Posts Tagged ‘Tony Nese’

Former WWE Star Tony Nese Welcomes Twin Boys

Former WWE star Tony Nese has announced the birth of twin boys.

The 39-year-old posted photos of the newborns with his wife Liz on Instagram. He announced that the twins have been named Bryce and Benjamin Nese:

“Welcome to the world Bryce and Benjamin Nese. They came in 35 weeks with both weighing 6 lbs 1oz each. Our hearts will forever be full.”

The couple have two children a girl and a boy already. A number of current AEW and WWE stars congratulated them on their Insta post.

Tony Nese In WWE

Tony Nese was signed by WWE after taking part in the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic tournament. He was eliminated in the second round by Brian Kendrick.

Nese would make his main roster debut during the September 26, 2016 episode of Raw. In late 2017 he started aligning himself with Enzo Amore’s faction.

The group dubbed The Zo Train also featured Ariya Daivari, Drew Gulak, and Noam Dar. Nese was kicked out of the faction in December. He was lined up for a feud with them but the storyline was dropped after Amore’s firing from the company in January 2018.

He had a run with the Cruiserweight Championship after defeating Buddy Murphy in the WrestleMania 35 pre-show. Tony Nese remained with the company for 3 more years without any notable feuds before being released in June 2021.

AEW Star Reacts To Triple H Taking Over WWE Creative

Triple H taking over the WWE creative not only changes things for WWE but AEW as well. It’s believed that many AEW talents who were previously reluctant to jump ships will now be more open to it.

One such talent in Tony Nese recently talked about this change. He took part in a virtual autograph signing for Captain’s Corner on Facebook.

Nese, who has previously worked under Triple H was asked about his opinion on The Game taking over the main roster creative. He said that a lot of people feel H is the perfect person for the job:

“In working for him, I think it’s awesome, from what I’ve gathered from talking with him, I think he’s perfect for the job and a lot of people feel the same way.

I don’t know too much, that’s past my pay grade.” said Tony Nese on Triple H, “I like his style and I was a fan of the black and yellow NXT. It doesn’t have to be the same type of people as long as the booking style comes back.”

The former WWE star joined the Vince McMahon-owned promotion back in 2016. He first competed in Raw under the cruiserweight division and later moved to 205 under Triple H.

After getting released from his WWE contract in June 2021, Tony Nese joined AEW in October. He has been competing regularly for the company since then.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Tony Nese On What Vince McMahon Said About His He-Man Inspired Gear

Tony Nese has been making headlines recently after debuting for All Elite Wrestling and he already has an idea on how he wants to differentiate his AEW character from his WWE persona. The former champion was recently a guest on Insight with Chris Van Vliet. He discussed things such as getting released from WWE and more.

Discussing the ideas he has for his AEW persona, Nese said that he will continue being the premier athlete but he wants to play a character that is a little bit more serious:

“So the Premier Athlete is still going to be who I am and what I represent, but I do want it to be a little bit more of a serious thing rather than ‘Hey look at my abs.’ I love being booed and flexing, but at the same time, I switched up my look to where I am wearing more branded stuff.”

What Vince McMahon Said About Tony Nese’s Gear

Tony Nese
Tony Nese

Tony Nese continued his explanation mentioning how in WWE he was just trying to get a pop with his gear that looked good. He also recalled an interesting remark from Vince McMahon about one of his attires:

“In WWE, I was just trying to pop by getting gear that just looked good. I wore a jacket because they told me I needed something up top. They said ‘You should wear something, but don’t cover up anything.’

For 1 show I wore a He-Man type thing, but nobody thought it looked cool, Vince said ‘Is he wearing a bra out there?’ Straight after I heard that, I threw it into the garbage.”

Tony Nese claimed that he wants to be taken more seriously in AEW. He wants to be his own brand though he will still be kissing his biceps and continue flexing. The former WWE star made his first appearance for AEW during the October 23 episode of Dynamite. He has since made his in-ring debut for the company as well.

H/T to WrestleZone for the transcribed quotes

Tony Nese Calls 205 Live ‘Wrestling Purgatory’

Tony Nese admits he feels 205 Live was a road that led to nowhere.

Nese competed in the Cruiserweight Classic and was eliminated by Brian Kendrick. He made his main roster debut back in Sept. 2016. He won the Cruiserweight Championship at the WrestleMania 35 Kickoff show back in 2019. Tony Nese held the title for 77 days.

Tony Nese Admits He Felt 205 Live Was A Dead End

Nese was released from his WWE contract back in June. He had spent the majority of his time being lost in the shuffle on 205 Live.

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Nese shared his belief that 205 Live felt like an endless loop that wrestlers couldn’t get out of.

“We would always say that we were in this wrestling purgatory. Even though I was there, when it comes to the company’s decisions, I’m on the outside looking in too. This is all speculation, but it seemed like they had an idea for the show. It was Triple H’s idea, it was his baby. He wanted the show to have a yearly tournament, win/loss records, all that stuff. He wanted it to be a different feel. As soon as it was announced that the cruiserweights would be a part of RAW, that was where Vince was like, ‘No, it’s my show now.’ All that other stuff went out the window.”

Nese recently appeared on AEW TV and Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported that he signed with the promotion. Nese has since confirmed the report.

On the Oct. 27 episode of AEW Dynamite, Nese was shown in the crowd. He was observing the TNT Championship match between Sammy Guevara and Ethan Page. Guevara defeated Page to retain his title. It’ll be interesting to see if Nese will eventually challenge for the TNT gold.

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quotes

Update on Tony Nese’s Status With AEW

Former WWE Superstar Tony Nese appeared in the crowd during AEW’s Saturday Night Dynamite broadcast from Orlando this weekend. He was billed as, “one of the hottest free agents in pro wrestling.”

The 36-year-old grappler from Long Island, New York would later make his AEW in-ring debut over the weekend at the latest set of Dark tapings from Universal Studios in Orlando, FL.

Tony Nese is All Elite

Nese’s situation with AEW was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio. According to Dave Meltzer, Tony Nese has signed with the promotion. This has not been made official, however, and it is being speculated that this is due to an angle AEW has planned.

“On the show on Saturday, they showed him in the stands so obviously he’s signed,” said Meltzer. “But they won’t announce it because probably they are doing something. They did the Dark tapings yesterday in Orlando and he wrestled, I think he wrestled in more than one match. He’s signed, that’s the deal.”

Nese signed with WWE in 2016 to take part in the Cruiserweight Classic. He would later become a regular with the 205 Live brand.

Nese won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on the WrestleMania 35 Kickoff Show in New Jersey. He defeated Buddy Murphy to win the title. Nese would hold the championship for 77 days before dropping it to Drew Gulak.

He was released from WWE on June 25, 2021.

Tony Nese Makes In-Ring Debut For AEW During Dark Taping

Tony Nese has made his in-ring debut for AEW after making his first appearance for the company during last week’s episode of Saturday night Dynamite.

The premier athlete made his debut during the latest AEW dark tapings from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. He faced Fuego Del Sol in a singles bout in his debut match for the promotion:

This wasn’t the only match Nese wrestled in during the night. AEW usually tapes 4 Dark episodes in one set. The former WWE star also competed in a second match against DeMarcio James during the taping.

The former cruiserweight champion had a 5-year stint with WWE. He wrestled on shows such as Raw, 205 Live, and Main Event during his time with the promotion.

Tony Nese was released from his WWE contract as part of the budget cuts in June. He has been making indie appearances after his non-compete clause expired.

The high-flying star made his first appearance for AEW during Saturday’s episode of Dynamite. He was shown in the crowd during the opening match of the night between Bryan Danielson and Dustin Rhodes.

There aren’t any details available about his deal with the promotion. So it’s hard to say if his appearance was one-off or if Tony Nese is going to stick around for a feud.

Former WWE Champion Appears On Dynamite

Former WWE cruiserweight champion Tony Nese made an appearance on this week’s Saturday night Dynamite. He was shown as a part of the crowd during the opening bout of the night.

The show opened with the AEW world title eliminator tournament match between Bryan Danielson and Dustin Rhodes. The former WWE star was shown on the screen during the bout and referred to as “one of the hot free agents in pro wrestling.”

After wrestling for promotions such as Impact Wrestling and others for a few years, Nese made his WWE debut as part of the cruiserweight classic tournament in 2016.

He made his main roster debut during the September 26 episode of Raw the same year. He lost a singles match against the then cruiserweight champion T.J. Perkins.

Tony Nese became a regular member of the cruiserweight division after this. He wrestled on main event and later 205 live in addition to Raw.

He won a tournament to determine the #1 contender for the cruiserweight title prior to WrestleMania 35. The high-flying star went on to defeat Buddy Murphy for the championship in the pre-show of the PPV.

Tony was released from his WWE contract on June 25. Now we will have to see what AEW has planned for him.

Several Former WWE Stars React To Becoming Free Agents

WWE has released dozens of superstars from their contracts in the past few months. The company has let go stars in multiple waves, with each wave featuring at least a few surprising releases.

One such wave of releases on June 25 saw the company end the contracts of people such as Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, Killian Dain, The Singh Brothers, Marina Shafir, Arturo Ruas, Curt Stallion, Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Ever-Rise, and August Grey.

Some of these names had a development contract with a 30 days non-compete and they have already become free agents. Others, whose contract had been upgraded had to wait until today before their 90 days non-compete clause expired.

A few such stars, who became free agents today, took on their social media to comment on this change and discuss their future after WWE.

The Singh Brothers indicated the return of their Bollywood Boys name and said that they are ready to represent the people of both India and Canada once again.

Former Sanity member Killian Dain thanked people for their support. He said that he cannot wait to get back in the ring. Though Dain also mentioned how he still has a few legal hurdles to go through before he can compete.

Other reactions included Tony Nese mentioning how his free agency has begun and Ariya Daivari saying that he is looking forward to the future. You can check out the reaction of all the stars below:

https://twitter.com/DamoMackle/status/1441126307606110223

WWE Releases Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Tony Nese & More

WWE released another round of talent on Friday, June 25th, according to Mike Johnson and Sean Ross Sapp. The list of releases includes:

  • Fandango
  • Tyler Breese
  • Tony Neese
  • Ariya Daivari
  • Tony Nese
  • Ever-Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel)
  • August Grey
  • Singh Brothers (Bollywood Boyz)
  • Marina Shafir
  • Killian Dain
  • Arturo Ruas
  • Curt Stallion

Several of the released performers addressed their situations on social media.

Fandango

Fandango’s last match came on an episode of NXT taped on June 15th. Along with Tyler Breeze, Fandango defeated Imperium.

Tyler Breeze

Breeze had been with WWE since 2010, when he made his debut for Florida Championship Wrestling. He’s a former NXT Tag Team Champion with Fandango.

Tony Nese

Tony Nese last wrestled on an episode of 205 Live taped on June 15th. He lost to Ikemen Jiro on the show. Daivari’s last match was the week prior where he teamed with Nese and defeated the team of Ari Sterling & Asher Hale.

Nese is a former 1x WWE Cruiserweight Champion. He defeated Buddy Murphy on the WrestleMania 35 Kickoff show to win the belt. Nese had originally been hired by the company in 2016 for the Cruiserweight Classic and subsequent launch of 205 Live.

Ariya Daivari

Daivari was also signed to WWE in 2016 for the Cruiserweight Classic that year and subsequent launch of 205 Live. His older brother, Shawn Daivari, currently works as a producer for WWE.

News of WWE cutting several cruiserweight wrestlers comes at the same time there are reports that NXT plans to put greater emphasis on the division. The Diamond Mine and KUSHIDA are both expected to play a major role in the division moving forward.

Ever-Rise

Ever Rise, Chase Parker & Matt Martel, lost to Hit Row on this week’s episode of NXT. They recently signed new contracts with WWE.

New Tag Team Formed On 205 Live

205 Live has a new tag team. On this week’s episode of the show, Tony Nese and Mike Kanellis made their debut as a new tag team. They faced The Brian Kendrick and Ariya Daivari in the main event, and won the match.

Kendrick and Daivari were addressing the crowd saying that they won’t let people like Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch do whatever they want. They were ready for a tag team match, but what they weren’t ready for was this unlikely pairing of Tony Nese and Mike Kanellis, who was actually making his return that night.

The match saw a bit of back and forth, with Kendrick and Daivari doing their best to take down Nese and Kanellis. Frustrated with not being able to secure a victory, Kendrick and Daivari decided to use steel chairs on their opponents.

However, before that could happen, Lorcan and Burch came over to the ring and that was enough distraction needed for Nese to roll up Daivari to pick up the victory.

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/1228523893725499392?s=20

The company was testing out partnering Nese and Kannellis together and they were teaming up together on NXT live events. It will be interesting to see what the company does with this new tag team.

Drew Gulak Wins Cruiserweight Title At WWE Stomping Grounds

Tony Nese no longer holds onto the Cruiserweight Title as he lost it in his latest title defense. Drew Gulak beat Nese and Akira Tozawa to become the new champion.

This triple threat match took place at the latest pay-per-view event for the company, Stomping Grounds, that aired on their streaming service from Tacoma, WA at the Tacoma Dome.

This match was set up on Tuesday’s episode of 205 Live after a fatal four-way match between Akira Tozawa, Oney Lorcan, Humberto Carrillo, and Drew Gulak on the June 11 episode ended in controversy. The finish of that match that was supposed to determine the number one contender but featured a double pin with Gulak and Tozawa.

Nese became champion when he dethroned Buddy Murphy at WrestleMania 35 in April. This was an impressive win as Murphy had held the title since he was able to beat Cedric Alexander to win the title at WWE Super Show-Down pay-per-view event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia last November.

A rematch between Gulak and Nese is likely to take place at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event that takes place on July 14th, 2019 in Philadelphia, PA at the Wells Fargo Center.

What are your thoughts on Drew Gulak winning the Cruiserweight Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Goldberg Sends Message To The Undertaker, WWE Star Expecting Child

Goldberg Sends Message To The Undertaker

Former WWE Universal Champion Goldberg is hyped and ready to go to take part in his next match under the WWE banner. He’ll face The Undertaker in one of the top matches advertised for the Super ShowDown pay-per-view.

Goldberg took to his official Instagram account where he wrote the following about message to “The Deadman:”

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByB0Ex6JuXS/

WWE presents the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event on Friday, June 7th, 2019 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium that will air on the WWE Network at 2PM ET/11 AM PT.

As noted, Goldberg is slated to appear on next Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live in Laredo, TX at the Sames Auto Arena to promote this upcoming match. This will serve as the go-home show of the blue branded show for Super ShowDown.

WWE Star Expecting Child

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Tony Nese shared some exciting news on social media. He took to his official Instagram account where he noted that he and his wife Liz are expecting their first baby boy.

They currently have a daughter together. Congratulations to the married couple. Nese shared the following to announce the pregnancy:

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByGq2IXgh2Z/?utm_source=ig_embed

Tony Nese Wins Cruiserweight Title At WWE WrestleMania

Buddy Murphy is no longer at the top of WWE’s cruiserweight division as he was unsuccessful in his latest title defense. Tony Nese captured the WWE Cruiserweight Title when he beat Murphy at WrestleMania 35.

An eight-man single elimination tournament with the winner facing Murphy for the strap at this event started back in February. Nese and Cedric Alexander then advanced to the finals, which was won by Nese. Thus, the way that Nese earned this title match.

Murphy has held the title since he was able to beat Cedric Alexander to win the title at WWE Super Show-Down pay-per-view event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia. As a result of this win, it marked the first reign as WWE Cruiserweight Champion for Murphy and his first title win on the main roster.

Time will tell whether WWE continues this feud or goes into a different direction heading into the next pay-per-view event, Money in the Bank, that goes down on May 19th in Hartford, Connecticut at the XL Center.

What are your thoughts on Nese winning the WWE Cruiserweight Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match Set For WrestleMania 35

The card for WrestleMania 35 continues to grow with each passing week. With rumors rife that this year’s extravaganza event may be the longest in WrestleMania history, matches are still being added.

Last night saw the promotion set the Cruiserweight championship match for April 7th.

Tony Nese was successful in his matchup against Cedric Alexander, defeating him and earning the right to wrestle Buddy Murphy on “The Grandest Stage Of Them All.”

This hard-earned victory saw Nese come out on top after a mini-tournament was held on 205 Live to determine Murphy’s opponent. Over the past few weeks, he has defeated both Kalisto and Drew Gulak before last night’s win over Alexander.

WWE uploaded a clip following Nese’s victory on the show. The video features Murphy making his way down to the ring to seemingly congratulate his friend. After encouraging Nese to celebrate his moment by pointing to the ‘Mania sign, Murphy would then attack him with a bicycle knee as Nese turned back around. The champ would then stand over his fallen friend, raising the championship over his head in a clear statement.

Are you looking forward to their matchup at WrestleMania 35? Would you have preferred another 205 Live Superstar to have had this opportunity over Nese?

WWE 205 Live #1 Contender’s Tourney Finals Set For Next Week

The finals of WWE 205 Live’s #1 Contender’s Tournament will take place on next week’s episode of 205 Live.

Tony Nese and Cedric Alexander will meet in the ring to determine the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship. The winner will then face the current champion Buddy Murphy at WrestleMania 35 on 7 April.

In the semifinals, Alexander defeated Oney Lorcan meanwhile Nese faced Drew Gulak and won.

https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/1105662761424424960

If Cedric Alexander wins the tournament he would a get a chance for having a second reign for the Cruiserweight title. Cedric first won the then-vacated title at WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018 by defeating Mustafa Ali in a tournament final.

Buddy Murphy has been champion since October 6 when he won the title at the Super Show-Down event in Melbourne, Australia from Cedric Alexander. Murphy has held the title for 157 days at the time of this writing. Murphy has been appearing only in video promos on 205 Live and hasn’t made a ring appearance in a few weeks.

Austin Aries Officially Joins The 205 Live Roster & Wins His Debut Match

Last night on 205 Live, Austin Aries explained his actions on Monday Night Raw. Aries interviewed Neville on Raw and wound up hitting him in the head with a microphone. Aries said that he has known since a child that if you want respect, you walk up to the toughest person in the room and punch them in the face. Aries said that Neville is an “A” level wrestler, but that Aries is an “AA” wrestler.

Neville interrupted and said he is on a level of his own and that Aries doesn’t compare to him. Neville then claimed that he was not going to fight Aries but there  were a bunch of Cruiserweights in the back that would love that oppurtunity. Aries wound up defeating Tony Nese last night in the main event of 205 Live.

205 Live Results & Highlights

205 Live
February 28th 2017
Xcel Energy Center
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Lince Dorado vs. Noam Dar w/Alicia Fox
Dar needed a win here as he lost clean to Togawa on Raw, which seems to happen frequently for him. During this match someone delivered flowers to Alicia Fox, but it was unclear who sent them. Fox seemed to really enjoy receiving them however, and at one point even ate a couple of them.
Noam Dar wins clean with a running kick. After the match Dar said that he sent the flowers to Fox, but he may not have been telling the truth about that…

Winner: Noam Dar

Austin Aries interviews Akira Tozawa
Aries conducted an in-ring interview with Tozawa. He asked him why he turned down Brian Kendrick’s offer of mentorship, to which Tozawa basically just said he wanted to be his own man. Kendrick came out, insulted people from Minnesota and promised more lessons for Tozawa. 

Tony Nese, Ariya Davairi, Drew Gulak vs. Mustapha Ali, Cedric Alexander and TJ Perkins
Nese pinned Perkins to pick up the win for the bad guy cruiserweights. Not saying much for Perkins that he was chosen to take the pin here.

Winners: Nese, Davairi, Gulak (Nese pinned Perkins)

Neville “State of 205 Live Address”
Neville claimed that the cruiserweight division was irrelevant before him but that the fans still don’t give him respect. Gallagher enters and says Neville believes the ring belongs to him when it actually belongs to the WWE universe. Their disagreement came to fisticuffs.
Gallagher challenges Neville for the cruiserweight championship Sunday at Fastlane.

WWE Smackdown & 205 Live Reaction (11/29)

WWE Smackdown (11/29)

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

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

Dolph Ziggler & Kalisto vs Baron Corbin & The Miz

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

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

Winners via DQ: Dolph Ziggler & Kalisto

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

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

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

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

Ambrose Asylum w/ Dean Ambrose

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

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

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

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

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

Luke Harper vs Kane

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

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

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

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

Winner: Kane

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

205 Live (11/29)

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

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

Bollywood Boyz vs Drew Gulak & Tony Nese

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

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

Winners: The Bollywood Boyz

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

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

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

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

Ariya Daivari vs Jack Gallagher

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

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

Winner: Jack Gallagher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner & New Cruiserweight Champion: Rich Swann

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

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

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

Vince McMahon, Triple H, Brian Kendrick & More Hype WWE 205 Live

– Both Vince McMahon and Triple H tweeted to promote tonight’s 205 Live premiere on the WWE Network:

– Below are more 205 Lve hype videos for tonight with Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick and Tony Nese. Kendrick knocks the new cruiserweights for playing video games, saying they’re always in a hurry to get back to the hotel and play. Kendrick says they don’t appreciate the work that his generation put in and that’s why he has an advantage.

Nese says his loss in the WWE CWC was a fluke and he won’t lose like that again in 205 Live. He admits that he makes mistakes but says he capitalizes and gets better.

Tony Nese Accepts WWE Contract (Photos)

Tony Nese accepted a WWE contract from NXT GM William Regal during the EVOLVE 73 event in Joppa, MD this weekend. Regal teased during the segment that more signings will be made soon. Nese posted these photos and issued a statement via Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMymFHoAC1T/

CWC Talent Signs With EVOLVE, Curt Hawkins – SmackDown Update, Rhodes – Amell, RAW Jobbers

– As seen on this week’s RAW, WWE continued the trend of using enhancement talent for Braun Strowman and Nia Jax. Braun’s victim was Evan Anderholm, played by NXT enhancement talent Corey Hollis. Nia’s victim was Ariel Monroe, wife to WWE CWC talent Cedric Alexander.

– PWInsider reports that WWE CWC competitor Tony Nese has signed a deal with EVOLVE and WWN Live. Nese defeated Anthony Bennett to advance to the second round of the CWC last week.

– While Brian “Curt Hawkins” Myers did not re-debut on this week’s WWE SmackDown as expected, he was backstage. As noted, Hawkins is back with the company and will be on the SmackDown brand.

– Cody Rhodes recently confirmed that he will be filming a fight scene with Stephen Amell during his “Arrow” appearance this fall and tweeted this stare down graphic:

WWE Changes Plans For Upcoming Shows, Team 3D vs. The Young Bucks, More

– WWE has made some changes to their advertised lineups for upcoming WWE live events. Originally scheduled to headline one wing of the tour was WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns, however now Dean Ambrose vs. Rollins in a “Street Fight” will serve as the main event of the shows. Subsequently, Reigns has been moved to different shows.

– Team 3D vs. The Young Bucks in a tag-team bout has been officially added to Tommy Dreamer’s next “House Of Hardcore” event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Also announced recently is Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian vs. Matt Taven and Michael Bennett. Scheduled to appear at the show in her final appearance is former TNA Knockout Traci Brooks. Additionally, Johnny Mundo, Rhyno, Eddie Kingston, Chris Hero and Tony Nese are also advertised to appear.


NEW PHOTO GALLERY: CONTROVERSIAL Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY In SKIMPY Outfits


(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

“AJ Styles — The Missing Matches” Available Now On DVD & Digital Download

Joe Dombrowski sent along the following …

AJ Styles – The Missing Matches” Available Now On DVD & Digital Download

He is one of the most gifted athletes of our generation, who has stolen shows and given breathtaking performances throughout his career. While many of his matches were beneath the bright lights of global television and pay-per-view, some of “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles’ best efforts never saw the worldwide stage, leaving even the most ardent of AJ fans unaware of their existence.

Joe-Dombrowski.com, in association with Sorgatron Media, are proud to present the best of these hidden gems, in the first of our series “The Missing Matches”. You’ll see 11 rare matches, spanning the past decade of AJ’s career, plus a special sit-down interview as AJ addresses the subjects everyone is talking about, as well as “The Missing Questions” – topics no other AJ interview to date has covered!

You’ll see the following rarely seen matches –

AJ Styles vs. CM Punk
AJ Styles vs. Matt Hardy
AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels
AJ Styles vs. Christian Cage
AJ Styles vs. Jeff Jarrett
AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels vs. Jonny Storm & Jody Fleisch
AJ Styles vs. Shiima Xion (aka Zema Ion)
AJ Styles vs. Johnny Gargano
AJ Styles vs. Delirious
AJ Styles vs. Tony Nese
AJ Styles vs. Facade

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You can check out the official trailer for the DVD above.

  • DIRECT LINK: The Photo CM Punk DOESN’T Want You To See! [Punk/AJ Lee’s WEDDING >>]