Former WWE Superstar Brad Maddox confirmed that the release from WWE last week came after a bad choice of word he uttered during a dark match at the Smackdown tapings.
During his appearance on Busted Open SiriusXM Radio, Maddox said that he used the word “pricks” during a pre-match promo and it did not go down very well with those backstage. Maddox said that the choice of word really angered Vince McMahon and he was given the pink slip the day after it happened.
Maddox, whose real name is Tyler Kluttz, added that he was surprised that he got fired as Vince was really digging the idea of him teaming up with Adam Rose.
This week’s Raw did 3,168,000 viewers, up from the 2,964,000 viewers it did last week which was a new low record in 20 years. The show only increased by 204,000 viewers compared to last week whereas last week the show dropped 328,000 viewers from the previous week.
First hour did 3,309,000 viewers, followed by 3,190,000 in the second hour, and then down to 3,005,000 in the third and final hour.
The show placed in 5th, 6th, and 7th place in the 18-49 demo ratings with 1.02, 1.05, and 1.05 for the three hours while in terms of total viewership it placed 3rd, 4th, and 6th. (Ratings credit: ShowBuzzDaily.com)
Lana fired a shot at WWE last night on Twitter as she continues to walk on a fine line due to her personal relationship with Rusev and what is expected of her as an on-screen character.
“No human being will tell me who to love. It’s my choice & my life & I am proud to live with my consequences,” she wrote on Twitter. She later wrote another message saying, “Courage is doing what is right regardless of circumstances or consequences.”
Lana is not the most popular person in the locker room at the moment, especially among creative and management due to her attitude and due to the way she revealed to the world that she was engaged to Rusev in the middle of a storyline where they were supposed to be enemies.
There are rumors that she and Rusev were not aware that Ryback was going to tell everyone that he heard she “went all the way” with Dolph Ziggler on Raw.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is gracing the cover of the December 2015 edition of Muscle & Fitness Magazine, who named the former WWE champion as the Man of the Century.
The magazine dedicated a massive 22 page spread with exclusive photos shot at a gym as well as a big interview. Johnson also penned the guest editor’s letter who said that during the lowest point of his life, this magazine was his rock. “After 75yrs of the iconic magazine’s existence, I was chosen by Muscle & Fitness to be their first ever Man of the Century. Truly an honor,” Johnson wrote in an earlier post on his Instagram.
This is Johnson’s 7th cover on Muscle & Fitness, having previously appeared in June 2002, November 2003, March 2010, May 2013, March 2014, and September 2014. You can check out the whole pictorial and story as well as one page dedicated to WWE Superstar Cesaro who is also featured in the mag, below.
NXT coach William Regal will be holding two shows in the United Kingdom when NXT crosses the pond in a few days.
William Regal: An Audience With A Wrestling Villain, a show presented by ErosComedy, will see Regal take center stage and demonstrates his diversity as a pure showman and old-school comedian, sharing more than 30 years of unforgettable personal stories and wild experiences both in and out of the squared circle.
The first show will be on Wednesday, December 9, at The Westovian Theater in South Shields, Newcastle, while the second show will be ob Thursday, December 17, at The Forum in Nottingham. Tickets are being sold at skiddle.com with VIP tickets which include a meet & greet going for £40 while a regular ticket is selling for £20.
NXT will be touring from December 10 to December 16, culminating with a live NXT Takeover: London show on the WWE Network. Regal’s shows will be just before and after the tour.
NXT’s Sami Zayn will be returning at the upcoming NXT tour in the United Kingdom.
The Canadian born of Syrian descent has been off WWE television since late May as he had to undergo shoulder surgery to repair an injury he sustained during his U.S. Title Open Challenge match against John Cena in his home town of Montreal. At that month’s NXT Takeover: Unstoppable, Zayn lost his NXT title rematch against Kevin Owens as he was unable to continue, a match which was his last one for 2015.
WWE posted a video on YouTube today announcing Zayn’s return to the UK NXT tour however the video is geo locked to those behind a British IP address. It was not stated if he will be actually wrestling or just making appearances.
Two title matches have been added to the TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view after Roman Reigns defeated Sheamus by disqualification on Raw. Although he did not win the title, Reigns won by DQ in less than 5:15 as the stipulation stated, giving Ambrose and The Usos a title match on the December pay-per-view.
The two new matches are Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental title and The New Day vs The Lucha Dragons vs The Usos in a triple threat tag team match for the Tag Team titles.
The only other match announced for the show is Sheamus vs Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight title in a TLC match.
Former ECW champion Tommy Dreamer made a surprise return last night on Monday Night Raw, teaming up with his Dudley Boyz friends to take on the Wyatt Family.
Dreamer actually works for TNA Wrestling although he is not signed to an exclusive deal. He mainly works as a producer and was supposed to go to India with the company this past weekend for the three live events there but the whole deal fell apart allowing him to make his return. Dreamer is also apparently scheduled to appear at Smackdown tonight as well.
“SHHHHH. I’M BACK. AND I’M HERE,” wrote Dreamer on Twitter afterward. The Innovator of Violence was also part of the Raw dark match after the show went off the air and teamed with Dudley Boyz and Kane to take on all four members of the Wyatt Family.
Dreamer was allowed to sport the House of Hardcore t-shirt, which is his promotion. This past May he also made a surprise appearance at NXT, managed by Joey Styles, to take on Baron Corbin in Philadelphia. It’s not known if he signed a full time deal with WWE or it’s just a temporary deal.
Monday Night Raw TV Report for November 30th, 2015 – “A Chance With ‘A New League’”
Introduction Segment: Welcoming and Arena Promo
Michael Cole salutes us from Pittsburgh as confetti drops from the ceiling. Tag-Team Champions The New Day are out to celebrate a birthday; but first they make fun of Pittsburgh’s NFL football team, The Steelers. Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Big E. reveal that it is Sheamus’ birthday, and want him to join them.
The WWE World Heavyweight Champion walks out, donned in a suit and his mohawk slicked back. He is overjoyed with New Day’s props, thanking them as well as The Authority for giving him the chance. He also acknowledges Roman Reigns for not siding with Triple H, as if that had happened, Sheamus says that him being WWE World Heavyweight Champion “may not have happened.”
The party continues as they all dance around and make fun of Reigns’ short championship holding at Survivor Series, lasting only five minutes and fifteen seconds. Sheamus declares a new phrase, “Sheamus 5:15 says ‘I just kicked your arse!’” His music plays and he continues to be proud with pyro going off, but as he turns around from the turnbuckle, Sheamus is given a Superman Punch by a run-in from Roman, who then walks away with the title and holds it up on the stage!
Commercials.
Segment #2: Backstage Promo
Roman Reigns, still with the WWE Title, The Usos, and Dean Ambrose are discussing his move. Triple H and Stephanie walk up and demand him to return the championship. He does hand it over, but warns them to inform Sheamus that he’ll get it again at TLC on December 13th. “The Game” tells Reigns that Sheamus actually wants to face him tonight, for the Championship, so that will happen! Stephanie puts the stipulation on it though; Reigns has to win in less than 5:15.
Match #1: Single – Tyler Breeze (with Summer Rae) VS. Dolph Ziggler
Dolph trips up Tyler and they trade amateur holds and runs. Breeze hits a nice dropkick and begins to take over. He clamps on a grounding front-facelock, but Ziggler works his way out, however Tyler slams his had to the mat. Dolph counters with a roll-up, but Tyler catches a superkick and tries a roll-up of his own for two! Dolph runs into the corner, but misses and hits the post, tumbling to the floor.
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Breeze has gone back to the grounding front-facelock, but Dolph again gets out of it. He runs at him with a couple clotheslines, then drops an elbow. He goes for his version of “Sweet Chin Music” (Superkick) but Tyler counters and moves. They switch a couple more roll-throughs and Breeze snaps Dolph back with a bow-and-arrow backbreaker.
Ziggler kicks him off, but Breeze dropkicks Dolph’s knee. They go back-and-forth with more pin combos, then Ziggler hits the Superkick and covers to get the hard-wrestled victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Dolph Ziggler
Up next, MizTV is back with Rusev and Lana, who are apparently together again.
Commercials.
Segment #3: Arena Promo
The Miz is in the ring with Rusev, who doesn’t get much talking in as Rusev unleashes his feelings over the last month of being injured. The fans start to chant “we want Lana,” which Rusev says cannot happen, as she is his spouse. He says that during his time out-of-action, it was only Lana who comforted him back to health.
Upon his request, Lana walks out all smiles and hugs him in the ring. Miz recaps their “tumultuous” history, and cannot seem to grasp their reconciliation. Lana declares that it was love that conquered, and says “I never went all the way with Dolph.” (The fans call out “yes you did…!”) She calls him her “Bulgarian Sunshine,” and Rusev also says he “did not go all the way with Summer either.” (Not much of a response from the crowd on that one.) He proclaims his love and then they make-out until Ryback interrupts.
He stands in the aisle and laughs, poking fun at the pair in the ring. He wants to go against Rusev now, which he will!
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Match #2: Single – Rusev (with Lana) VS. Ryback
Rusev is dominating, ramming Ryback’s head into the turnbuckle multiple times and his shoulder into “The Big Guy’s” gut. Ryback counters a run with a Lou Thesz Press, then shoulder-rams him too and dives off the middle turnbuckle with a dropkick! They battle on the outside, with Ryback shoving Rusev into both the corner barricade and steps. The stairs ended up hitting Lana, who goes to the floor. The referee starts the count, and Rusev chooses to help his fiancé instead.
Winner via Count-Out: Ryback
Post-match, Rusev walks Lana gingerly and yells at Ryback for hurting her.
Segment #4: Office Promo
Triple H is texting on his phone when Dean Ambrose walks up. He applauds “The Lunatic Fringe” for winning the #1 Contender’s Spot to Kevin Owens’ Intercontinental Championship; the two will square off at T.L.C. HHH informs Ambrose that if Roman Reigns doesn’t win his bout tonight, then both Reigns and Ambrose himself will have their title opportunities at TLC taken away.
The Dudley Boyz make their entrance, grasping tables. Cole speculates why, which we should find out after the break!
Commercials.
Segment #5: Arena Promo
Bubba Ray and D-Von are in the ring amidst more cloth-covered tables. They address The Wyatt Family for trying to take them out, but cannot give them proper recognition, since they didn’t take them completely out. The “brothers” take the cloths off the tables which shows each of the Wyatt Family’s names on them. They challenge the four to fight; The Wyatt Family appears on stage and Bray accepts for all. He only sends down Harper, Rowan, and Strowman, though; but Bubba and D-Von match them! The tag-team talk about family, and introduce the return of one of theirs: Tommy Dreamer!
The ECW original walks through the fans to a major pop, carrying a trashcan full of foreign objects with him. He enters the ring and the seven men face-off, with loud calls of “this is awesome!” from the fans.
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Match #3: Six-Man Tag-Team – The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) and Tommy Dreamer VS. The Wyatt Family (Braun Strowman, Erik Rowan, and Luke Harper) (with Wyatt Family member Bray Wyatt)
Luke is dominating until Tommy gets the tag; he almost gets his DDT in, but Harper counters then switches with Braun. “The Black Sheep” kick at then smacks Dreamer, then Rowan presses his closed fists against Tommy’s head. “The Innovator Of Violence” moves from a running-senton by Rowan and high-fives Ray for the hot-tag!
Bubba is all over Luke until this breaks down, with all six going at it and forcing the referee to call for the bell, signaling a double-sq.
Winners: None due to Double-Disqualification
Post-match, The Wyatt Family gets the better, and Strowman sets up a table in the corner. Bray is standing on the apron, but then is pushed through a table on the outside by Bubba! The Dudleyz and Dreamer back up the aisle as Strowman, Harper, and Rowan help their leader.
Commercials.
Match #4: Single – Goldust VS. United States Champion Alberto Del Rio (with Zeb Colter)
Prior to the contest, Zeb and Del Rio cut another promo dismissing the fans and Goldust. “The Bizarre One” takes exception and slaps Alberto hard. Charles Robinson, the referee, rings the bell and Del Rio fires back with punches. Goldust gears up with a big powerslam and tries to run the United States Champ into the corner, but is shoved. Alberto climbs the turnbuckle and jumps off with a double-stomp, taking this one!
Winner via Pinfall: United States Champion Alberto Del Rio (with Zeb Colter)
Post-match, Alberto continues with the attack, locking on the Cross-Armbreaker. Jack Swagger charges out and makes the save, running Del Rio and Colter off. Loud “USA” and “We The People” chants are ring out.
Segment #6: Backstage Promo
Charlotte is looking at her Divas Championship when Becky Lynch walks up. She tells Charlotte to forget about Paige, and the way to do that is to wrestler her, like they used to in NXT. Charlotte reminds Lynch to not let Paige mess around with her, and Lynch does admit that Paige talked to her earlier, but she really wants to wrestle Charlotte just for fun; even in a non-title match. Charlotte agrees, as long as her father, Ric Flair can join as a manager. Of course, Becky gives approval, then the “Nature Boy” himself shows up and is happy with his daughter.
The Lucha Dragons enter the arena and will take on The Usos to see who will go against The New Day for the Tag Team Titles!
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Match #5: Tag-Team to determine the #1 Contenders for the Tag Team Championship – The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) VS. The Usos (Jimmy and Jey)
(Note: Tag Team Champions The New Day are on commentary.) Kalisto and one Uso begin quickly, then the other Uso is tagged in and they double-team the Lucha. Kalisto comes back and tags in Cara, who helps Kalisto with a monkey-flip splash! Kalisto is back, giving the Uso twin a tornado headscissors. Unfortunately, The New Day interject themselves shortly after and cause a double-sq.
Winners: No Contest due to Interference
Team B.A.D. are shown walking through the halls as up next, Brie Bella will take on Sasha Banks!
Commercials.
Segment #6: Backstage Promo
Usos and Luchas are arguing around Stephanie and she finally understands what they want. She gives The Luchas a spot to wrestle The New Day at T.L.C. for the Tag-Team Championship, and is willing to do the same for the Twins, only if their family, Roman Reigns, wins tonight.
Match #6: Single – Brie Bella (with Team Bella partner Alicia Fox) VS. Sasha Banks (with Team B.A.D. members Tamina and Naomi)
They start out even until Sasha gets the better. She mocks Brie, and Naomi and Tamina put Alicia to the floor on the outside. Sasha continues to control with mud-hole stomps, and she wears down Brie with a surfboard stretch a bit later. She places Bella atop the turnbuckle, but Brie hits back and jumps off the middle turnbuckle with a missile dropkick. She kicks away repeatedly at Banks’ chest, but is distracted by Naomi and Tamina. Sasha grabs her from behind and snaps her with the Bank Statement, forcing her to tap to the Crossface.
Winner via Submission: Sasha Banks (with Team B.A.D. members Tamina and Naomi)
Roman Reigns is warming up when The Usos and Dean Ambrose help him hype for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match, which is surprisingly next!
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Match #7: Single for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Roman Reigns (Challenger) VS. Sheamus (Champion) (Stipulation: Roman must win in five minutes and fifteen seconds, or he, Dean Ambrose, and The Usos loser their championship matches at Tables, Ladders, and Chairs.)
Roman quickly rolls up Sheamus a few times, but Sheamus soon governs after running Reigns into the ring post. Sheamus works over Roman with a grounding rear chinlock, but Reigns battles out. he hits another clothesline and a big boot for two! Sheamus goes to the outside, but Roman follows and tosses him back in the ring.
Reigns gives the WWE World Heavyweight Champion a Samoan Drop! 1 – 2 – Sheamus kicks out! Roman gears up for the Superman Punch, but Sheamus breaks to the floor. He hurls Reigns over the commentator’s table, but Roman shoves Sheamus into the ring post. He puts him back inside the squared circle with under a minute to go!
He signals for another Superman Punch, but Rusev yanks him out of the ring, causing a DQ!
Winner via Disqualification but NOT WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Roman Reigns
Post-match, Sheamus revels in his keeping of the WWE Title, and then announces his new group, The League Of Nations, made up of United States Champion Alberto Del Rio, King Barrett, and Rusev.
Commercials.
The announcer’s let us know that tonight’s main-event is now an Eight-Man Tag-Team with Reigns, Ambrose, and The Usos wrestling The League Of Nations.
Match #8: Single – Divas Champion Charlotte (with Ric Flair) VS. Becky Lynch (Non-Title)
(Note: Paige is on commentary.) an elbow/collar tie-up begins, and they trade wristlocks. Lynch turns hers into an armlock, but Charlotte sweeps her down. She leapfrogs Becky, but Lynch turns it into a side headlock takedown and kicks off a Figure-4 attempt.
Charlotte grabs Lynch with a waistlock and trips her face-first, then the two switch around holds and pin combos. Charlotte chops Becky and slams her over with a Figure-4 Necklock. She chops again but Lynch uppercuts back a few times. She hits Charlotte with a springboard kick, but is spider-web rolled for a two-count!
Lynch whips Charlotte into the corner, but the Divas Champ hops over her; she lands on her feet, but appears to have hurt her knee. Ric climbs on the apron, talks to Becky, but Charlotte kips-up and spider-web rolls her again to finish this!
Winner via Pinfall: Divas Champion Charlotte
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Segment #7: Backstage Promo
Becky runs after Charlotte and inquires why she ended the match like that. Charlotte tells Lynch she was trying to make her known to how things really work at Raw, compared to NXT; she also promises they are still friends.
Paige then walks up and teases Becky about not losing their relationship.
Segment #8: Video Promo
Adam Rose has a new storyline, where he dishes his opinion on the “controversies” of WWE; this week is about the reuniting Lana and Rusev, despite their summer soap involving Dolph and Summer too.
Segment #9: Video Promo
Stardust is talking about the Christmas season and asks for The Ascension, but Titus O’Neil appears behind him instead and spooks him off after telling Stardust to enjoy this time of year.
Up next is our main-event!
Commercials.
Match #9: Eight-Man Tag Team – Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) VS. The League Of Nations (WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, King Barrett, United States Champion Alberto Del Rio, and Rusev)
Just before this begins, Tag-Team Champions The New Day strut out and disclose that The Authority has now made this a Seven-On-Four Match, as they are involved!
Match #9: Seven-On-Four Tag Team – Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) VS. The League Of Nations (WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, King Barrett, United States Champion Alberto Del Rio, and Rusev) and Tag-Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E.)
Kofi and Dean start, with Dean giving a flurry of firsts and chops to Kingston in the corner. He throws him to the other corner and then clotheslines and scoop-slams him. Ambrose tags in an Uso, who headbutts Kofi and then tags in his cousin. Reigns drops an elbow on the Tag-Team Champions, then switches with his other cousin Jimmy.
Kofi manages to tag in Xavier, who punches Jimmy in the corner. Jimmy rolls through on a whip and hits Woods down, then all four faces mudhole-stomp Xavier. On the outside, the rest of The League Of Nations drag Woods away for a break.
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Del Rio and Jey are wrestling, and he drags the Uso twin to the heel corner. Woods is back but is double-teamed by the Twins. Jimmy boots Xavier out of the corner and leaps over him and lands on his feet, but his knee appears to be injured. The League work him over for a while until Reigns runs in and hammers Sheamus. Referee Robinson forces Reigns back and The League continue to govern.
Kofi soars off the top with an axe-handle but Jimmy counters with an uppercut. He plants him with a Samoan Drop and goes to run at him in the corner, but Xavier distracts Robinson and Rusev clotheslines him! Jimmy is focused on by his teammates on the outside as he has seemingly hurt his knee.
Commercials.
Jimmy was dragged away by referees, so now it is just Roman, Dean, and Jey to face The New Day and The League Of Nations. The heels continue to dominate over Jey for a while. Uso manages to make the hot-tag to Reigns, who cleans house on League and New Day. He runs after Sheamus on the outside, and delivers the Drive-By running front-dropkick to both Kofi and Xavier! He is thrown into the steps though and rolled back into the ring by Rusev.
Del Rio is in for a bit, but misses a front-dropkick through the ropes, and Roman tags in Ambrose! “The Lunatic Fringe” cleans house on his opponents, particularly Sheamus. He gives the WWE World Heavyweight Champion a bulldog out of the corner, then counters and hits a clothesline. He rockets off the top turnbuckle to the rest of Sheamus’ partners on the outside, then tosses Sheamus to the outside and runs himself through the ropes! He throws Sheamus back in the ring and dives off the top with an elbow-clothesline for a near-fall!
This breaks down again, and Ambrose fights off Xavier and Barrett, but turns around into a Brogue Kick! Sheamus covers and receives the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: The League Of Nations and The New Day
Post-match, League Of Nations and New Day continue to beat down their rivals until Reigns makes the save. However, the two factions are too strong and Sheamus Brogue Kicks Roman. He is held up over their shoulders to close the show.
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings
This was a confusing Raw! It had some great wrestling, but storyline-wise, the show seemed very mixed-up! Onto my analysis for the details:
Excellence: wrestling between Ziggler/Breeze, Brie/Sasha, and Lynch/Charlotte.
LOVED the return of Tommy Dreamer; he was a true surprise, even though my Dad and I were expecting Spike. While I thought that The Wyatts should’ve split after getting defeated by ‘Taker and Kane at Survivor Series, I am liking their new feud with The Dudleyz and Dreamer, as it should be very physical and brutal!
Bogus: lack-of-continuity. To start, when did Lana and Rusev suddenly make-up and why? (I know they’re a couple in real-life, but this should’ve been played out more on TV, not just an out-of-nowhere reuniting.
All night, Roman Reigns had the deck stacked against him all night, but comes out on top in a stupid, non-suspenseful way. Firstly, the match/stipulation shouldn’t have happened to begin with, but since it did, I at least would’ve Roman to win by DQ with a few seconds left, not over 30, for drama!
Where was I.C. Champ Kevin Owens? Truly missed his presence tonight!
I’m liking that Charlotte may start to become more like her daddy in the ring, but I feel her interaction/attitude with Becky after the match was also too sudden; it would’ve been better if it was a simple “I’m sorry, I just needed to get the win.” The arrogant side was too much too soon.
Until Smackdown!, when hopefully some of the above issues are cleared up, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Fans!
It will be interesting to see how WWE tackles tonight’s Monday Night Raw as it tries to rebound from the lowest number in nearly two decades and a 2.16 cable rating that surely must have rang the alarm bells at WWE Headquarters.
Only 2,964,000 viewers tuned in last week to see the fallout from the Survivor Series and new champion Sheamus. The show lost 328,000 viewers from the previous week and nearly half a million from hour one to hour three. Hour two and three did not break the 3 million viewers mark.
PWInsider.com is reporting that Ric Flair is in the building and is written into the script to further the angle between Paige and the Divas champion Charlotte. The WWE.COM 5 point Raw preview does not list any matches yet and it pushes the angles with Reigns, Ambrose, Wyatts, New Day, and the Divas title picture.
TNA’s Matt Hardy was hospitalized last night and needed 38 stitches to close a head wound after he was on the receiving end of a nasty guitar shot.
Hardy, who was WrestleCade’s champion, lost the title to Jeff Jarrett at the WrestleCade IV event in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The 41 year old was admitted to a hospital and kept overnight for observation. Hardy posted the very graphic photos of the head wound and his face in a crimson mask. “A frustrating 13 hours. Ready to get home to my wife & baby,” he then tweeted.
Hardy thanked fans for their support and concern and told Ethan Carter III, who interfered in the match, that he will “end him.”
You can check out the photo of Hardy busted wide open and the video of how the whole thing went down below.
Thanks for all your concern, SMF. Staying overnight at the hospital for observation. Gotta take care of my brain. pic.twitter.com/LJuvGWVziu
In an interview with Jim Varsallone of the Miami Herald, Pop President Brad Schwartz discussed how the deal with TNA came about, meeting TNA months ago which confirms that Destination America had long given TNA notice of their removal from the network.
Recalling the meeting the company had with Dixie Carter and TNA officials, Schwartz said that Pop’s marketing, programming, communications, and research team were all in on the meeting and representatives from CBS and Lionsgate, who jointly own the station, sat at the table as well.
“We were on their list of calls, and they came in [about a couple of months ago], and we had our entire team meet with them and listen to the pitch and listen to what they wanted to do — where they saw the company going, where they saw [pro wrestling] going. That’s how it came to our attention,” Schwartz remarked.
Schwartz said that the decision to give TNA a shot came the day after the meeting. “I’m not spinning this in any way. It’s the truth. When we knew this meeting was happening, there were people like me. I grew up watching wrestling, and I remember going to WrestleMania, and I had my own wrestling name, when I was younger, when we joked around in the basement,” he said.
Calling Dixie Carter “impressive,” Schwartz said that by the time the meeting ended, she had won everyone in the room with her “amazing spirit” and “good, positive energy.”
WWE Diva Lana has reportedly been cleared to return to the ring following surgery on her wrist. She was backstage at Raw in Nashville, Tennessee, a place she now calls home. Rusev, who’s also been out injured, made his return on that show as well.
Lana suffered the wrist injury while training in the ring before the Smackdown tapings in the first week of September. She required surgery, putting her out of the storyline with Dolph Ziggler, Rusev, and Summer Rae.
The popular WWE Diva is said to have “nuclear heat” backstage due to the way her real-life engagement with Rusev was leaked to TMZ and her recent Twitter spat with Paige where she accused the former two time Divas champion of bullying her while in NXT. Many within WWE feel that it was her who leaked the engagement story to TMZ to get back at the company for the recent storyline. Several cryptic tweets from her account also suggest that she wasn’t happy with how she was being used.
Lana has been training at the WWE Performance Center recently in anticipation of her return.
Former WWE Intercontinental champion Santino Marella got married yesterday according to a tweet he posted yesterday. “Thank you God for the perfect weather on my wedding day, I promise to pay it forward,” he wrote, later adding that it rained, but only sprinkling.
The 41 year old Canadian of Italian descent has been used very rarely on WWE television over the past couple of years mainly due to several neck injuries that required surgery last year. He’s been employed with WWE since 2005.
Marella, whose real name is Anthony Carelli, has a teenager daughter named Bianca.
W-O reader Dr. Harold Washington Jr., sent in word that advertising at The Forum in Inglewood, California for the WWE non-televised live event tour in December has been changed and John Cena is no longer being advertised to appear.
Upon further checks, Cena has indeed been taken out from the advertising on The Forum’s website as well as the WWE.COM entry of the event. Roman Reigns, Sheamus, and Brock Lesnar are the main men being advertised with appearances from Kane, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens, and others.
This was supposed to be Cena’s first return to the ring since he’s been gone to film the American Grit reality television show for Fox. This non-televised live event will take place on December 19.
Thursday Night Smackdown! TV Report for November 26th, 2015
Introduction Segment: Welcoming and Arena Promo
The regular Smackdown! video plays then Roman Reigns’ music plays. He approaches the ring, contains the objects for TLC, while still-pictures of Survivor Series and video of Raw is shown. Roman stands and talks about his childhood when he wrestled with his cousins, The Usos. Reigns recalls their wrestling was a dream at that point, but a Survivor Series, the dream had come true when he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. However, that dream was crushed after Sheamus blindsided him and stole the title with his Money In The Bank briefcase.
The WWE World Heavyweight Champion himself interrupts and stands on the stage, making fun of Roman’s five-minute-and-fifteen-second hold on the title. Sheamus relishes in ruining Reigns’ time, and now being the champion. Reigns challenges Sheamus to meet him in the ring, which Sheamus answers by starting to walk down but then he backs away; he wants to wait until T.L.C.
Roman pronounces what he’s going to do to Sheamus, which involves a Superman Punch and Power bomb as well as the table and chair. He warns that he will then ascend the rungs and take the title!
Later tonight, United States Champion Alberto Del Rio will take on Jack Swagger, while Dean Ambrose, Tyler Breeze, and Dolph Ziggler will face off to determine a number one contender to Kevin Owens’ Intercontinental Championship!
The Dudley Boyz will be in action, next!
Commercials.
Match #1: Tag-Team – The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) VS. The Wyatt Family (Braun Strowman and Erik Rowan) (with Wyatt Family members Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper)
The “brothers” double-team Rowan with a suplex, then Bubba squares off with Braun. They both struggle with a wristlock that Ray locked on, but Strowman tosses him across the ring and gives him a big scoop-slam. Braun misses a run in the corner and Bubba begins to hammer away, but “The Black Sheep” turns it around and presses his foot on Bubba’s head. He distracts the referee so Luke can kick him in the head from the outside.
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The Wyatts are continuing the domination over Ray, trading tags. Bubba manages to crawl to D-Von for the hot-tag, who cleans house on Erik. Both D-Von and Bubba push Braun outside the ring, then give Rowan a back/neckbreaker drop combo. Ray orders D-Von to “get the table,” but before they can use it, Harper enters and attacks, causing the dq.
Winners via Disqualification: The Dudley Boyz
Post-match, the entire Wyatt Family decimate The Boyz.
Commercials.
Segment #2: Video Promo
Tag-Team Champions The New Day advertise “Black Friday” deals for Christmas sales at WWE Shop in their comic glory!
Match #2: Single – Paige VS. Becky Lynch
Becky catches Paige right away with a roll-up but only gets a quick two. She armdrags Paige a couple times, then Paige needs to go to the outside for a break. She slowly approaches the ring again, but plays a mind game with Lynch. She re-enters but is tripped up. Paige scurries to the bottom rope and kicks Becky down, then rams her head into the top turnbuckle. she kicks Lynch hard, then gives her a fall-away slam.
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Paige has a surfboard stretch clamped on, which Becky tries to get out of. She stands up, but Paige puts her to the canvas again, then stretches her against the middle and top rope. She punches and kicks Lynch in the corner, then yanks her out and goes back to the surfboard. Paige knees Becky in the corner, but Becky comes back with another roll-up and a clothesline.
Lynch chucks Paige with a t-bone suplex for a near-fall but is swept up. Becky reverses into a roll-up but Paige kicks out! Lynch runs into the ropes and Paige rolls her up for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Paige
Segment #3: Backstage Promo
Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston are having a Thanksgiving feast with Team B.A.D. when Heath Slater walks in. he has a dish of his “Slater Slaw,” which also has a band-aid in it! Adam Rose contributes Rabbit Stew, but The Ascension – Konnor and Viktor – bring nothing. The New Day realize neither has the turkey, until Xavier Woods enters dressed as “The Gobbledy Gooker!” The trio talk about their upcoming bout with The Lucha Dragons while Woods goes to “spread holiday cheer.”
Zeb Colter and U.S. Champ Alberto Del Rio make their entrance for Del Rio’s upcoming contest with Jack Swagger.
Commercials.
Match #3: Single – United States Champion Alberto Del Rio (with Zeb Colter) VS. Jack Swagger (Non-Title)
Prior to the bout, Colter and Del Rio cut a promo about Swagger and the crowd being “a hater” on their union.
They lockup and go back-and-forth until Mike Chioda, the referee, break them up. Jack is aggressive with shoulder-rams in the corner, then rolls up Alberto for a quick one! He sweeps up The Champ and punches, but is soon put to the mat with a DDT. Del Rio starts to wear him down with a rear chinlock, then leaps off the middle turnbuckle with a double-stomp. He punches away in the corner, but Jack comes back, even clotheslining Alberto over the corner barrier! Swagger then approaches Zeb, but Alberto smacks him with a chair, causing a dq.
Winner via Disqualification: Jack Swagger
Post-match, Del Rio continues the assault but argues with Chioda over the chair. Jack takes advantage and grabs the chair, then whales on the U.S. Champion furiously. Swagger stands tall in the ring, holding the chair above, while Del Rio and Colter retreat to the stage.
Segment #4: Backstage Promo
Jimmy and Jey run into The Gobbledy Gooker in the hallway, but know it is really Xavier Woods. They scheme a plan and walk off.
The Luchas make their entrance to wrestle The New Day, next!
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Match #4: Tag-Team – The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) VS. Tag-Team Champions The New Day (Big E. and Kofi Kingston) (with Tag-Team Champion New Day partner Xavier Woods/“The Gobbledy Gooker”
Kalisto and Kofi start out, and then both Dragons double-team Kingston impressively after Kalisto tags out. Kingston counters with a boot out of the corner, and then jumps off with a hurricanrana, but Sin reverses into a sunset-flip pin for two! Big E. is in, but is soon dropkicked out and Cara follows up with a dive through the ropes! He is quickly put back to the floor and taunted over by Big.
Commercials.
The New Day double-team Cara and work him over for a while. E. splashes Cara, but Sin kicks out after two! Big runs into the corner, but Cara moves and E. hits the ring post. Sin makes the hot-tag and Kalisto is all over Kofi! He hits a springboard-tornado-crossbody, then a running-hurricanrana. He approaches Kofi, but is swept up and Kingston tries pinning with his feet on the ropes. Gooker pushes Kofi’s feet off, which the partner/Tag-Team Champ can’t believe. Kalisto grabs Kingston from behind and gives him his reverse-snapmare-reverse DDT to finish this one!
Winners via Pinfall: The Lucha Dragons
Post-match, The Gobblety is really revealed to be Jimmy Uso after Jey brings out Xavier, only dressed in his boxers and socks! Jey superkicks Woods in the ring, then Jimmy splashes him from the top rope while still in The Gooker costume. The Usos and Luchas celebrate.
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Segment #5: Video Promo
A look back at The Undertaker’s incredible twenty-five-consecutive-year WWE career is shown.
Segment #6: Backstage Promo
Rene Young interviews Dean Ambrose about his upcoming opportunity to become number one contender. Dean says that everything that has happen since last Sunday’s Survivor Series has not been luck; instead it was the fact of just being better. He tells us and Rene that will be the same tonight for him.
Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens joins commentary.
Commercials.
Match #5: Triple-Threat for the #1 Contender’s Spot to the Intercontinental Championship – Tyler Breeze (with Summer Rae) VS. Dolph Ziggler VS. Dean Ambrose
Dolph gives chase to Tyler first, then is rolled up by Dean after clotheslining Breeze to the floor. Ziggler kicks out and locks on a grounding side headlock. The two go at it until Tyler clotheslines Dolph and Ambrose springboard-planchas onto Breeze! Dolph hits back with a clothesline then gets in the face of Kevin Owens.
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Breeze is now in control over Dean, but “The Lunatic Fringe” begins to punch back. He goes for his slingshot-clothesline, but Tyler holds his feet while Ziggler kicks him on the outside. “The Show-Off” then dominates Breeze, hitting an elbow drop and a smacking dropkick! He plants Dean with the Fameasser but only gets two! Dolph gears up for a superkick, but is caught slingshot into the turnbuckle.
“Prince Pretty” throws Ambrose out of the ring after Dean clotheslined Dolph and goes for the pin, but Ziggler gets his shoulder up! Ambrose soars off the top turnbuckle with an elbow-clothesline, then all he and Dolph double-crossbody Breeze!
Dean hits a furry of punches on Dolph, but Ziggler hits back with two superkicks on Ambrose and Breeze! He covers but still can’t take this! Breeze sets up Dolph for a suplex, but Ziggler hops out and they trade O’Connor rolls for near-falls! “Prince Pretty” hits the Beauty Shot Spinning-Wheel Kick but is driven to the mat with a Dirty Deeds DDT and the victory by Ambrose!
Winner and NEW #1 Contender: Dean Ambrose
Post-match, Dean and Kevin talk smack at each other, then Ambrose shoves Owens back into the commentator’s chair. The I.C. Champ gets up and in Dean’s face, then walks away with his title to close the show.
A $1,500 donation from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson helped save the life of a puppy and reach the $5,000 goal to operate the 4 month old. All animal lovers knоw that thе love ѕhаrеd bеtwееn a реt like FouFou puppies and thеіr оwnеr іѕ a unіԛuе and unbrеаkаblе bond. And thоugh wе may tеll оur fluffy friends оn a dаіlу bаѕіѕ hоw muсh we lоvе thеm, it ѕееmѕ оur wоrdѕ are falling on deaf еаrѕ. Sаd as thіѕ may ѕееm, dоn’t fеаr, I’m hеrе tо offer уоu fіvе fооl-рrооf wауѕ tо show уоur fоur-lеggеd frіеndѕ juѕt hоw muсh уоu care wіthоut uttering a ѕіnglе wоrd.
The dog, who was named Dwayne “The Rock,” was dumped at North Central Shelter with a large metal wire wrapped around the bottom portion of his mouth. It took bolt cutters for the shelter to remove it. After vets fixed the mouth, they realized that the puppy had a grade 5 heart murmur. Saving SPOT in West Hollywood decided to take the puppy and put a GoFundMe campaign for $5,000 to cover the cost of the operation. They have to give him calming aid for dogs to help with the pain. Pet owner Carrie said that “it can be difficult to deal with our pets when they are suffering from anxiety and pain.”, but sometimes we need to do the best thing for them.
After the former WWE champion saw the story on social media he decided to help. 2 days ago, Johnson left a $1,500 donation with the message, “Stay strong lil’ Rock! Let’s get you taken care of, healed up and feeling better for Christmas. Plus you have a VERY cool name to uphold ;). Got your back ~ Dwayne J.” $5,865 was raised at time of this writing.
The Rock is a big dog lover and frequently posts hilarious photos on his Instagram with his French bulldog he named Hobbs.
KTLA5 has a video story of how it all unfolded which you can see below.
Tickets for the NXT live event on the Friday night before WrestleMania will go on sale on December 19.
The show will be held at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center Arena, an arena which holds nearly 10,000 fans. As things stand, this will not be a Takeover special but rather a non-televised NXT live event like the one in San Jose, California earlier this year.
Despite being a regular house show, NXT is expected to sell out the place and will be one of the hottest tickets in town along with Monday Night Raw.
Ticket prices will be $20, $35, $50, and $75 plus additional fees.
The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Randy Orton will take much longer than expected to return to the ring as after he recovers from shoulder surgery he will have to most likely undergo neck surgery.
While Orton’s neck surgery isn’t as serious as his shoulder injury and will involve removing bone chips, the additional surgery will push his return by around 3 more months at the least. The former WWE champion is already out for six months and was going to miss WrestleMania anyway but now it’s looking more likely for a late Summer or early Fall return.
Orton is one of the handful of Superstars who are missing from television due to injuries and other commitments.
The round of 16 matches in the TNA World Title Series tournament were revealed which include two male on female matches.
The 8 matches are Davey Richards vs Bram, Mahabali Shera vs Eli Drake, Lashley vs Drew Galloway, Gail Kim vs Tigre Uno, Ethan Carter III vs DJZ, Eric Young vs Kenny King, Bobby Roode vs Matt Hardy, and Awesome Kong vs Jessie Godderz.
The round of 16 starts on the December 2 edition of Impact Wrestling on Destination America.
