, and he speaks Arabic fluently.
Here’s a fun task:
– Using google translate have the words “Sami Zayn” translated from English to Arabic.
– Then reverse the words. Have the Arabic translation translated back to English and you get the words “El Generico”. Pretty creative.
While WWE is avoiding political talk at the moment, Sami Zayn hasn’t hesitated to comment on the US travel ban.
The fear, hatred & division sold to us is a much bigger problem than our struggling brothers & sisters are. CHOOSE an open heart over anger.
Zayn recently spoke to ESPN about his Syrian heritage and Muslim upbringing, as well as his hopes to change perceptions of Muslims.
“It’s definitely a sensitive topic to discuss, but I have felt since I signed with the WWE I was in a unique position to reestablish how Arabs were perceived in the WWE and western media,” He told ESPN recently.
“Ever since I was a kid and growing up and watching things like the ‘Naked Gun’ movies, there was always this stereotype about how Arabs were perceived and portrayed.I’ve never watched those Arab villains in the movie and felt like that was me. They were nothing like me, and now I get to just be me — and hopefully being me strikes a chord with a lot of young Arabs and non-Arabs, honestly. We’re really not all that different.”
Zayn is a Canadian citizen, and even though he his family is from Syria, he will not be impacted by the US travel ban.
Quebec Mosque Shooting
On January 29th 2017 2 gunmen opened fire on a mosque in Quebec City. 6 people were killed while attending prayer. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are both from Quebec.
Both Owens and Zayn could be seen wearing black armbands with the Quebec fleur-de-lis, a symbol of French Canada.
Seth Rollins is no longer in the WWE Royal Rumble Match after losing his spot to Sami Zayn on tonight’s RAW in Cleveland.
The finish saw Rollins get rolled up after Triple H’s music distracted him. It’s believed that Rollins vs. Triple H will take place at Wrestlemania 33.
Here’s the updated list of Royal Rumble participants:
* Sami Zayn
* Big Show
* Brock Lesnar
* The Undertaker
* Bill Goldberg
* Chris Jericho
* Braun Strowman
* Xavier Woods
* Big E
* Kofi Kingston
* Dolph Ziggler
* The Miz
* Baron Corbin
* Dean Ambrose
* Bray Wyatt
* Randy Orton
* Luke Harper
* Cesaro
* Sheamus
– Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson talk about how they were cheated & robbed by RAW Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus in this new backstage video from last night’s show.
– Below is a promo for tonight’s SmackDown Women’s Championship steel cage match with Alexa Bliss defending against Becky Lynch:
– Tyson Kidd called out Sami Zayn on Twitter this week but it appears he may have been confused by Sami’s original tweet. As seen below, Sami commented on H.C. Dyer using a modified Blue Thunderbomb in the WWE UK tournament this weekend. Sami wrote, “Why imitate when you can create?”
Kidd then responded but it appears he may have misunderstood what Sami was trying to say. You can see their tweets below:
– Sami Zayn did not appear on last night’s RAW to sell the injury storyline from the week before. WWE’s website mentions that Sami is expected back next Monday but he’s suffering from multiple contusions and other injuries from the beatdown Braun Strowman gave him last week.
– The latest WWE Fury video looks at 16 Northern Lights suplexes and can be seen here:
– The latest WWE Canvas 2 Canvas video features The Undertaker and can be seen below:
– Big Show took to Twitter last week and tweeted a photo from the gym to warn Shaquille O’Neal as they prepare to do battle at WrestleMania 33. The NBA Hall of Famer responded via Instagram yesterday with this taunt:
The WWE website has announced the top 25 matches of 2016, which you can see below. The top 2 matches are from NXT – DIY vs. The Revival at TakeOver: Toronto and Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at TakeOver: Dallas. There are a total of 4 NXT matches and 2 CWC matches in the top 25.
What were your top 5 matches of 2016? Leave your list in the comments section.
25. Triple H vs. Dean Ambrose — WWE Championship Match (WWE Roadblock)
24. Team Raw (Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman) vs. Team SmackDown LIVE (AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Shane McMahon, Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton) — 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Men’s Elimination Match (Survivor Series)
23. The New Day vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson — Raw Tag Team Championship Match (Raw, Sept. 26)
22. Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn vs. Alberto Del Rio — Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank)
21. Chris Jericho vs. AJ Styles (Fastlane)
20. Asuka vs. Bayley — NXT Women’s Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II)
19. The New Day vs. Y2AJ — WWE Tag Team Championship Match (Raw, March 7)
18. Dolph Ziggler vs. Triple H (Raw, March 14)
17. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins — WWE Championship Match (Money in the Bank)
16. The Miz vs. Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens — Fatal 4-Way Intercontinental Championship Match (Extreme Rules)
15. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair — Hell in a Cell Raw Women’s Championship Match (Hell in a Cell)
14. Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins — WWE Universal Championship Match (SummerSlam)
13. The Revival vs. American Alpha — NXT Tag Team Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Dallas)
12. Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles — Extreme Rules WWE Championship Match (Extreme Rules)
11. Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa (Cruiserweight Classic, Aug. 3)
10. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler — Title vs. Career Intercontinental Championship Match (No Mercy)
9. John Cena vs. AJ Styles (SummerSlam)
8. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch — Triple Threat WWE Women’s Championship Match (WrestleMania 32)
7. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins – No Disqualification WWE Universal Title Match (Raw, Nov. 21)
6. AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena — Triple Threat WWE Championship Match (No Mercy)
5. Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander (Cruiserweight Classic; Aug. 10)
4. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens (WWE Battleground)
3. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks — WWE Women’s Championship Match (Raw; July 25)
2. Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT TakeOver: Dallas)
1. The Revival vs. #DIY — 2-out-of-3-Falls NXT Tag Team Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Toronto)
– Sami Zayn suffered some sort of minor eye injury in the clash with Braun Strowman on last night’s RAW from Chicago. WWE posted the video above of Sami having fluid drained from his eye backstage. Sami vs. Braun in a Last Man Standing Match will take place next Monday.
– SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss finally has her custom championship plates, as seen in the video below that was just posted backstage from tonight’s SmackDown in Chicago. Bliss will defend her championship against Becky Lynch tonight.
The first WWE RAW of 2017 will feature Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman in a Last Man Standing match. The match was made by Stephanie McMahon on tonight’s RAW and comes following Sami’s win over Braun at Roadblock.
Next week’s RAW from Tampa will also feature Goldberg’s return to discuss the Royal Rumble.
Breakdown: The build to this match has mainly focused on Enzo Amore and Rusev. Enzo got suckered into meeting Lana at a hotel and Rusev beat the hell out of him. Big Cass now has his chance avenge his friend Enzo in a match against Rusev.
Prediction: This is a tough match to predict. Enzo and Cass haven’t really been in the Tag Team Championship seen at all recently. I wouldn’t be surprised if the WWE wants to start a singles push for Big Cass. I think Enzo and Cass are a solid tag team but once you get past the entrance, they have the same match every time. Enzo gets destroyed and then Big Cass gets tagged in and takes care of business. In a perfect world, Rusev wins this match but Big Cass has a good showing.
Winner: Rusev
Sami Zayn vs Braun Strowman (10 Minute Time Limit)
Breakdown: Sami Zayn has been obsessed with Strowman the past few weeks and Braun simply couldn’t care less. The two Superstars had a match a couple of weeks ago and Raw GM Mick Foley put a stop to it because Zayn couldn’t defend himself. Zayn demanded a rematch and finally Foley caved in and gave it to him this Sunday at Roadblock. Foley also put a 10 minute time limit on the match.
Prediction: I cannot come up with a scenario in which it would make sense for Sami Zayn to win this match. Obviously, Sami Zayn has been underutilized on Raw since the brand split. However, Raw has spent far too much time building up Braun Strowman for him to lose a relatively meaningless match against Sami Zayn. I think Sami Zayn will last the 10 minutes and that will piss Strowman off. The match will conclude with Strowman beating down Zayn after the 10 minute mark was reached. Foley may come out to try to put a stop to it and maybe Strowman will attack him as well. I think this would be a good way to show that Sami Zayn never quits and that Braun Strowman is an uncontrollable monster that the Raw locker room should fear.
Raw Tag Team Championship Match: New Day (c) vs Sheamus & Cesaro
Breakdown: This match was announced at Tribute to the Troops on Wednesday. Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Golden Truth, Gallows & Anderson and The Shining Stars in a Fatal 4-Way match to become the #1 contenders. The New Day are now the longest reigning Tag Team Champions in WWE history.
Prediction: A lot of people seem to believe that the New Day’s title reign is coming to an end. Sheamus and Cesaro got off to a rocky start when it came to crowd reactions but they have overcome that. They now work well as a tag team and are pretty much the only team on Raw that is ready to take the titles from the New Day. I think that will happen in due time. However, I do not think that will happen at Roadblock.
Winners & Still Tag Team Champions: New Day
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Rich Swann (c) vs The Brian Kendrick vs TJ Perkins
Breakdown: TJ Perkins lost the Cruiserweight title to Kendrick and then Kendrick lost it to Swann. On 205 Live, TJ Perkins submitted Rich Swann in the middle of the ring. On Monday Night Raw, Kendrick defeated Perkins easily. Perkins and Swann are friends but they seem ready to turn on each other. Kendrick’s strategy has been to play mind games with both Swann and Perkins.
Prediction: This is one of those matches that could go a million different ways. I don’t like the idea of Kendrick getting the title back so quickly. He really doesn’t need it. I think that the WWE has been dropping some subtle hints that Perkins is gearing up for a heel turn. His interactions with Swann backstage have been bizarre. I think Rich Swann is going to retain his title but Perkins is going to attack him after the match. Brian Kendrick may even join in on the attack or simply smile and cheer Perkins on.
Winner & Still Cruiserweight Champion: Rich Swann
Seth Rollins vs Chris Jericho
Breakdown: Rollins and Jericho have been battling for awhile now. Rollins was mainly focused on Kevin Owens but Jericho kept getting involved in their matches. Rollins hit a Pedigree on Jericho on top of a car a couple of weeks ago on Raw. Seth wants to defeat Jericho, take the Universal Championship from Kevin Owens and then fight Triple H. Jericho has a lot on his mind but mainly his beloved list and his broken friendship with Kevin Owens.
Prediction: The only way Jericho can win this match is by some sort of outside interference. I do not believe that Triple H will be showing up at WWE Roadblock but you never know. I think it is more likely that this match is earlier in the show and Kevin Owens tries to help Jericho out. Owens is desperate to fix his friendship with Jericho. If he can accomplish that, maybe Jericho will show up later in the night in Owens’ title defense against Roman Reigns. Even if Owens interferes, I think Rollins overcomes it and still wins the match.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Iron Man Match For The Raw Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks (c) vs Charlotte
Breakdown: Sasha Banks and Charlotte have essentially been trading the Raw Women’s Championship back and forth since the brand split. Sasha Bansk won the title back on Raw recently and celebrated with Ric Flair in the ring. The following week, Charlotte pretended to apologize to her father for embarrassing him back in May on Raw. Charlotte once again talked down to Ric Flair and then beat up Sasha Banks in front of him. Ric Flair stood there helplessly as his daughter beatdown Banks.
Prediction: Charlotte is undefeated at PPVs and I wouldn’t be surprised if that continues. I think this match will be excellent and will showcase how talented both Sasha Banks and Charlotte are. However, I think the ending will involve Ric Flair helping out his daughter Charlotte. I don’t think the WWE is bringing back Ric Flair as an on-screen character for him to be in the corner of Sasha Banks. Thus, the Raw Women’s Championship will once again change hands and Charlotte will leave Pittsburgh with the title.
Winner & New Raw Women’s Champion: Charlotte
Universal Championship Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs Roman Reigns
Breakdown: Roman Reigns has gotten the upper hand on Owens recently. Roman Reigns both want the Universal Championship. Reigns gets his shot on Sunday and Rollins battles Owens’ former best friend Chris Jericho. Reigns has already defeated Kevin Owens clean recently and that victory gave him the oppurtunity at the Universal Championship.
Prediction: Much like the Jericho and Rollins match, the only way Owens can win this match is by someone interfering. Owens has been booked as a paper champion his whole title reign. He has relied on Chris Jericho to help him retain his Universal Championship. If Jericho or Triple H does not interfere, there is no way Kevin Owens is going to defeat Roman Reigns at Roadblock. Roman Reigns is currently the United States Champion and that is the only thing preventing me from picking him this Sunday. I think the person that is going to take the Universal Championship from Owens will be Seth Rollins. I think Owens retains by getting himself disqualified, running out of the arena or outside interference.
Winner & Still Universal Champion: Kevin Owens
What do you think will happen this Sunday at WWE Roadblock: End of the Line? Let us know in the comments below.
– Last week’s Total Divas viewership is in after being delayed due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The show drew 461,000 viewers, down from the season six premiere that drew 632,000 viewers. Total Divas ranked #46 on the Cable Top 150 last Wednesday night, down from the previous week’s #22 ranking.
– WWE officials are moving forward with plans for the early-2017 all-women’s tournament on the WWE Network, according to PWInsider. No word yet on exactly when the tourney will be taped but there is interest in Heidi Lovelace, Nixon Newell, Evie and Kimber Lee, among other indy wrestlers. There’s also talk of using NXT enhancement talents Rachael Ellering and Deonna Purrazzo.
– SmackDown GM General Manager is not letting up as he tries to bring RAW Superstars Cesaro and Sami Zayn to Tuesday nights. After Sami’s heated segment with RAW GM Mick Foley last night, Bryan tweeted the following to Zayn:
– Besides Rich Swann and WWE Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick, other names booked for Tuesday’s WWE 205 Live premiere include Gran Metalik, Akira Tozawa and The Bollywood Boyz.
– Austin Aries revealed on Twitter that he needs titanium plates put into his jaw after suffering an injury at the hands (or foot) of Shinsuke Nakamura at a NXT house show several weeks back. Aries tweeted this crazy photo:
Permanent foreign object, temporary setback. Every cloud has a titanium lining…. pic.twitter.com/5PivwXNkpA
– The storyline between RAW GM Mick Foley and Sami Zayn will continue at tonight’s RAW in Charlotte as Foley tweeted about a meeting between the two. He wrote:
If the following image going around on Twitter is legit, Sami Zayn will be the final member of the men’s Team RAW at the 11/20 Survivor Series PPV from Toronto.
RAW Superstars already announced include Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman, who earned a spot on the team by last eliminating Sami in a battle royal this past Monday.
Speculation has been on Seth Rollins getting the final Team RAW spot but anything is possible.
As reported, Daniel Bryan announced last night on SmackDown that his team for the men’s match will feature AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Baron Corbin, Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton.
– Kofi Kingston needed 9 stitches to close a cut on his forehead at last night’s RAW, following WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day’s win over Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Kofi posted this photo from backstage: