Sheamus & Cesaro introduced a ladder into the equation last night on Raw. The move backfired for Sheamus however, as he would need 15 stitches as a result of getting struck with it.
Tag Team Ladder Matches at WrestleMania
With speculation looming of a potential WWE return for Matt Hardy, the added ladder stipulation is interesting. The Hardys were involved in the original WrestleMania triple threat tag team championship ladder match at WM17 with the Dudleys and Edge & Christian. If the team is expected to return to WWE soon, this match certainly could be the place and time it happens.
Recently WWE tweeted a throwback video of the Hardys in another WrestleMania match at WM25. They happened to capitalize the letters in the word “BROKEN” as well.
Paul Heyman recently appeared on the Fight Society podcast to discuss Brock Lesnar, WrestleMania 33, Ronda Rousey and more. Heyman says that he envisions a day where a women’s match headlines WrestleMania – and it will be Charlotte Flair leading the charge.
“I think the female to bring the women’s division to that prominence is Charlotte. No doubt in my mind. she is a true game changer not just for the women’s division, but for the industry in and of itself. When Trish Stratus and Lita broke the mold and turned up the heat on the women’s division and paved the way for this crop of athletes that have come in and truly both revolutionized and evolved the presentation of women’s wrestling, I think also Natalya does not get the credit she deserves for being at the forefront of that movement. But Charlotte, to me, is the prototype of where women’s wrestling is going to go.
In the same way that anyone who was watching Strikeforce in the infancy of the women’s MMA explosion, and you saw Gina Carano followed by Cyborg followed by Miesha Tate and the global popularity of Ronda Rousey, I think it’s the same way in WWE. I think Trish and Lita paved the way. I think Natalya set a standard in terms of workrate. Then came in this crop from NXT, with Sasha Banks and Bayley and everyone else, but Charlotte is in a league of her own. I can’t even tell you that I think she’s one of the best women’s wrestlers i’ve ever seen in my life. I think she’s one of the best wrestlers I’ve seen in my life. I don’t think the global audience has come to realize her potential as a worldwide attraction yet. They will and at that time, I think she has the first female in a main event of WrestleMania.”
You can check out more highlights from the interview at FOX Sports. Listen to the full interview here:
Speaking of Heyman, his first ‘WrestleMania Week’ blog for Yahoo! Sports is now live. Heyman explains why Brock Lesnar is ready to bring the WWE Universal championship home to Suplex City. Check it out at Sports.Yahoo.com.
This Sunday, John Cena teams with longtime girlfriend Nikki Bella at WrestleMania against The Miz and Maryse. It’s one of WWE’s hotter programs headed into WrestleMania and the match now has a guest ring announcer to introduce the participants.
Cena returned to NBC’s “Today” show on Monday morning and revealed that host Al Roker will serve as the guest ring announcer for his match at WrestleMania.
– WWE has announced a four-date WWE Live tour of Latin America, which takes place in October. Events are scheduled for Puerto Rico, Panama, Costa Rica and WWE’s first-ever live event from Argentina. Tickets for all four events go on sale the day after WrestleMania.
– Former ECW World champion Jerry Lynn was at the WWE Performance Center this past week working as a guest trainer, according to PWInsider.
– The Undertaker’s WrestleMania winning streak is a thing of the past, but the Dead Man has a chance to hit another major milestone when he faces Roman Reigns next weekend at WrestleMania. According to WrestlingData.com, The Undertaker currently has 99 WWE pay-per-view wins (out of 170 matches). If Undertaker defeats Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania, it will be his 100th PPV victory.
– WWE.com is running a poll asking fans which WrestleMania 33 match they are most looking forward to. Bray Wyatt’s WWE Championship defense against Randy Orton is currently in the lead with 19%, followed by Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns (17%), US Champion Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens (16%) and Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles (15%). The main event, Brock Lesnar challenging Goldberg for the Universal Championship, has 10% of the vote.
– Paul Heyman and Emmy Award winner Mitchell Stuart’s Looking 4 Larry agency has inked a deal with the Richmond International Raceway to handle the track’s marketing and promotion. The first race under this new partnership will be September’s ‘Monster Cup’ NASCAR race.
Heyman spoke with FOX Sports about how his agency plans to build awareness for the Richmond International Raceway. “The availability online and on mobile for instant gratification has created an environment in which marketing and promoting singular events in 2017 has proven to be a real uphill battle,” Heyman said. “Today’s customer base wants a multi-day interactive experience that can provide not just one, but a great number of experiences.
Heyman continued, “The Richmond International Raceway is routed in tradition, and at the same time they are looking to break ground and push forward with a brand new way to market and promote this profoundly fan-friendly sport. All puns intended, I think they are already way ahead of the curve. Our job is get them across the finish line!”
For more on this deal, check out Damon Martin’s exclusive over at FOXSports.com.
– During an interview with the Gorilla Position podcast, AJ Styles commented on the fact that Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar will most likely be the final match at WrestleMania 33. Styles would obviously prefer to be working the main event himself, but understands why WWE is featuring the Universal championship match on top.
“Goldberg and what Brock and him have done together, has made sure people are gonna come and watch WrestleMania,” Styles said. “They want to see this match. And if they come to see them, they also have to come to see me. And now I will have an opportunity to impress them, while they’re there. And I will make AJ fans, or Shane fans out of them.”
On Monday’s RAW, Nia Jax defeated Bayley in a no disqualification non-title match to earn a spot in the RAW Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania. Jax was rumored to be part of the match going back several months and WWE went back and forth on her involvement before settling on a fatal 4 way.
With those matches set, here’s the updated card for the Ultimate Thrill Ride:
– Goldberg defends the WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar
– Bray Wyatt defends the WWE Championship against Randy Orton
– The Undertaker goes to war with Roman Reigns
– SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon battles AJ Styles
– John Cena teams with girlfriend Nikki Bella to face The Miz and wife Maryse
– Bayley defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax
– Alexa Bliss defends the SmackDown Women’s Championship against every available woman on the SmackDown roster
– Chris Jericho defends the WWE United States Championship against Kevin Owens
– Gallows and Anderson defend the RAW Tag Team Championships against Enzo and Cass, Sheamus and Cesaro in a Triple Threat
– The 4th Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal with Mojo Rawley, Apollo Crews, Big Show and other Superstars to be announced
Don’t expect to see WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania. The 12-time world champion will be in Orlando during Mania weekend, but confirmed on Thursday night that he has no plans to attend WWE’s biggest show of the year.
Maniacs I have no plans to be at WM33,I will be at Hogans Beach Shop Orlando on International Dr,March 29/April 3D-? See u at HBS! BrotherHH
Hulk Hogan and the WWE cut ties when recordings of Hogan using racially charged language were made public last year. The recordings led to Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker Media which ended up bankrupting the company. Throughout the trial, Hogan had to demonstrate how badly his leaked sex tape (featuring the racist comments) hurt his ability to earn revenue. WWE severing ties with him was a clearcut way to show that the recordings harmed him financially. Whether WWE cut ties with him because they didn’t want to be associated with him because of the recordings, or to help Hogan show damages in his lawsuit is something probably only Vince McMahon knows.
With the lawsuit over, it’s been widely speculated that an Hogan will wind up back in WWE sooner than later. Apparently WWE didn’t think the time was right for the Hulkster to walk that aisle one more time just yet.
WrestleMania 33 is less than three weeks away and the card is close to finalized. As of this writing, 10 matches have been confirmed for WWE’s biggest show of the year. With April 2nd fast approaching, there have been no indications that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be attending. Earlier this week, 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Warrior Award recipient Eric LeGrand tweeted The Rock and said he hopes to see him in Orlando.
Going to be awesome. Hope to see you in Orlando in a few weeks
We know The Rock has one of the busiest schedules in Hollywood and the fact that he does not have set plans to attend is not a great sign for fans hoping for a Rock cameo. That said, The Rock’s last three WrestleMania moments have all been unadvertised. He defeated Eric Rowan in an unadvertised match last year, participated in an angle with Ronda Rousey two years ago, and took part in a legends in-ring segment with Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin 3 years ago.
From WrestleMania 27-29, he played a key role, hosting WM27 and then main event’ing the show with John Cena at 28 and 29.
On Tuesday night, WWE confirmed three more matches for WrestleMania 33. As expected, AJ Styles will square off against SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon and John Cena teams up with girlfriend Nikki Bella to face The Miz & Maryse.
On 205 Live, Austin Aries won a Fatal 5 Way elimination match to become the new #1 contender for Neville’s Cruiserweight championship.
With those matches set, here’s the updated card for WrestleMania 33:
– Goldberg defends the WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar
– Bray Wyatt defends the WWE Championship against Randy Orton
– The Undertaker goes to war with Roman Reigns
– SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon battles AJ Styles
– John Cena teams with girlfriend Nikki Bella to face The Miz and wife Maryse
– Bayley defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Charlotte and Sasha Banks
– Alexa Bliss defends the SmackDown Women’s Championship against every available woman on the SmackDown roster
– Chris Jericho defends the WWE United States Championship against Kevin Owens
– Gallows and Anderson defend the RAW Tag Team Championships against Enzo and Cass, Sheamus and Cesaro in a Triple Threat
– The 4th Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal with Mojo Rawley, Apollo Crews, Big Show and other Superstars to be announced
PROGRESS will be making their way to the Orlando Live Events Center on March 31st as part of the WWNLive Experience 2017. As well as the planned PROGRESS vs EVOLVE super card the promotion will be hosting their own branded show at 12pm EST which will be available on iPPV: wwnlive.com/product/progress-wrestling-presents-progress-orlando-ippv-live-viewing-video-demand/
The full roster for PROGRESS’ first ever show in America has now been revealed:
PROGRESS Champion – Pete Dunne
Trent Seven
Zack Sabre Jr
PROGRESS Atlas Champion – Matt Riddle
Tyler Bate
Mark Andrews
Shane Strickland
Mark Haskins
South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper, Travis Banks and Dahlia Black
Toni Storm
Jinny
James Drake
Sami Callihan
Rockstar Spud
Jimmy Havoc
Tickets for the event are still available to purchase via morethanmania.com and if you’re in Orlando for Wrestlemania weekend then definitely try and make it to this event, you will not be disappointed.
WWE confirmed on Monday that The Undertaker will face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33. The announcement comes after the confrontation between the two Superstars last week on RAW, which saw the Dead Man deliver a chokeslam to the Big Dog.
With that match set, here’s the updated card for WWE WrestleMania 33:
– Goldberg defends the WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar
– Bray Wyatt defends the WWE Championship against Randy Orton
– The Undertaker goes to war with Roman Reigns
– Bayley defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Charlotte and Sasha Banks
– Alexa Bliss defends the SmackDown Women’s Championship against every available woman on the SmackDown roster
– Chris Jericho defends the WWE United States Championship against Kevin Owens
– Gallows and Anderson defend the RAW Tag Team Championships against Enzo and Cass
– The 4th Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal with Mojo Rawley, Apollo Crews and other Superstars to be announced
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated and gave his thoughts on the upcoming WrestleMania showdown between RAW Universal Champion Goldberg and the man he’s humiliated twice over the past several months, Brock Lesnar.
Goldberg asserted his dominance over Lesnar at Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble, but JR thinks it will be Brock Lesnar standing tall when all is said and done at WrestleMania.
“Lesnar will go over with his finish, the F5. If they use their head, make sure Paul Heyman is involved in the game-planning, and get an agent like Michael Hayes or Pat Patterson or someone like that, then there is no excuse that they can’t give you ten quality minutes, bell-to-bell. There is no reason that two guys of that stature, earning that kind of money, can’t give ten kicka– minutes of pro wrestling content. I firmly believe it’s possible.”
It all goes down Sunday, April 2nd when WrestleMania 33 takes place from Orlando, FL at the Camping World Stadium.
JR also commented on the possibility of Kenny Omega leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling and showing the WWE Universe what he’s got. Omega is doing big things in New Japan, but JR is convinced he’ll wind up in WWE one day.
“It’s a good time to follow a guy like Kenny, who, some day, will be a WWE guy. There’s no doubt. I’m glad that he came back to New Japan for another year, and I would think that after he stars at Wrestle Kingdom in 2018, then he very well could be the most coveted free agent that WWE has tried to sign in years.”
Head over to SI.com to check out the full interview.
Here is the official promotional artwork for WrestleMania 33, which takes place on Sunday, April 2nd from the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
On Wednesday, a giant WWE Championship statue was unveiled at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. NXT stars Shinsuke Nakamura, No Way Jose, Peyton Royce and Mandy Rose were on hand for the big unveiling. For the 65,000+ fans expected to be in town for WrestleMania, this statue makes for one hell of a tourist attraction & photo opportunity.
The Undertaker has been in the biggest match at Wrestlemania for years now. His matches may not always be the main event, but they almost always feel incredibly important. I was one of those that believed that the streak should have never been broken. I thought that if the streak were to ever come to an end, it would be in The Undertaker’s final match and The Undertaker would lose it to someone that the WWE wanted to make into a star. Instead, Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 30 and the streak was over. Brock Lesnar wasn’t a bad choice to end the streak, I just did not see it coming at all.
The Undertaker will be facing Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania this year. The Undertaker has had health issues all year and it is impossible to predict if that match will turn out well or not. I’m not going to doubt The Undertaker and I’m sure the match will turn out just fine. Having said that, this is the first year in a long time where I haven’t felt like The Undertaker match is that important. This is also the first year I’ve ever went into a Wrestlemania expecting The Undertaker to lose.
The streak has been over for a few years now and the WWE is heavily invested in the success of Roman Reigns. It will piss everyone off but I would be surprised if Roman Reigns didn’t get the win at Wrestlemania 33. Fans often complain about Superstars of the past showing up during Wrestlemania season and stealing the spotlight. There are tons of people in the WWE Universe that are annoyed that two part-time performers, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg, are headlining Wrestlemania this year. I happen to be one of those people. However, I am also not interested in seeing Roman Reigns defeat The Undertaker.
There lies the inconsistency with wrestling fans, including myself. Everyone wants to see the next guy get the win over the star of the past, unless you aren’t really a fan of the next guy. There really is no reason for The Undertaker to defeat Roman Reigns at this year’s Wrestlemania. It is wildly inconsistent to complain about Goldberg defeating Kevin Owens and then hope The Undertaker defeats Roman Reigns. I just am not looking forward to seeing it because I grew up a fan of The Undertaker. The fact is that a lot of the WWE Universe view Roman Reigns as the future of the WWE and The Undertaker only has a few matches left in him. A victory over The Undertaker at Wrestlemania will only make Roman Reigns an even bigger star than he already is.
Discussion: Do you expect The Undertaker to lose at this year’s Wrestlemania? Are you looking forward to the match between The Undertaker and Roman Reigns? Share your thoughts below.
Randy Orton became the new #1 contender to the WWE Championship by defeating AJ Styles in tonight’s SmackDown main event. Orton will now face Bray Wyatt in one of the main events of WrestleMania 33.
It was also confirmed on SmackDown that the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal will take place in Orlando as Mojo Rawley announced that he will be in the match. It was also announced on SmackDown that Alexa Bliss will defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship against every available woman on the SmackDown roster.
The updated ‘Mania card looks like this:
– Goldberg defends the WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar
– Bray Wyatt defends the WWE Championship against Randy Orton
– Bayley defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Charlotte and Sasha Banks
– Alexa Bliss defends the SmackDown Women’s Championship against every available woman on the SmackDown roster
– Chris Jericho defends the WWE United States Championship against Kevin Owens
– Gallows and Anderson defend the RAW Tag Team Championships against Enzo and Cass
– The 4th Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal with Mojo Rawley and other Superstars to be announced
The Big Show was interviewed by Sportingnews.com this week and expressed his frustration that his rumored WrestleMania match against Shaquille O’Neal probably won’t be happening.
Shaq broke the news on his podcast earlier this week that negotiations fell apart. He stated bluntly, “It’s not my fault, that’s all you need to know.”
Big Show has been gearing up for the showdown, getting himself in the best shape of his career. He questions if Shaq got cold feet about stepping in the ring after all his trash talk. Either way, he wants Shaq to own up to the situation, admit he’s scared to fight and move on. He told Sportingnews:
“It is a little frustrating because my contract ends in February 2018. So I don’t know what’s going to happen between now and then. I don’t know if there will be an opportunity for me next year at WrestleMania or not. I don’t know because there’s a lot of new Superstars breaking out and I’ve done my time. This was my perhaps my last opportunity to have a featured match at WrestleMania. And I would have had a good time working with Shaq.
But this is a situation where, obviously, it’s above my paygrade. It’s between Shaq and WWE. Whatever their situation is, who knows. Either that or he say the fact that I was starting to get in really good shape and he got scared and decided that he wants to bail out. It’s real easy to talk about stepping in the ring but once you do actually step in the ring, it takes a lot of courage and mental fortitude to do what we do. I understand the fact that if it’s something that he doesn’t want to do, that he’s scared of, that’s fine but don’t put the blame on me because it isn’t me. Just own up to it and say you’re scared and that’s that.”
Big Show added that he was just talking trash and he has a lot of respect for Shaq. If their match doesn’t wind up happening, he’s in great shape and is confident he can have a role at WrestleMania.
After Tuesday’s SmackDown, we will finally know who will challenge Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
It was announced on Friday that AJ Styles and Royal Rumble winner Randy Orton will square off on SmackDown. The winner challenges for the richest prize in the game on the biggest show of the year. This past week, AJ Styles defeated Luke Harper to become the #1 contender. Later in the show, Randy Orton turned on Bray, burned the Wyatt Family Compound to the ground and declared war on his former leader.
WWE WrestleMania takes place on Sunday, April 2nd from Orlando, FL.
Discussion: Who do you think will challenge Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania? Randy Orton, AJ Styles or both in a triple threat match?
Here are the results from PROGRESS’ Chapter 44 event ‘Old Man Yells At Cloud.’ The show took place at a sold out Electric Ballroom in Camden, UK.
James Drake b. Damon Moser – This was a relatively shot match that saw WWE UK Tournament competitor James Drake won with the Mr Mayhem DDT. There are reports that Moser was injured during the bout thus the quick conclusion.
Dahlia Black (w/TK Cooper) b. Martina the Session Moth – This was a 1st round match in the Natural Progression Series to crown the first ever PROGRESS Women’s Champion as well as being Martina’s debut match for the company. Black took the win when TK Cooper interfered and cost Martina the bout
Travis Banks b. Jordan Devlin – Another PROGRESS debut here as WWE Tournament Competitor Jordan Devlin looked to beat tag team specialist Banks. Travis took the win after hitting a Buzzsaw Kick.
Pastor William Eaver b. Sebastian – Eaver took the win here after hitting the ‘Clothesline From Heaven’ in what was an extremely violent bout, definitely one worth watching on PROGRESS’ On Demand service.
Mark Andrews b. Shane Strickland – An absolutely fantastic match that saw Andrews win with the Shooting Star Press, after the match PROGRESS Co-Owner Jim Smallman asked Strickland to appear at the Orlando shows over Wrestlemania Weekend.
El Ligero b. Nathan Cruz – A hotly contested bout between two former Origin members saw Ligero take the win after reversing a Figure Four into an Inside Cradle. After the match Cruz removed Ligero’s mask.
Zack Gibson b. Jack Sexsmith – This match was all about Sexsmith proving himself as a viable championship contender for the company and it certainly felt like his ‘coming out party.’ Gibson hit the Helter Skelter for the pinfall win.
Jimmy Havoc, Mark Haskins & Morgan Webster b. British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) – The stakes for this match were extremely high. If Havoc, Haskins or Webster got a pinfall or submission victory then they would receive a title shot, however if one of them took a pinfall, countout or submission loss then they would ineligible to ANY title shot for 6 months. Havoc ended up taking the victory and title shot following an Acid Rainmaker on PROGRESS Champion Pete Dunne.
Shinsuke Nakamura gave a recent interview to the Japanese media and expressed an interest in working with AJ Styles at WrestleMania 33. Chris Charlton, author of “Lion’s Pride, translated part of the interview recently on social media.
The full interview (in Japanese) can be read here.
Nakamura and AJ Styles last wrestled each other on January 4th 2016, at WrestleKingdom 10. Neither would be with NJPW very much longer afterwards. Their careers went on very different paths once arriving in WWE however. AJ went straight to the main roster, debuting at the 2016 Royal Rumble. From there Styles became a major player immediately, while Nakamura was sent to NXT.
After having well-received matches with Sami Zayn, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe, Nakamura is still in NXT a year after signing with the company. He will need to finish up his feud with Bobby Roode before being called-up at the very least as well. At this point it seems likely that we will not see Nakamura on Raw or Smackdown until at least after WrestleMania.
Opening Segment: Kevin Owens Cuts A Promo On Goldberg
Kevin Owens opened up Raw alone. There was no Chris Jericho by his side, nobody to hide behind. Instead, he sat in a chair and stated his strategy for defeating Goldberg at Fastlane. Owens vowed to outlast Goldberg. He said it is common knowledge that the longer a Goldberg match goes, the more likely it is that Goldberg will falter. Owens was going to address his attack on Chris Jericho last week but opted to drop the microphone and leave the ring. Two weeks before WWE Fastlane, the WWE wants you to take Kevin Owens seriously. He has spent months relying on others to help him win matches. If he drops the title to Goldberg, he was officially a paper champion. If he retains due to outside interference, he is the same old Kevin Owens. If he defeats Goldberg clean, then all of Goldberg’s mystique is gone heading into his match against Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania.
Enzo & Cass Become #1 Contenders For The Raw Tag Team Championships
After months of meaningless feuds, Enzo and Cass have finally been thrust into the Raw Tag Team Championship picture. They defeated Sheamus & Cesaro and will now face Gallows & Anderson for the titles at WWE Fastlane. Sheamus & Cesaro won the Raw Team Championships by defeating the New Day. The New Day were the longest reigning Tag Team Champions in WWE history. Sheamus & Cesaro then did nothing with the titles and promptly dropped them to Gallows & Anderson on the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show. After the match, Sheamus leveled Enzo with a Brogue Kick outside the ring. Cesaro congratulated Sheamus on laying out Enzo. Are Sheamus & Cesaro now heels? I guess those backstage segments with Bayley the last couple of weeks were pointless.
Roman Reigns Beatdown Both Gallows & Anderson
For the second week in a row, Roman Reigns was able to beat the hell out of the Raw Tag Team Champions. There has really been no explanation as to why Gallows & Anderson insist on fighting Roman Reigns. These Handicap matches have done nothing but make Gallows & Anderson look weak. Roman Reigns looks powerful, but he always has. The problem is that he has never been able to connect with the WWE Universe the way that the WWE apparently wants him to. Instead of feeding a random team like the Shining Stars to Reigns, the WWE has instead made the Raw Tag Team Champions look even weaker than they already did before this “feud” with Roman Reigns.
Looks like I picked a bad night to stop sniffin glue…
After dropping the Raw Tag Team Championships, the New Day have been in random feuds with Titus O’Neil and now Rusev & Jinder Mahal. The New Day were named the hosts of Wrestlemania 33, presumably because the WWE has nothing for them to do. The New Day are now protecting their blueprints to their ice cream that is coming out this year. Why every Superstar they face is obsessed with these blueprints I have no idea. Since losing the United States Championship, Rusev has been relegated to a comedy act. Rusev was once feared as this dominant force, now he is stuck in segments like the one we saw last night.
The Women’s Division On Raw Is The Same Thing Over And Over Again
Charlotte has never lost a match on a WWE PPV, yet is routinely beaten on Monday Night Raw. Last night, she tapped out to the Bank Statement via Sasha Banks. Last week, Charlotte lost her Women’s Championship to Bayley. It was announced that Charlotte will get her rematch for the Raw Women’s Championship at WWE Fastlane. Instead of slowly building Bayley up, she was given the Raw Women’s Championship on a random episode of Raw. Stephanie McMahon wanted Bayley to relinquish the title due to Sasha Banks interfering in her match with Charlotte last week. If Bayley drops the title to Charlotte at Fastlane, that will make Charlotte a 5x Raw Women’s Champion in under a year.
I find it hard to believe that Charlottes undefeated PPV streak would end at Fastlane. It would make much more sense for that moment to happen at Wrestlemania. It also would have made more sense for Bayley to overcome Charlotte and The Authority and finally get her moment at Wrestlemania. Instead, we’ve already seen that moment of her winning the Raw Women’s Championship. The other option is for Bayley to retain and face either Sasha Banks or Nia Jax at Wrestlemania. The problem with that is that Nia Jax receives virtually no reaction from the WWE Universe. Sasha Banks has zero momentum right now and Wrestlemania is five weeks away. It just seems like the better story would have been to hold Bayley down until Wrestlemania. Charlotte could have screwed Bayley out of winning the Raw Women’s Championship until the biggest show of the year.
Roman Reigns Is In No Man’s Land
Roman Reigns has gotten his ass kicked two weeks in a row by Braun Strowman. Reigns will face Strowman at WWE Fastlane. If he defeats Strowman at Fastlane, people will be pissed off. If Reigns loses, what does he do at Wrestlemania? As of now, Roman Reigns is not a part of a major match at Wrestlemania. I’m not sure if the WWE thought that placing Reigns in Handicap matches would cause the audience to be more receptive to him. Whatever they were going for, it hasn’t worked at all.
Michael Cole made it a point to say that Roman Reigns sent a message after he beatdown Gallows & Anderson. I have zero clue what that message is supposed to be. Is Reigns going to face Strowman at Fastlane and then again at Wrestlemania? Reigns is a no win situation right now. If he gets thrust into the Universal Championship picture before Wrestlemania, people will get pissed off. If he is not a part of a major match at Wrestlemana, that feels like a waste. Say what you want about Roman Reigns, at the very least he generates a reaction from the WWE Universe. Right now, he seems to be in a position where the WWE Universe does not want him to succeed, yet the WWE still wants him to be a top guy.
Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view saw Kevin Owens retain the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns in a very physical no disqualification match. With Chris Jericho suspended high above the ring in a shark cage, Braun Strowman stormed the ring, laid waste to Reigns and handed another victory to KO. Following Owens’ successful defense, Dave Meltzer of f4wonline.com has revealed WWE’s plans for the Universal Championship through WrestleMania 33.
As of this writing, the plan is for Kevin Owens to defend the Universal Championship against Bill Goldberg at Fastlane, which takes place on Sunday, March 5th. The big scoop is that the Universal Championship will not be defended at RAW live events following Fastlane, a strong indication that Goldberg will be the man to end KO’s title reign.
The scenario is already being compared to The Rock and Brock Lesnar’s most recent WWE title runs, with part-time stars being used to elevate the title without having to work live events.
Goldberg as Universal Champion also means the big showdown with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania will be a title match. Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho has been long rumored for Mania, so perhaps Jericho will have a hand in Owens losing his prized possession at Fastlane.
Discussion: What do you think of the possibility Goldberg as Universal Champion?
WWE’s “show of shows” is officially returning to the Big Easy in 2018. The company confirmed on Monday that next year’s WrestleMania 34 pay-per-view will take place from New Orleans, Louisiana at the Superdome.
The news was first reported by Ryan Satin at Pro Wrestling Sheet.
WrestleMania 30 was a huge success for the local economy and it looks like New Orleans’ made a bid WWE couldn’t refuse.
Since returning to WWE in 2011, The Rock has appeared at each Wrestlemania over the past five years. He hasn’t wrestled a real match on the grandest stage of them all since Wrestlemania 29 in 2013, but he’s had three huge promos and interacted with many different personalities and added something to the show.
Next year, Wrestlemania 33 hails from Orlando, not far from Rock’s hometown of Miami. The latest ads for WrestleMania 33 feature both The Rockand there are reports going around he’ll be making more than just a cameo appearance at the event.
Wrestlemania 33 could present an interesting situation for The Rock in Orlando. It could be the perfect place for The People’s Champion to enter wrestling immortality and become a WWE Hall of Famer in during Wrestlemania weekend. As the highest paid movie star in the world, the sexiest man walking God’s green earthand a potential Presidential candidate, The Rock is on top of the world. A Hall of Fame induction sounds like a great way to involve The Rock in a meaningful way and honor not only his time in the business, but his willingness to give back and return to WWE when he certainly didn’t have to.
First and foremost, he may give the greatest induction speech in history. Not only that, but there are many people that could induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Vince McMahon, Triple H, and others would add additional hype to the ceremony and make it must see.
For the past few years, Wrestlemania weekend has become a full four-day extravaganza. Traditionally, the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony took place on Saturday night, Wrestlemania on Sunday, and then Raw on Monday night. This year was the first time WWE had an NXT Takeover special on Friday night as well. Next year’s Wrestlemania 33 weekend from Orlando will see more changes to the four-day weekend.
The new schedule calls for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday night, NXT Takeover on Saturday, and then Wrestlemania and Raw will go on as usual. There are many benefits to the new schedule, but the reasoning is said to be mostly for convenience. In previous years, NXT would be set up in a different arena. With the old schedule, the staff would have to set up NXT Takeover, take it down to set up the Hall of Fame, and then set up for Raw on Monday.
The new schedule means the staff will set up the Hall of Fame, take it down, and then set up for NXT, Raw, and SmackDown. It’ll be a much easier process for everyone involved for the grueling five-day schedule.
– As noted last week, Vader was involved in a serious car accident last Tuesday that left him trapped upside down for more than 30 minutes while unconscious. Vader tweeted this photo of his wrecked car, noting that he rolled over twice.
Rolled it over twice I was loke a giant penatta That bigdent is where my head was A very thanful Vader Time pic.twitter.com/hQ0buFnVQs
– Here’s the official logo for WWE’s new 205 Live cruiserweight series, which premieres on the WWE Network next Tuesday November 29th following SmackDown Live on the USA Network.
