Kurt Angle on CM Punk returning to wrestling in the future
RAW GM Kurt Angle answered a few questions on his Facebook page a couple of days ago. A fan asked Angle about CM Punk’s MMA future and a possible return to professional wrestling. Angle responded with the following:
“I hope he comes back. I think his MMA career is over. He needs to go back to what he does best!”
Randy Orton returning to SmackDown on Tuesday
WWE Superstar Randy Orton has not been seen on SmackDown since July 4th because he was filming the new WWE Studios movie “Changeland”. Orton will make his return to SmackDown this week in the final episode before WWE Battleground. Orton will face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship in a Punjabi Prison match at the PPV.
Sasha Banks pokes fun at Alexa Bliss on Instagram
WWE posted a photo of Alexa Bliss on their Instagram account earlier today that stated that “#LittleMissBliss always has something up her sleeve”. Sasha Banks left this comment on the photo, “Yeah Paige’s jacket pfpfpfp”.
A fan sent in a photo of his friend’s ridiculous New Day/unicorn themed tattoo on his leg. Big E responded and simply asked why the friend would let this happen.
Sasha Banks on the evolution of the women’s division in WWE
Sasha Banks spoke with Stuff while WWE was touring in New Zealand recently. Banks discussed the women’s division and how it has evolved over the past five years. Here are Banks’ comments:
“Five years ago we weren’t given this opportunity that we’re having now to be equal to the men. Just two years ago we were considered Divas, that was our brand name, and we had a championship that was in the shape of a butterfly. I was like ‘this is not us, we’re not divas, we’re superstars’. And so two years ago we changed that.
We have all different shapes, sizes, all different looks, and it’s so beautiful to see, because legit five years ago it was all models. Now, the sky’s the limit.”
New Canvas 2 Canvas with Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes was the subject for this week’s episode of Canvas 2 Canvas. WWE artist Rob Schamberger discussed Rhodes’ legacy while creating the artwork. Dusty Rhodes will be inducted into the 2017 National Wrestling Hall of Fame on July 20-22 and this week’s episode was done as a tribute to him.
We’ve had a Women’s Hell in a Cell match main event a pay-per-view. We’ve seen two Women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches. Could a Royal Rumble be next?
There have been rumours of a potential women’s Rumble going back as early as last year. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted, “There has been at least talk of doing a women’s Royal Rumble match in January.”
With the strength RAW, SmackDown and NXT’s women’s rosters and more female competitors being brought in for the Mae Young Classic, there’s certainly enough talent to pull this off.
Recently, Becky Lynch had this to say regarding a women’s Rumble match:
“I think there’ll definitely be a time where the women get their own Royal Rumble. When you look at the fact that in July there is the Mae Young Classic taking place between 32 women. Then you have the women in NXT and the women on both brands. I think it’s a year or two away from having our own Royal Rumble, then maybe our tag titles. The sky is the limit.” [Source]
Charlotte Flair commented on a women’s Rumble match earlier this year:
“I hope in the future, if we have a big enough division to do it or if they ever bring RAW and Smackdown back together, I’d love for us to have an all-female Royal Rumble. I think that would be awesome.” [Source]
Prior to this year’s Rumble, Bayley was asked her thoughts about a potential women’s Rumble match:
“I kind of honestly think we need a few more girls to do something like that because the guys have 30 men. We don’t have many girls. Even if it was Raw and Smackdown combined, I don’t think it would make it 20. If we had more girls brought in, maybe like NXT girls, that would be really cool and I think it would be a lot of fun.” [Source]
Sasha Banks meanwhile, notes that Chyna and Beth Phoenix have both appeared in the men’s Rumble match, and leading up to the 2017 Rumble, she wanted to do the same:
Former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks recently did an interview with Rappler to promote the WWE’s upcoming tour of Singapore. During the interview, Banks spoke on a variety of topics including which stars she’d like to see called up from NXT to the main roster. Here are the highlights:
What female talents she’d like to see called up:
“I think the next woman that should be called up should be Peyton Royce,” Banks said. “I think she’s an incredible wrestler, she has a heart of gold, and she trains really, really hard. I also love Billie Kay, and I think they’re doing a great job right now in NXT, being the iconic duo.”
“They kinda remind me of the BFFs: Charlotte, myself, and Summer Rae,” she said. “They’re very entertaining, and I think if they just keep doing what they’re doing, and keep showing that they want to be the best. The possibilities for them on the main roster are endless.”
Which male talents she thinks should come up to the main roster:
“I just watch that guy, and that guy looks like a star,” Banks said. “He’s incredible. I’ve been to NXT TakeOver and saw his entrance live, and I’m just like, wow, this guy’s amazing. He’ll do glorious things on the main roster. I hope he gets called up very soon.”
WWE has released a series of videos of female Superstars from RAW and NXT discussing the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Sunday at the PPV. Alexa Bliss and Bayley predicted Carmella as the winner of the match. Ember Moon and Sasha Banks predicted Tamina to win the match on Sunday. Ruby Riot predicted that Becky Lynch will be the Superstar that grabs the briefcase. You can check out the full interviews about the ladder match in the videos below.
Sasha Banks was a recent guest on the WNS Podcast. The Boss spoke about a number of topics, including her chemistry with Bayley, thoughts before going into the first ever women’s Hell In A Cell match and her desire to main event WrestleMania.
Here are some highlights of what she said about:
Chemistry with Bayley and what made their matches so special:
“It was a love/hate relationship. We have so much in common. We love this business so much and you know talking to her more, her dream was to be a wrestler when she was 10. My dream was to be a wrestler when I was 10. I wanted to change the definition of what it was to be a woman in WWE and she had the exact same feelings. So, it was just that mutual love for this knowing that we always wanted to steal the show. And getting the opportunity at NXT Brooklyn and just hearing that crowd. We tore the house down. Honestly, I can’t wait to do it again. I can’t wait to tie up with her again. But, that’s all in due time. Ever since then, from that very moment the women’s revolution has just been taking over. And from there I got to main event a WWE pay per view with Charlotte at Hell In A Cell. The first ever woman’s match in hell in a cell and it’s been just such a whirlwind of excitement. It’s so crazy.”
Participating in the first-ever Women’s Hell in a Cell match:
“First of all, I came out in an SUV I wasn’t really walking because I’m The Boss you know what I’m saying? It was in my hometown and I remember being like “holy crap man! We are making history” It’s moments like that where you just have to stand still and look around. We’ve come such a long way for the women and the men. But even then, getting to be part of Wrestlemania and having these great matches. The Smackdown women are going to be competing in the first ever women’s Money In The Bank. Of course I’m really jealous but I’m so happy to see where this Women’s division has taken it and grown. It’s so incredible.”
Advice for fans who want to follow in her foot steps:
“First of all it makes me feel super old. It’s so crazy seeing little girls and even guys come up to me and say “I want to be a wrestler because of you”. It makes my heart so happy and it gives me goosebumps. Because I know that feeling of when I was a little girl and I looked up to my favourite wrestlers knowing ai wanted to be in their footsteps. And now knowing little girls and guys want to be in my footsteps. It’s really surreal. It’s an honour. Being a role model is legit #1 for me. I just want to make little girls proud and know if they have a dream they can do it as long as they put their heart, their passion and everything into it they can accomplish anything.”
Her transition from NXT to the main roster:
“For me, we did TV at Full Sail in Orlando and it would almost be the same kind of fans coming every single month we would tape it. But Raw is live. We do this legit. Every single week it’s live from a different state and it’s a different crowd every week and you just don’t know what to expect. You just kind of have to change with the crowd. If they’re feeling one way,you have to try and make them fee another. It was definitely changing that and not having TV takings to being live every single week. And the travel schedule is intense. But if this is your passion, it’s easy. We have the greatest times and the greatest fans. They’re so passionate and loyal and it’s so much fun.”
WWE’s Upcoming Mae Young Classic Women’s Tournament:
“I think this is a great opportunity for women all over the world. And finding out we were going to have our own tournament after seeing these guys get it year after year. The women deserve it too. I think it’s going to be the best tournament out of all of them we’ve had so far and I can’t wait to go down and support them.”
Her next big challenge in WWE:
I want to main event Wrestlemania. That’s the number one goal. It’s crazy knowing I’ve only been on the main roster for 2 years and I’ve done so much, accomplished so many things, done so many first time evers. It gives me goosebumps thinking I’ve done so much and everything I’ve ever dreamt up I’ve accomplished. But main eventing Wrestlemania is the number one goal right now
Her favorite match ever:
Any Eddie Guerrero match is my favourite. I loved Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterious from Wrestlemania 21 and Halloween Havoc. Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker from Wrestlemania (their first one). Of course myself vs Bayley from NXT Takeover Brooklyn.
– The dark match that took place after Tuesday’s SmackDown & 205 Live shows saw Randy Orton defeat WWE Champion Jinder Mahal by disqualification. It was said to be a good match until the Singh Brothers got involved, leading to the DQ. After the bell, Orton got revenge by hitting the brothers with RKO’s to end the show.
– On Tuesday’s SmackDown, commissioner Shane McMahon unveiled the Women’s Money in the Bank briefcase. Here’s a look at the briefcase Becky Lynch, Carmella, Tamina Snuka, Charlotte Flair and Natalya will be vying for on June 18th:
Metro.co.uk recently spoke with NXT General Manager William Regal and published Part 1 of their interview. As part of his role as NXT GM, Regal is one of WWE’s top talent scouts. He’s responsible for the signing of many Superstars currently in NXT and on the main roster.
Regal was asked if there is anybody not currently signed to NXT that he’d like to bring on board. He said there are actually a lot of people he’s keeping an eye on, but did not want to name them and put pressure on those talents. He added that WWE can only sign a finite number of people per year and there are times when a particular wrestler has big potential but could benefit from more time on the independent scene.
When asked which current or past NXT performer he’s most proud of signing, Regal named Sasha Banks. “I don’t really like singling anyone out, but Sasha Banks,” he said. “I’ve known her since she was 18, and the previous people that were doing what I’m doing now wouldn’t even give her the time of day.
“When I was asked by Triple H to be part of that team, of which there is nobody still here who was in the team at the time, I kept asking to bring her in, to which people replied ‘oh no, there is nothing in her, she’s useless.’ Sasha was the first person I went to bat for, and her development is a great thing to see.”
Regal added that he’s also very proud of signing Bayley and Becky Lynch. Regal said he actually had the idea for Bayley’s character, since a few acts in WWE are geared towards younger males but none were going after the young female demographic. Bayley’s character is an extension of her actual personality, so she was a great fit for that role.
Part 2 of Metro’s interview with William Regal will be published later this week.
Sasha Banks is fed up with people asking when she’s going to turn on Bayley and portray a heel character again. Banks was a recent guest on the The Masked Man Show and was asked if she prefers being a babyface or heel. The question set her off, prompting the former RAW Women’s Champion to instruct fans to “shut up” about the situation.
At only 25 years old, Sasha Banks has a long career ahead of her. She plans to be a WWE Superstar for man years to come, so fans should relax and just enjoy the ride.
“Either one,” she said. “Because a lot of people ask me, ‘When are you going to turn heel? When are you going to turn heel?’’ Like, I don’t care because guess what? I’m going to be in the WWE for a very long time so you’re going to see both versions of myself for a while.
So people need to shut up because that’s what I’m sick of hearing. ‘When are you gonna turn heel?’ Then once I turn heel, ‘When are you gonna turn babyface?’ You guys just need to shut up and let me do me okay”
Sasha Banks questioned why fans want her to turn on Bayley and says people should appreciate the work she’s currently doing. “Why do you want me to turn on Bayley? That’s my best friend. I don’t have a lot of friends so just accept it. Yeah, I play either one very well, so it doesn’t matter. They’re two different versions.”
Sasha Banks will be on 205 Live tonight after Smackdown. The former multi-time women’s champion has promised to back-up Rich Swann, her partner at Sunday’s Extreme Rules PPV.
As announced on Raw last night, Noam Dar & Alicia Fox will take on Banks & Swann in a mixed-tag match. The event will be held in Baltimore, MD, Swann’s hometown.
More Stars to 205 Live?
With viewership for the brand low, despite good reviews from those who enjoy it, WWE could be looking to include more big stars on 205 Live programming.
26-year old Rich Swann, became one of the more popular superstars early in the show’s run, and is a former cruiserweight champion. He fell out of the title picture shortly after Neville debuted on the brand.
Noam Dar has been entered into various feuds centred around his on-again off-again girlfriend, Alicia Fox. To her credit, Fox is really putting everything into her character right now.
At today’s WWE live event in Liverpool, England, Emma was unable to continue wrestling after sustaining an injury to her shoulder.
At the show, Emma partnered with Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax in a tag team match against Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Mickie James.
While taking the double knee drop from Sasha on the turnbuckle, Emma took a bad landing on her right shoulder. The referee then threw up the “X” signal, causing the match to stop.
Emma was then tended to by a ringside physician before being assisted to the backstage area by the referee.
Looks like Emma just sustained a shoulder injury at #WWELiverpool. Landed badly in the corner. Had to be helped away. Hopefully she is ok. pic.twitter.com/s7jpe5lsxP
WWE held a live event last night in Rome, Italy. Sasha Banks, Bayley and Mickie James defeated Nia Jax, Emma and Alexa Bliss. After the match ended, Sasha Banks tried to steal Alexa Bliss’ Raw Women’s Championship but the referee got in her way. Alexa then grabbed her title and angrily walked away.
WWE’s “Bring It To The Table” is once again making it’s return to the WWE Network. PWInsider reports that the debate show will return following Monday’s episode of RAW. The first episode of “Bring It To The Table” featured Paul Heyman. However, it appears that he is not returning to the series and the panel is now Peter Rosenberg, JBL and Corey Graves.
Sasha Banks might be the newest member of the Smackdown roster, or she might just be teasing her fans on Instagram. The Boston native posted the following on her Instagram earlier tonight, leading to speculation that Banks is in Boston for Smackdown tonight.
With Alexa Bliss and Mickie James heading to Raw, Smackdown’s women’s division is currently depleted. All that remain are: Naomi, Becky Lynch, Carmella and Natalya (assuming Nikki Bella is gone for some time). The division is basically down to two heels and two babyfaces.
Some speculation has Peyton Royce and Billie Kay being called up to the main roster, and there could be other women moving from Raw tonight as well.
WWE Hall of Famer and Raw General Manager Kurt Angle will be getting his own DVD set later this year. Wrestling DVD Network is reporting that a three disc DVD set entitled “Kurt Angle: The Essential Collection” will be released on August 1st, 2017.
Below is the official synopsis for the release:
“It’s true! It’s true! Kurt Angle has had some of the most epic matchups in WWE history. Now for the first time ever, you can watch them all with Kurt Angle: The Essential Collection.
Relive all of his rivalries with Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena, Edge, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and more in this complete collection.”
WWE Superstars React To Superstar Shake-Up
WWE has uploaded a new video highlighting a few reactions to the Superstar Shake-Up that will be happening next week on Raw and Smackdown. Sasha Banks sent out a tweet asking to be sent to Smackdown after Shinsuke Nakamura made his debut on Tuesday night. AJ Styles stated that the Superstar Shake-Up sounds like a “phenomenal” opportunity and used #Raw in his tweet.
Former RAW Women’s Champion was a recent guest on the Gorilla Position podcast. Sasha talks openly about her emotional journey to superstardom, her struggles during childhood, the real person behind the Sasha Banks character, her relationship with her father, her chemistry with Charlotte Flair, God, and her future goals in the wrestling business. Here are some highlights of what ‘The Boss’ spoke about with host James Delow:
Her on-screen character: “When the camera is on, I am 100 percent this larger than life character. But when I come home I am this private, shy girl who feels like she is getting to live her dream every day. Sasha on TV is everything I wish I could be in normal life – being her has actually helped me and given me the confidence to stand up for myself.”
Negative fan reactions: “Ultimately their opinion does not affect me because regardless [of what it is], they’re talking about me. Love me or hate me, you’re talking about me. You’re invested in me, that’s why you’re mentioning my name. You’re going to see the match regardless. Whether you’re for it or against it, you’re watching it and you’re talking about it.”
Wanting to be the best: “When I was 10 I wrote in my journal that I wanted to be the greatest women’s wrestler of all time and that I wanted to change the definition of what it was to be a Diva in WWE. The fact we are now not Divas but Superstars, are getting opportunities like the guys and are making history means there are so many emotions.”
Her dream goal: “I am making it happen for myself and doing everything I have ever set my mind on – but I want more. Wrestling in Japan is one thing but main-eventing WrestleMania is the dream goal.”
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.
– Sasha Banks is calling out cosmetic brand Maybelline for gimmick infringement. “The Boss” tweeted this photo of herself today standing in front a make-up stand that looks to be inspired by her.
– Tamina returned to action at Saturday’s WWE live event from Edmonton, Canada. She teamed with Natalya and defeated the team of Alexa Bliss & Carmella.
– The current plan for the RAW Women’s Championship at Mania is for Charlotte to defend against Sasha, Bayley and Nia Jax in a Fatal 4 Way. The word going around is that Sasha Banks will be going heel in the lead-up to the match
– A new “Legends with JBL” with WWE Hall of Famer Stan Hansen as his guest is now live on the WWE Network.
– The Rock was featured in two separate Superbowl 51 commercials this year. Trailers for movies Fast & Furious and Baywatch both aired during the show, and can be seen below:
– Former WWE personality Ricardo Rodriguez had a very close call on Tuesday. Rodriguez says somebody shot at his vehicle while he was driving and posted this photo of the shattered back windshield:
To the asshole that literally shot at us and took out my back window while driving…. FUCK YOU. pic.twitter.com/aMjmt8ycKQ
There is so much content packed into a three hour episode of Monday Night Raw, sometimes it takes a bit for things to register. Last night, Nia Jax demolished Sasha Banks for the second night in a row. The crowd didn’t care. They didn’t really boo when Nia Jax went after Sasha’s injured knee. There was mass confusion in this match because the timekeeper rang the bell too early and the referee had called for the bell yet. Moving past that, the goal of this segment was clearly to get heat on Nia Jax and make the WWE Universe dislike her. Sure, there may have been a smattering of boos but I think this segment was a huge failure. It didn’t help anyone. The WWE has tried to get people invested in this storyline but it just hasn’t worked. When they aired that video of Nia Jax attacking Sasha Banks while she was getting evaluated, did you care? I know I didn’t.
That was two weeks ago and here we are doing the same thing. Sasha Banks is playing up an injury and Nia Jax is taking advantage of it. Bayley begged Sasha to not fight Nia Jax last night on Raw. Sasha dismissed Bayley and ignored her suggestion. She wound up getting her ass kicked by Nia Jax for the second night in a row. After the match, Bayley helped Sasha Banks to the trainer’s room. The WWE clearly laid the groundwork for something between Bayley and Sasha Banks last night. It just got lost in the shuffle.
Nia Jax has been a failure to this point. On the main roster, she has not connected at all. Say what you want about Charlotte, at least she generates a reaction. I enjoy Charlotte’s work as a heel and I think she is terrific at cutting promos that piss people off. Her feud/storyline with Bayley has been very lame so far but that is another rant for another day. Nia Jax doesn’t matter right now. That is because she was off TV way too long and to be honest, she hasn’t had a good match on the main roster. Everything she has been a part of since joining Raw has been forgettable.
This article was supposed to be about Sasha Banks, so why did I bring up Nia Jax? I think Sasha Banks is 10x the heel that Nia Jax is. She is just playing the role of a face right now and it is not working. If it was working, people would have cared that Nia Jax was targeting her injured knee. Nobody cared. Nia Jax just isn’t connecting with the WWE Universe whatsoever and the audience has completely lost interest in Sasha Banks.
Sasha Banks needs to turn heel. If Bayley defeats Charlotte and wins the Raw Women’s Championship, she will need someone to feud with. I’m not sure if Nia Jax is the answer anymore. That hasn’t exactly panned out the way I thought it would. Banks had a particular tone with Bayley and said that “unlike some people, I am not okay with coming up short.” I took that as a direct jab at Bayley for having a smile on her face the night after losing a match for the Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte. We’ll see what happens but I think it is time to turn Sasha Banks heel. The audience simply does not care about her right now and they do not care about Nia Jax either. Hopefully this interaction with Bayley last night is a sign of things to come for Sasha Banks.
– After this week’s SmackDown Live went off the air, WWE Champion AJ Styles faced John Cena in a tune-up for their showdown this Sunday at the Royal Rumble. Cena won the match by disqualification after Styles hit him with a low blow.
– Sasha Banks continues to hint on social media that she wants to jump ship to the SmackDown brand. Sasha sent out feelers on Twitter last month and is at it again. The Boss posted the following on Instagram today and used the hashtag #sdwomenschampionship:
– Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar have been announced for the 1/16 RAW from Little Rock, Arkansas at the Verizon Arena. As of now, this is Lesnar’s only scheduled RAW before the 1/29 Royal Rumble PPV.
Goldberg is scheduled for the 1/2 RAW from Tampa and the 1/23 RAW from Cleveland but there are no pre-Rumble events where both men are scheduled.
– Sasha Banks reveals her workout routine in the new issue of Muscle & Fitness Magazine, which hits newsstands next week. WWE announced the following on the issue:
Sasha Banks wants to help you kick off 2017 right, with an article covering her intensive workout routine in “Muscle & Fitness.”
In the latest issue of the premier fitness magazine, WWE’s resident Boss breaks down her full-body workout to help you get in shape for the new year.
See the full feature in “Muscle & Fitness,” available on newsstands next week.
A fan on Twitter suggested a Rock vs Batista match at Wrestlemania 33. The fan suggested that Vin Diesel be the special referee. There were reports of The Rock and Vin Diesel arguing on set during the filming of Fast 8. Batista had a funny response to the fan’s suggestion.
The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Sasha Banks is going to work an injury angle for a bit and then return to feud with Nia Jax. This is good news given the fact that Sasha Banks has pretty much exclusively fought Charlotte since the brand split. Nia Jax has often not even been featured on Raw. Nia Jax has the potential to be dominant in the Women’s division and Sasha Banks is a terrific choice to have a feud with her. Most of the WWE Universe likes Sasha Banks and Nia Jax could generate some real hatred if she continues to attack Banks while she is injured. We saw a glimpse of what Nia Jax is capable last week on Raw when she had a confrontation with Sasha Banks.
The WWE released a video where Superstars revealed what they wanted for Christmas.
The WWE also released a Love Actually parody starring The Miz and Maryse.
Bill Goldberg has been a key figure in the WWE this year. He demolished Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series in less than 90 seconds. Goldberg went on to announce that he will be a part of this year’s Royal Rumbe and that he believes that he has one more title reign left in him. Most people remember Goldberg for his run in WCW. He was dominant there and it took Scott Hall using a stun gun on Goldberg for him to lose a match. Since Goldberg is back in the WWE, I thought it would be a good time to point out the best work of his career.
Goldberg has always been dominant in the ring, but was he dominant on the big screen? Eleven years ago, a Christmas film was released that changed the world. It wasn’t your ordinary Christmas film. It starred a professional wrestler as Santa Claus. I know, Hulk Hogan already made Santa With Muscles but this film was different. It was Bill Goldberg, an American hero, as an evil Santa Claus. It was called Santa’s Slay and remains one of the best/worst films of all time.
Author’s Note: The first article I posted on SEScoops was my Wrestlemania 32 Reaction. Since then, I’ve written over a hundred articles that you have either agreed or disagreed with. I love professional wrestling and enjoy writing about it even more. The great thing about SEScoops is the community that exists here. It is a great place to write for because no matter what, you know you are going to get genuine feedback.
It is almost 2017 and people are coming up with their New Year’s resolution. Hopefully the WWE’s New Year’s resolution is to make Monday Night Raw great again. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, whatever you are celebrating this time of year I hope it is awesome. Once the holiday season is over, that means it is Wrestlemania season and that is my favorite time of the year.
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.
– WWE has confirmed that there will be no rematch for the 30-minute Iron Man match between Charlotte and RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks at Roadblock: End of the Line this Sunday. Regardless of the winner, there will be no rematch for the championship.
– Despite rumors going around social media, NXT’s Oney Lorcan is not injured. Photos posted by Johnny Gargano, seen below, show Lorcan wearing a brace while traveling in Australia this week. Lorcan worked every show on the tour and returned to the US for a day of fun at Disney yesterday. The brace he is wearing in these photos is one used for traveling, not for an injury.
