In his latest weekly sit-down interview with Michael Cole, WWE COO Triple H addressed Seth Rollins’ shocking betrayal of The Shield on RAW and Batista’s decision to “quit” WWE.
– Triple H said he sought out Rollins because he’s the brains, architect, and glue of The Shield. With Rollins gone, The Shield is no longer a unit, only two individuals. He did not explain why Rollins decided to join Evolution – but Michael Cole did note that Rollins declined an offer to be his interview guest this week.
– Regarding Batista quitting WWE on RAW, Hunter said, “It’s what Dave does.” Hunter mocked Batista decision to do movies and said, added, “I know Dave well enough to know that he doesn’t have a Plan B.”
After last niight’s WWE RAW show went off the air, Triple H, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins stuck around for a little while longer as officials checked on Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. HHH and Orton shook hands and embraced with Rollins a few more times, confirming their new alignment.
After that, John Cena and Bray Wyatt came out. Wyatt sang, “he’s got the whole world in his hands,” while Cena sang a remix of the song, “you’ve got no penis in your pants.”
The two eventually had a little post-show dark match, which Cena ended up winning via the Attitude Adjustment.
Seth Rollins turned on The Shield during the main event segment on the post-WWE Payback edition of RAW.
Instead of the originally scheduled Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns main event, Triple H revealed that he had a “plan B.” After saying that, Seth Rollins attacked both Reigns and Dean Ambrose with a steel chair, blasting them repeatedly with it. HHH and Orton stood at ringside all-the-while smiling in approval as they saw their plan come to fruition.
They end up joining Rollins in the ring to attack Reigns and Ambrose some more.
Batista “quit” on Monday’s RAW after Triple H refused his request for a WWE World Heavyweight title shot against Daniel Bryan.
The show kicked off with Evolution talking about having unfinished business with The Shield, but Batista interrupted him and said he doesn’t care about The Shield he wants the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match he was promised. HHH told Batista and Randy Orton that nobody was getting anything they wanted until they take out The Shield, but once that happens, they will get everything they want.
Batista then replied, “I understand, and I quit.” He dropped the microphone and waved goodbye to the WWE Universe.
In a backstage interview that aired on the WWE app, Batista vented about a series of “empty promises” from Triple H and declared, “I’m done. I’m done.
Later in the show, Randy Orton said he and Triple H are still on the same page and he is still the “Face of WWE.”
We reported last week that Batista would be taking time off from WWE to promote his new movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” and this is how he’s being written off television. The next show he’s advertised for is the Saturday, August 23rd live event from Sacramento, California, but he is expected back in time for SummerSlam.
Former WWE Superstar Sean “X-Pac” Waltman posted the following mini-rant on his official Twitter account regarding the finish to Sunday night’s WWE Payback main event between The Shield and Evolution.
Going of the air they had all three Shield guys standing over the fallen Evolution. They laid there for Shield & they didn't show it. Why?
Last night, the WWE Universe saw the soldiers overthrow their all-powerful leader, as the Shield destroyed the King of Kings and the rest of Evolution in a six-man tag elimination match.
The match was likely the last encounter between the two groups. Batista is scheduled to take time off starting tonight and there is little focus on the rivalry in tonight’s preview for Raw, so it seems unlikely that the program will be continued.
Roman Reigns dominated Evolution last night, ultimately winning the contest by pinning Triple H.
With Evolution in their rearview mirror, one has to wonder where the Shield will go from here. They have already feuded with a good portion of the roster, and none of the members are really in line to challenge for a title, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the Hounds of Justice tonight.
One thing is certain though: all of the members are being booked strong. This was evident last night, as all three members of the group picked up an elimination against Evolution, with Roman Reigns ultimately securing the victory by pinning Triple H after hitting a spear.
It is obvious that Roman Reigns is being groomed as the first breakout star of the group. There were rumors that he and Triple H are being booked to square off at SummerSlam, but after last night’s emphatic victory by the Shield, that idea seems a bit less likely.
Assuming last night’s contest is the final time Evolution and the Shield meet, it was a fitting conclusion to a great rivalry. Their first contest at Extreme Rules is without a doubt the match of the year thus far. It appeared that last night’s matchup would surpass their first meeting.
After all, it had all of the ingredients of a classic match. It had the backstory between the two groups, it had the no-holds barred stipulation that would make the contest more exciting, and it also had a sense of finality due to the fact that most knew Batista was leaving after the event. It failed to live up to the hype of their first meeting, however.
Triple H recently tweeted the following, which contains a link to an Instagram photo of the Evolution leader working out in preparation for his battle with The Shield at WWE Payback on Sunday night.
WWE SummerSlam is less than three months away and we’ve received some information regarding the top matches that have discussed for the show. The planning of these matches dates back to before Daniel Bryan’s neck surgery, however, Bryan will back in action before August so these preliminary matches could still be in the works:
– Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt for the WWE World Heavyweight Title.
– Triple H vs. Roman Reigns. This one has been rumored since around WrestleMania XXX and there’s a very strong chance it will happen. Triple H has handpicked Reigns his next big singles opponent.
– Brock Lesnar vs. Cesaro. As previously reported, Lesnar is returning this summer and WWE wants him on board for SummerSlam and Night of Champions in September, right after the 6-month mark of the WWE Network.
– WWE will tape another set of NXT TV tapings tonight from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. We will have full spoiler coverage tonight. Rob Van Dam and Summer Rae will be appearing, with Summer doing a pre-show meet & greet at 4pm.
– Batista has been announced for the June 12th WWE NXT TV tapings from Full Sail.
– Triple H revealed on last night’s NXT Takeover post-show that the next live NXT special will happen around the end of the summer or early fall. He aded that WWE is planning to do a live NXT special every quarter.
– Last night on the NXT Takeover kickoff show, Paul Heyman revealed that he was scouting for new Paul Heyman Guys or Paul Heyman Girls at the show. He noted that he signed Cesaro shortly after seeing his match against Sami Zayn at NXT Arrival back in February, which is widely regarded as a Match of the Year candidate.
While this may have no impact on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship angle WWE is hyping up heading into Payback, new official WWE advertising recently came out that had Daniel Bryan listed as wrestling on the SmackDown television taping on June 24th.
The match on 6/24 for Bryan is listed as a six-man tag-team match, with The Shield and himself against Randy Orton and The Wyatt Family.
Several days after Bryan’s neck surgery, WWE sent out new advertising for their July 12th live event at Madison Square Garden, which is the company’s biggest annual non-televised show, which lists him in the main event against Triple H in a street fight.
Considering the fact that the 6/24 date is only a few weeks away, it would seem likely that if WWE wanted to, they could keep the title on Bryan since he would be back in the ring at a reasonable time.
The following is highlights of a new Wrestling Podcast Network interview with Diamond Dallas Page:
On “The Resurrection Of Jake ‘The Snake'” Documentary: “Our goal is to not just make a movie. Our goal coming into this movie is to do an Oscar nominated documentary. That’s our goal. Whether that becomes true or not remains to be seen. I would love to do something with the WWE when it comes to it.”
On teaching DDP Yoga to WWE talent: “Triple H brought me down there about four months ago. I did a seminar with the guys and girls down there and they loved it. Everybody has the program now. It’s great for healing your body. Ryback is another guy that does it (DDP Yoga) and does it consistently too. Ryback is still hitting the weights obviously so he can maintain that massive size that he has. For him, its strength and conditioning, preventive maintenance for his body so he doesn’t break down.”
On his time in wrestling: “I lived the dream in a different level. I was the anomaly in terms of Star Trek, an anomaly means this is not supposed to happen.”
Check out the complete interview at TheWrestlingPodcastNetwork.com.
WWE has added the latest sit-down interview between Michael Cole and Triple H to their official YouTube channel. The official description for the interview, which you can view above, reads as follows:
“The WWE COO gives a preview of what to expect at NXT Takeover, including Charlotte vs. Natalya for the NXT Women’s Title and the NXT Championship Match between Adrian Neville and Tyson Kidd.”
– Triple H will be hosting a conference call on Wednesday to promote Thursday’s NXT Takeover special on the WWE Network.
– Former WWE Superstar Romeo Roselli will be playing one of the main characters in “Jersey Shore Massacre,” which is scheduled to hit theaters in late-August.
– Renee Young got ribbed backstage at Monday’s WWE RAW from Knoxville, Tennessee. During a backstage interview with Evolution that aired after RAW on the WWE Network, Triple H told her that The Shield should not bring a pen to a sledgehammer fight. Randy Orton said that they’ve already proved they are the superior faction and Batista joked that they should sue if The Shield doesn’t show up for their fight on Sunday.
As they were wrapping up the interview, Triple H asked Renee why she wasn’t wearing any shoes. She responded, “I don’t really have an answer…” The camera then panned down to show Renee Young standing there barefoot as she stood there looking flustered.
– Here are this week’s RAW Fallout videos:
Alicia Fox speaks about her match with Emma on Raw.
Adam Rose and his Rosebuds get the party started to celebrate his debut victory on Raw.
Fresh off a trip to the hospital where he was given a clean bill of health, WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall says Triple H has invited him to attend next Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Atlanta:
Currently there are three matches officially announced for the upcoming WWE Payback pay-per-view on June 1st in Chicago, Illinois. Those matches are The Shield vs. Evolution in a No Holds Barred Elimination match, John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a Last Man Standing match and Bad News Barrett vs. Rob Van Dam for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Other matches likely for WWE Payback include The Usos vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan for the WWE Tag-Team Championships, Paige vs. Alicia Fox for the WWE Divas Championship, Sheamus vs. Cesaro for the WWE United States Championship, Adam Rose vs. Jack Swagger, Rusev vs. Big E. and Summer Rae vs. Layla with Fandango as special guest referee.
As far as the No Holds Barred Elimination main event, a possible scenario being considered is one that would see Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins eliminated early, leaving Roman Reigns to make a huge comeback on all three Evolution members by himself.
The match will be Batista’s final match in WWE for several months, and based on plans for the future, could be one of Triple H’s last for a while as well.
WWE COO Triple H is back for this week’s sitdown interview with Michael Cole. Here are some highlights of the interview, which was taped from London, England:
– Triple H talked about how in true WWE fashion, they’ve taken over the UK. He said he’ll be going on private tours of the Vatican and the Coliseum in Rome.
– When asked about Daniel Bryan being home in the United States recovering from neck surgery, Triple H said it’s odd not having the “face of WWE” on tour with them.
– Cole brought up Stephanie McMahon’s promo from RAW, where she urged Daniel Bryan to show up on next week’s show to surrender the WWE World Heavyweight championship. Triple H says the reason they’re allowing Bryan to surrender the title instead of outright stripping him of it is because Bryan will become a and his “little internet dweebs” will get upset. If Daniel Bryan is a man, he will do what’s “best for business” on RAW. If he doesn’t, The Authority will deal with it.
– The discussion shifted to The Shield and their upcoming match against Evolution at Payback. Triple H said Evolution is going to put an end to The Shield and eliminate them one by one at Payback. When Payback is over, Triple H guarantees The Shield will no longer exist.
– Triple H then talked about Bo Dallas’ “debut” on SmackDown this week, touting that he’s the longest reigning NXT Champion in history and is finally getting a shot at the main roster. He also hyped Hulk Hogan being the guest host of this week’s SmackDown from London, saying that Hogan will be making a special announcement about the WWE Network.
Former WWE & WCW Superstar Bill Goldberg was Jim Ross’ guest on this week’s Ross Report podcast. When asked if he would consider wrestling one more match, Goldberg said he’s open to it if the money is right. He still hits the gym 5 days a week, stays in great shape and would want his young son see him wrestle live at least once.
“My last conversation with WWE brass, which was a while ago, was to the effect of I have a seven-year-old son who would love to see me wrestle and whatever differences we’ve had in the past, if you guys want to make some money and do this again, then I’d then be willing to talk about it. That is my answer.”
When asked who his ideal opponent would be, Goldberg named Brock Lesnar, Triple H and Roman Reigns.
“Hunter and I will always have unfinished business until the day I die,” Goldberg said, regarding to their behind-the-scenes issues from Goldberg’s WWE run over a decade ago.
“Brock and I have unfinished biz in the ring,” a reference to their infamous match at WrestleMania 20.
Goldberg named Roman Reigns due to their mutual backgrounds playing college football in Georgia.
“Whoever it is, I don’t care,” Goldberg said. “As long as it makes sense, then I’m in for it.”
WWE legend Mick Foley posted the following on his Facebook page on Monday night, questioning whether top company executives should be portraying evil characters on television:
A SERIOUS QUESTION FOR WWE
“I swear, I’m not posting this right after WWE Monday Night Raw to be a smart alec, a trouble-maker or to create drama. But, could it be – following the precipitous tumble of WWE stock, that having real life WWE Chief Operating Officer Paul Levesque and Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon performing simultaneous duties as the on-air “Authority” is simply not best for business.
No matter where I might go, what I might say, and what type of home appliance WWE decisions may occasionally cause me to break, World Wrestling Entertainment is a GREAT company – a company that managed to post record profits during the worst economic downturn in a generation. I just bought stock myself – some I’m putting money where my mouth is here. I’ve heard from reliable sources that the WWE Network hasn’t yet met its initial goals, and that the recent TV deal signed with USA Network wasn’t as lucrative as investors had hoped. But there has to be something more – probably alot of little things. Might one of those things be the blurred line between the real life McMahon-Levesques and the characters of Triple H – WWE Universe and Stephanie McMahon – WWE they portray?
I vividly recall Vince McMahon looking at me like I was legitimately insane in 2007 when I told him I didn’t think the WWE Universe (I actually called them “fans”) made the distinction between Vince McMahon, the face of WWE, and “Mr McMahon” who, at the time, as a TV personality, has presumably been blown to smithereens in a televised exploding limousine incident.
Likewise, I’m not sure that everyone “gets” that Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon are definitely seasoned and intelligent business people who simultaneously portray horrible bosses as on-air authority figures. The lines are awfully blurry – and while most fans seem to understand that the real life Stephanie is that legitimately kind, caring soul we see on “Raw” as the face of the “Be a Star” campaign, and other positive endeavors that the company is involved in – she can be awfully convincing when she has that mic in her hand, and is dressing down, maligning…and occasionally slapping the dog poop out of WWE talent. Personally, I think Steph has been simply sensational as a character this year – but I’m not sure everyone “gets” that she’s essentially a really nice person, doing a really good job of being really, really bad.
Look, I don’t have all the answers, and there are probably far more factors at play than I am capable of understanding. But maybe, just maybe, having investors watch the Chief Operating Officer of a billion dollar company (past tense) kick the dog poop out of a hand-cuffed employee (or Independent contractor) is not best for business as far as Wall Street is concerned.”
Hulk Hogan and Stephanie McMahon took part in fan Q&A session for the UK’s Mirror.co.uk on Monday. Here are some highlights:
– Hogan said it’s great to be back home with WWE and he’s excited to be back in front of his great fans in the UK.
– Stephanie was asked if she’d be interested in wrestling Brie Bella. She said it’s a “wait and see” situation, but she’s always training and is physically up to it.
– Hogan named John Cena as his favorite WWE Superstar because he is the workhorse of this generation. He’s also a fan of Daniel Bryan.
– Stephanie said her favorite part of her job is interacting with fans, who constantly inspire her.
– Hogan said he does not have any movie roles lined up, but was recently in talks with Ron Howard about a movie about his career. He added that he and his wife have turned down offers to star in a new reality TV show about their life together.
– Stephanie said they are “in discussions” about how to bring a future WrestleMania event to the UK.
– They both spoke about The Ultimate Warrior. Stephanie said she’s so happy he was able to return home to WWE before he passed, which gave him closure and the recognition he deserved by entering the WWE Hall of Fame. It’s tragic he’s no longer here, but everyone has wonderful memories of him from WrestleMania XXX weekend in New Orleans.
– Stephanie was asked about her first impression of Triple H. She said she was in college watching DX on RAW and she was intrigued by them. She joked that she might get in trouble for saying this – but she did wonder if Shawn Michaels and Triple H were more than “just good friends.” When she met Triple H, she fell in love.
– She said honesty and communication are the keys to a successful marriage.
– Stephanie would be proud and honored if her daughters worked for WWE one day, but that’s totally up to them.
– Hogan was asked if he could be WWE Champion again and he joked that he would be a great Geritol Wheelchair Champion.
On Monday’s WWE RAW from London, Stephanie McMahon made her big announcement about the fate of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
In light of Daniel Bryan’s neck surgery and the fact that he will be out of action for an indeterminate amount of time, she is contemplating stripping him of the gold and awarding it to another Superstar, such as Kane, Bad News Barrett, Batista or her even husband, WWE COO Triple H.
She then clarified that in all seriousness, she is demanding that Daniel Bryan show up at RAW next week and “do the right thing” by personally surrender the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
As previously reported, Stephanie McMahon recently did some sight-seeing in Rome, Italy, as she traveled overseas to be part of the current WWE European tour. McMahon actually worked an in-ring segment at the WWE live event in Rome earlier today, making a rare international live event appearance.
Meanwhile, back in the states, Triple H was in New York City, New York on Thursday to attend the NBCUniversal up-fronts and announce WWE’s new television deal.
It’s being said that Triple H is in kind of a rough position when it comes to talent relations for WWE. Basically, Vince McMahon is still the guy making all of the final calls, and because he’s known to change his mind so often, HHH is basically forced to go to talent multiple times, explaining that what he had told them previously was no longer happening.
Despite being in the rough situation, it’s being said that Triple H is still viewed as “one of us” to a lot of the talent in the company.
– NXT stars Bo Dallas and Adrian Neville are on the current WWE European tour. Neville defeated Dallas at the live event last night in Glasgow, Scotland.
– Triple H and Stephanie McMahon arrived in Rome early on Wednesday to do some sight-seeing before the WWE tour kicked off with the live event in Glasgow.
– With Daniel Bryan off of the European tour, the new main event was scheduled to be Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns in some markets and Big Show vs. Kane in a “Last Man Standing” in others. With Reigns suffering an injury last night against Orton, it’s unknown whether or not those matches will continue as planned.
