The Wrestling Observer is reporting that former WWE champion Randy Orton is out with a dislocated shoulder and will be undergoing an MRI to determine the extent of his injury.
Orton was splashed all over the advertising materials for the Mexico tour this past weekend but did not attend any of the shows and also missed Raw. His injury resulted in his tag match with Dean Ambrose vs Luke Harper and Braun Strowman to be removed from the Hell In A Cell Kickoff show. It was replaced by a six-man tag team match.
It’s not known yet how long Orton will be out but if surgery is required it will be a few months before the master of the RKO returns to the ring.
Tyler Breeze has “graduated” from NXT and made his main roster debut yesterday during the Smackdown tapings in Austin, Texas.
The 27 year old Canadian has been locked to a WWE developmental deal since 2010, first debuting as Mike Dalton. After NXT was created, Breeze was given an ultimatum in 2013 to either think of a new gimmick or risk being released and he did just that, making his debut as Tyler Breeze in July of that year.
While he has now moved up to the main roster, Breeze will probably still work NXT shows up to the next Takeover event in London, England.
The fully loaded Raw with Austin, Taker, Lesnar, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair did a total of 3,356,000 viewers, up just 71,000 viewers from last week’s 3,285,000 number.
Hour one started good with 3,600,000 viewers but then dropped to 3,347,000 in the second hour before dropping even more to 3,123,000 in the third hour. (Ratings credit: TV By The Numbers)
WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin welcomed Brock Lesnar to the Stone Cold Podcast yesterday for a rare one hour interview. Austin and Lesnar shook hands and Austin thanked him for stopping by knowing he has limited dates. Lesnar thanked Austin for having him on the show.
The two have known each other since 2002 and Austin says he knew he was a bad ass from the minute he walked in. He said he looks very intimidating but then asked him if he really tries to be imitating and how does he go along with people.
Lesnar said he’s cocky and arrogant but he doesn’t do it on purpose, it’s just the chemistry behind who he is and what he does. When he was a kid he was always beating up the other kids and always had a chip on his shoulder and still does. He never got picked on and he always did the picking.
Lesnar discusses life on a rural farm in South Dakota. He did not have a lot when he was a kid and the family’s income was based on how much milk their cows produced etc. He said some years were better than others but they always lived like they were broke, it was just their way of life. He said he was “married” to farm life, and no matter if it was raining or snowing he had to get his ass out of the bed and go work the farm.
Austin, an avid hunter, asked Lesnar when are the two going to go hunting together. Lesnar said his bigger gear is up north but he’ll check his schedule and promise they’re gonna make it happen.
Lesnar talked about some of the stuff he likes, like his Dodge truck that he calls his baby girl, guns, optics, his favorite food of grilled steak, beer and whiskey, and country music.
Austin asked him if he’s a pro wrestler or sports entertainer, a question which Lesnar took a while to answer. “Is there a difference?” Lesnar asked. He said he’s in the entertainment business as they put asses into seats and he’s very fortunate to do this and make a lot of money as well. He mentioned how he never watched pro wrestling before and Austin asked what did he watch, with Lesnar replying, “Little House on the Prairie,” which got a good laugh from Stone Cold.
Lesnar said he played high school football all over the place and got four scholarships for football and zero for wrestling. When he went to the Minnesota Vikings try out camp he felt a fish out of the water in the second day and knew 8 weeks were going to be hell but did not want to quit. He was the last guy cut and admitted that he’s not gonna be good at everything and he got humbled but reiterates that the most important thing is not to quit. He said he used to make fun of football players as a wrestler but he takes his hat off to them as the try out camp was one of the hardest things he’s done in his life.
Lesnar discussed the time he moved to school in California and living in the basement of his wrestling coach with just $400 to his name. He said after winning the NCAA title he quit school and didn’t know what to do and fell into a little bit of a depression.
He moved to Louisville, Kentucky, with his old room mate Shelton Benjamin to start Ohio Valley Wrestling. His class included John Cena, Batista, and Randy Orton as well. He said when Jim Ross signed him he had already some prior commitments and did not move until he made good on this commitments.
Austin mentioned how Curt Hennig and Big Boss Man loved Lesnar to death. Lesnar said he traveled with both of them to try and learn as much as possible and he occasionally rode with the Undertaker and Kane, offering to pay for gas as long as he gets to ask questions. He credits all of them for teaching him the psychology of the business, how to put a match together etc.
Lesnar then brought up the time when they went to Australia and was involved in a triple threat with The Rock and Triple H, both of whom he referred to as Dwayne and Paul. He said both of them kept him out of the loop on purpose to see if he could hang on with them. He said people can say whatever they want about The Rock but he gave him a lot of advice, to be selfish and to watch your back. “The night he was not selfish to me, I won the WWE title from him,” Lesnar said.
He said that when he started he drank a lot of beer, stayed in different hotels and frequented different “stimulating” environments, a discussion which was going to be a bit uncomfortable and embarrassing for Lesnar. He said he’s no different on TV that he is in real life and doesn’t like being around people. He’s okay in the ring surrounded by fans as he feels he’s “in a dome” but when he gets out in public he doesn’t do well. Austin asked if it’s a phobia but Lesnar said no. “I don’t play well, that’s why I live in the middle of nowhere!”
Austin brought up WrestleMania 19 and the shooting star press from hell. “I’m lucky,” Lesnar said as the video of the botched move played over the television behind him. “That was a moment in my career where I realized that I failed to take advice from other veterans,” Lesnar added, saying that he was talked into doing it to create his WrestleMania moment. He said he was not comfortable doing it but he was young and stupid. He did not throw under the bus the person who pushed him to do it and Austin said that he was mad at him afterward because he did not need to do it.
The mess of WrestleMania 20 was the next subject with Austin describing it as a “cluster.” Lesnar said he and Goldberg did not want to be there and Austin wondered why since it was WrestleMania 20. “I didn’t give a shit,” Lesnar replied. Then they showed a photo of Lesnar flipping the bird after the match and Brock said that it was directed to Vince McMahon and not the fans who just minutes before completely crapped on the match. He said he had enough of the road, the people and felt like a trapped animal and often wanted to punch the plane door and jump out when traveling city to city. He said he was “built to be in the ring, but not to go from ring to ring.” When he quit WWE in 2004 he didn’t have a plan and NFL was scapegoat as he didn’t have passion to be a football player.
Stone Cold tried to bring up the legal troubles and lawsuits WWE and Lesnar traded while he went to New Japan but Lesnar didn’t want to have any of it and he said it’s all water under the bridge now. He said he doesn’t go out of his way to hang out with the boys in the back. “I clock in, I clock out, what’s wrong with that? I don’t bother anybody, it’s a job,” Lesnar explained.
His time in MMA was next with Lesnar saying he signed a one fight deal with a K1 company, as Dana White was not taking his calls at the time. He told his manager that he wanted to go to the Randy Couture vs Gabriel Gonzaga UFC event in Vegas and he got his own ticket and after the fight he jumped the security railing and ran after Dana, grabbed him from the back and talked with him. Dana took him backstage and talked everything besides money as he pleaded to sign him for one fight and if he can’t sell the pay-per-view, he can cut him.
Recalling the fight with Frank Mir, he said he was disgusted with himself as he trained to get out of that knee bar that eventually led to his tap out. He said after the fight he saw entire life fall of a cliff and thought White was not going to re-sign him but backstage Dana was happy and “bouncing off the walls.”
He was thankful to Dana for giving him the Randy Couture fight, his third UFC fight that ended with him winning the UFC Heavyweight title. He said his weakness was diverticulitis and he knew something was wrong after the Couture fight.
He talked about almost dying and after checking himself in a hospital the doctor told him that if he had the option to either save his life or save his career career, he’s going to save his life. The doc gave him 8 hours for the fever to go down and a lot of antibiotics and after Lesnar passed out on the way to the operating table, he woke up in a bed and the doctor told him his fever went down just before they were going to open him up. Lesnar said that if that surgery occurred at that time, his career would have been over.
Lesnar told Austin that he wasn’t offended when Steve packed up and left after refusing to wrestle him on Raw in 2002. As Austin was explaining his version, Lesnar cut him off sand told him he doesn’t have to explain anything to him and it’s all business. Austin said he handled it the wrong way, but Lesnar said that maybe someone else (referring to the creative team) handled it the wrong way too as it’s a two way street.
Asked for the difference between Dana White and Vince McMahon, Lesnar thank them both for putting a lot of money in his bank account. He said Dana can sit down across the table and do a deal, straight up business. He seriously thought of going back to the UFC as he felt robbed by diverticulitis and told Vince he’s probably leaving after his contract ran out after WrestleMania. He started training camp months before but then his mind was not completely into it so he decided to hang up his gloves for good.
“Your promos in the UFC, I loved them,” Austin said, questioning why he doesn’t speak in WWE. “I gotta feed the Jew! He’s gotta eat,” joked Lesnar, referring to Paul Heyman. He said he guesses he’s not good at cutting promos and he would not be what he is today without Heyman speaking for him. “I don’t need to talk, my actions speak loud.”
He said after UFC fights he spoke from the heart because of emotions. Steve asked him if he hears the UFC fans like they do in WWE and Lesnar replied saying that yes sometimes you do but when you’re locked in a cage it wouldn’t make a difference if there are 10 or 10,000 people because he’s zoned in on his opponent whereas in pro wrestling, you have to feel the crowd. “When I put the competition hat on, I’m in a different place,” Lesnar said.
As far as backstage politics in wrestling goes, he said he doesn’t hang around and doesn’t do politicking. He’s more hands on with Vince and wants to know his role from the beginning. If there’s something he doesn’t like and can be tweaked, great, if not, it’s no big deal because at the end of the day he works for Vince.
The breaking the streak at WrestleMania XXX was brought up. He said as a businessman it means a lot and it was big for him as the streak was protected for so long that it was special and it means more to him than him winning the WWE title. He gets a lot of criticism but then asks who has enough credentials to break the streak, believability, and credibility? “Is there anyone else? No,” Lesnar said, a statement which Austin agreed with.
When asked what’s the biggest misconception about Brock Lesnar is, Lesnar said he doesn’t really care as he does not get offended. He tries to be nice to people unless they cross a certain line.
“How much gas you have left in the tank?” wondered Austin. Lesnar said he’s got a good idea where it’s gonna go but he’s not going to share it with him. He’s having a good time and he’s there for a few more years.
If Brock Lesnar of today had to give advice to the younger kids, he would say that make sure that this is what you want to do, understand all the circumstances and that it’s the path you want to live.
The podcast ended with a Hell In A Cell plug. Lesnar said that the cage isn’t very forgiving. “I guarantee you this, there’s gonna be a lot of carnage. I’m coming to end the Undertaker. I’m coming to hurt this man.”
WWE’s United States champion John Cena will be the guest on the WWE segment on ESPN’s SportsCenter tonight starting at 9PM EST.
Last week ESPN announced a new weekly segment covering all things WWE that would be airing every Tuesday and anchored by former WWE broadcaster Jonathan Coachman. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins was the first guest on the show.
The first episode of the WWE Breaking Ground series will be offered for free on the WWE Facebook page and the WWE YouTube channel at Noon EST on Sunday, October 25.
The press release says that Breaking Ground will debut in its regular WWE Network timeslot on Monday, October 26 immediately following Monday Night Raw however the WWE Network schedule for Sunday, October 25, still lists the show airing right after Hell In A Cell.
Narrated by legendary actor and voiceover artist William Shatner, Breaking Ground gives viewers access to the WWE Performance Center, chronicling what it takes to become a WWE Superstar. The 10-episode series is produced by WWE and 3 Ball Entertainment.
“Ever since I tossed the legendary Jerry “The King” Lawler out of the ring, I’ve been enamored with WWE,” said Shatner. “My love affair continues with the new show, Breaking Ground.”
Shatner is the second Hollywood artist who has been tasked with doing voice-over work for the WWE Network. Film and voice actor Keith David narrated the whole The Monday Night War: WWE vs. WCW series on the Network.
Yesterday late afternoon WWE issued a media notice announcing that Steve Austin would be appearing on Monday Night Raw after deleting all mentions of him in advertising leading up to the show in Dallas.
Last week Austin denied he was ever appearing even though WWE put him on the graphic and then said he doesn’t know what’s going on. The last graphic on WWE.COM had Austin missing where before he was placed next to Shawn Michaels.
Austin opened Raw to a large ovation from the Dallas crowd and plugged his Stone Cold Podcast on the WWE Network with Brock Lesnar as his guest later on in the night. He then introduced The Undertaker before leaving.
It was Austin’s first appearance inside a WWE ring on Monday Night Raw in four years. He last shared the squared circle with The Rock and Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania XXX.
One of the pre-sale codes for WrestleMania was announced yesterday, with the pre-sale starting on November 4 at 9AM CT.
The code is RAWVIP and this will enable you to purchase tickets two days before they go on sale to the general public on November 6. Thousands of fans already got their hands on tickets through the WrestleMania travel packages which sold out in around an hour after going on sale. It was one of the quickest sell-outs ever for WrestleMania travel packages with prices reaching over $6,000 for a single package.
More pre-sale codes will be released in the upcoming days. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
The Hell In A Cell kick-off show match has been changed to a six-man tag team match featuring none of the wrestlers which were previously announced for a different kick-off match.
The new match has Dolph Ziggler, Neville, and Cesaro taking on Rusev, Sheamus, and King Barrett. The match replaces the Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose vs Luke Harper and Braun Strowman tag team bout which was announced last week. These four Superstars are now nowhere to be seen on the Hell In A Cell card as their match has been scrapped.
The new match joins the John Cena United States title open challenge on the show with no opponent announced yet. Cena is expected to be out for up to a month and a half after Hell In A Cell so there’s a big chance that whoever is wrestling Cena will walk out with the title.
So, because the TV station that airs Smackdown! in Canada chose to air baseball instead, I missed last week’s report for Smackdown!, but am now back for Raw!
Hell In A Cell is this Sunday with a packed card, but tonight is Raw, and it too features a big line-up in “Big D.” Hall Of Famers Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels are scheduled to appear, along with opponents/rivals The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar. What will Michaels and Flair have to do tonight; and who will get the one-up between “The Deadman” and “The Beast Incarnate” prior to their Hell In A Cell match on the pay-per-view/Network show?
Also, Director of Operations/”Demon” Kane has been taunting WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins for a long while; they too will square off for the title at Hell In A Cell, so which is going to get the “last laugh” beforehand?
All this and much more, so read on!
Monday Night Raw TV Report for October 19th, 2015 – “Filling In Action For ‘The Missing In Action’”
Introduction Segment: Welcoming and Arena Promo
Michael Cole acknowledges us and then some VERY familiar glass shatters. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is back and walks out, traditionally posing on the turnbuckle to kick off Raw! He pumps up the fans by recapping the start of his career, which began in this town of Dallas, and also asks them to give him a “hell yeah” if they are set for both Raw tonight and WrestleMania 32; of course, the crowd roars.
“Stone Cold” then brings out a man whom he has huge respect for, The Undertaker! “The Deadman” makes his usual entrance, then is left a lone in the ring. “Brock Lesnar, we have one last battle to fight. And listen when I say this son; the ‘depths of hell’ will look like ‘the gates to Heaven’ compared to where I’m going to take you this Sunday, at Hell In A Cell.”
The man who “The Phenom” will take on Sunday interrupts. Brock Lesnar is on stage, along with his manager Paul Heyman, who proclaims that Lesnar will defeat ‘Taker at Hell In A Cell and avenge his SummerSlam loss.
The Undertaker retorts, taking off his hat and trench coat, “when you take everything from a man, then that man is fighting with nothing to lose.” ‘Taker motions for Brock to join him, and “The Beast” approaches. He hops the apron, much to Heyman’s chagrin, but decides to back off and stare down Undertaker.
United States Champion John Cena and The Dudley Boyz will face Tag-Team Champions The New Day, after the break!
Commercials.
Match #1: Six-Man Tag-Team – United States Champion John Cena and The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) VS. Tag-Team Champions The New Day (Big E., Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods
Prior to the bout, The New Day cut a promo putting down their opponents and calling themselves “unicorns.” They, however, are dominated for the early part of the contest up until the break.
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The New Day comeback with triple-mudhole stomps and control until Big misses a splash. Cena makes the hot-tag to D-Von while Woods switches. Amid a breakdown, Woods rolls-up D-Von and hooks his pants for the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: The New Day
Post-match, a brawl ensues and Cena drives Xavier down with the Attitude Adjustment. The Dudleys finish off by triple-powerbombing him through a table from the second turnbuckle!
Michael Cole reveals that Randy Orton may be injured courtesy of The Wyatt Family, as he never showed during the tour of Mexico, and he is not here tonight.
Commercials.
Segment #2: Backstage Promo
Rene Young is with Dean Ambrose and wants to know his thoughts on Randy Orton being “missing in action.” Ambrose states that it is a fact that The Wyatts probably caused Orton to be away, but “The Lunatic Fringe” is not going to take it. He’s going to go after Luke Harper and Braun Strowman tonight, on his own!
Match #2: Tag-Team – Team Bella (Alicia Fox and Nikki Bella) (with Brie Bella) VS. Team B.A.D. (Sasha Banks and Naomi) (with Tamina)
Fox and Banks begin, with Sasha getting the upper after a dropkick. She rams Alicia into the corner then tags in Naomi, who leaps over her and splashes Fox in the corner as Banks held on.
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Naomi and Alicia continue to wrestle with Fox giving Naomi a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but only receiving a two-count. Alicia tags in Nikki and they double-suplex Naomi for another near-fall! Nikki takes over and stretches Alicia’s face, but both engage in back-and-forth kicks, which Nikki gets the better of with a dropkick. Fox is back in and surfboard-stretches Naomi, but Naomi counters with double-boots and a springboard-kick out of the corner.
Nikki runs in and tries to knock Banks off the apron, but Sasha ducks. Naomi counters Nikki with a jawbreaker and gets the tag to “The Boss.” She is all over Bella and Fox, then Brie hops the apron. Nikki fires back with a forearm smash, and reverses a crossbody dive by Naomi, who was quickly tagged in. Nikki plants Naomi to the canvas with a spinebuster, but her Rack Attack is first countered. Naomi tries a move but is shoved into the turnbuckle and is dropped with the Rack Attack for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winners via Pinfall: Team Bella
Recap from last week’s Raw involving “Demon” Kane and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins is shown, as is a graphic from WWE.com that says Corporate Kane is suspended for tonight’s Raw. COO Triple H and is buddy Shawn Michaels are shown chatting backstage.
Commercials.
Segment #3: Video Promo
A montage of women and WWE Superstars involved with the Susan G. Komen Foundation to help fight Breast Cancer is aired, featuring the song “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten.
Segment #4: Arena Promo
He’s back! “HBK” makes a grand entrance/return to cheers from his home-state fans. Shawn Michaels talks about Hell In A Cell, citing that he was in the first one to start off the epic matches, with none-other than The Undertaker. He puts over both upcoming bouts with Lesnar/Taker, and Roman Reigns taking on Bray Wyatt inside the structure. He thinks that both of those will “steal the show.”
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins interjects and is not pleased that Shawn did not talk about him. He says that Michaels was to bring out Rollins, not yak about himself and the Hell In A Cell matches. Shawn reminds Seth that he likes to change things up, but Rollins informs him the instruction came from his “best friend” Triple H, and then says everyone is naming the WWE World Heavyweight Champion as “Shawn Michaels – Version Two.”
“Mr. WrestleMania” replies, telling Seth that he should not be satisfied being “number two,” because Shawn aspired to be that in his career. He tells Rollins that he should be concerned about Kane, but The Champion angrily responds that that is not the case, as he will soundly defeat him. Rollins hurries to get out of there, and wants the backstage crew to play his music. Shawn notifies him that the “number two” doesn’t always get what he wants; instead he is scheduled to take on Ryback next! Shawn asks for his music, which happens and Shawn prances to the back.
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Match #3: Single – WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins VS. Ryback (Non-Title)
Ryback picks up Seth immediately then slams him to the mat a couple times. The Champion counters with a mini-jawbraker and chops away after wiggling out of a suplex. Ryback hits back with a clothesline, and whips him hard into the opposite turnbuckle. Ryback holds Seth high in a stalling-standing suplex, and rams his head off the ring apron.
Rollins gets out of a military press and shoves Ryback into the ring apron and steps. He follows with a dive through the ropes, pushing Ryback ribs-first into the commentator’s table! Seth works over Ryback with a body-scissors back in the ring, but it is reversed as Ryback places Rollins atop the turnbuckle. Seth punches off and leaps over, but is back-dropped as he ran off the ropes!
Ryback spins Seth around with a tilt-a-whirl slam, but can’t get the Shellshock. He does drive him with a spinebuster and gears up for the Meathook Clothesline. Rollins rolls to the apron and uses the ropes against Ryback, then finishes him with The Pedigree!
Winner via Pinfall: WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins
Dean Ambrose is now booked to take on Luke Harper and Braun Strowman in a two-on-one match later tonight!
Commercials.
Recaps of Raw from earlier tonight with The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, and Smackdown with Rusev, Summer Rae, and Dolph Ziggler are shown. Ziggler, Neville, and Cesaro make their entrances for a match, next!
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Match #4: Six-Man Tag-Team – Dolph Ziggler, Neville, and Cesaro VS. King Barrett, Rusev, and Sheamus
Neville and Rusev start out, with Neville giving Rusev kicks. “The Bulgarian Brute” comes back with a splash in the corner, but Neville hops over him and somersaults. He runs off the ropes with a headscissors, then tags in Cesaro, who powerfully slams Rusev!
Cesaro clamps on an armlock, then switches to Neville. They both hit Rusev with running arms in the corner, but Rusev manages to tag in Sheamus. “Mr. Money In The Bank” is aggressive on Neville right away, and even gets in the race of the referee. He clubs Neville with an axe-handle smash, then brings in Barrett, who snap-suplexes Neville. Sheamus, Rusev, and King take over for a while.
Commercials.
Neville and Sheamus going at it, but Neville flips over a suplex and ducks under to get the hot-tag to Cesaro. He repeatedly uppercuts Sheamus in the corners, then nails a dropkick. He climbs the turnbuckle and lands a crossbody, but only gets a two-count!
Cesaro measures Sheamus and attempts the Swing, but Sheamus squirms to the bottom rope, then tilt-a-whirl powerslams Cesaro. Both are down, but manage to make tags. Dolph and Barrett are in, with “The Show Off” dominating King until Rusev breaks it up. Dolph tosses Rusev to the floor, but is almost rolled-up after missing a Fameasser. He hits a second try, but still only gets two! He hits the superkick, but Sheamus breaks it up!
Cesar0 puts Sheamus to the outside with a big boot, then Rusev does the same onto Cesaro, then Neville dropkicks Rusev and springboard-swantons onto to both Cesaro and Rusev! In the ring, Dolph almost gets this with another roll-up, but then is Brogue-Kicked by Sheamus, allowing Barrett to cover and take this!
Winners via Pinfall: Sheamus, Barrett, and Rusev
Up next, Ric Flair will be out, who is shown conversing with Shawn Michaels in the hallway!
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Segment #5: Arena Promo
Ric Flair is in the ring and introduced by Lillian Garcia as a “two-time WWE Hall Of Famer.” Flair has a smile on his face and cheap-pops Dallas and himself. He recounts the famous feuds of himself, The Freebirds, and The Von Erichs.
Ric moves on to Wrestlemania, then to announces that “The Lunatic Fringe” is once again “not alone,” as he will be able to face Harper and Strowman with the help of Roman Reigns. That man now joins Flair in the ring, and he is all smiles until Bray Wyatt’s video interjects.
The Wyatt Family are standing in the aisle, being Bray, Braun, and a returning Erik Rowan! Reigns invites Bray into the ring and places two chairs in the ring, then sits on one; he awaits Bray to join him. “The Eater Of Worlds” obliges and faces off with Roman.
Reigns calls Wyatt a “bully,” saying that he likes “power by fear,” but insinuates that Bray is actually afraid and will call on Rowan and Strowman to attack Reigns. First though, he reminds Bray that “they can’t get in so that means you ain’t getting out” at Hell In A Cell. He tells Bray that “you should be very afraid of me; very, very ‘fraid of me.” He pokes Bray a few times, then they both make a move. Reigns clobbers all three Wyatt members with a chair, then Dean Ambrose runs into help ward off the trio!
Segment #6: Office Promo
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H are looking over Roman/Ambrose/Wyatts when Shawn walks in. Steph and HHH tell him they were talking about that whole situation and says that Dean and Roman should really have a partner instead of it being a Two-On-Three. “HBK” suggests Rollins, but Trips starts to put that down as he already wrestled. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion defends himself and wants to be in the match, saying he can handle the workload.
Commercials.
Match #5: Single – Brie Bella (with Team Bella partners Nikki Bella and Alicia Fox)VS. Divas Champion Charlotte (with Becky Lynch) (Non-Title)
They lockup and Charlotte slams Brie face-first to the canvas immediately. She grapples her with a Figure-4 necklock and flips her over a few times, then puts her to the mat with a big boot. Charlotte chucks Brie to Alicia and Nikki, then taunts all of Team Bella.
Inside the ring, she punches Brie against the turnbuckle, but Brie drops her against the top turnbuckle and stomps away against the bottom rope. She runs at Charlotte with her Brie-mode knee, but only gets two. Brie continues to punish Charlotte until Charlotte catches a kick and clotheslines her.
She chops on Brie’s chest and splashes her in the corner. Charlotte spears Brie, then locks on the Figure-8, forcing Brie to give-in!
Winner via Submission: Divas Champion Charlotte (with Becky Lynch)
Segment #7: Backstage Promo
Paige is interviewed by Rene on her recent actions with Team P.C.B. and Natalya. She wonders if Paige was the one to assault Natalya last week on Smackdown! Paige is not straight-up and claims that it could’ve been any Diva, past or present, that took out Nattie. She then berates Rene for the interview and walks off.
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Match #6: Single – Mark Henry VS. Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens (Non-Title)
They taunt each other first, then Owens takes control with clubbing punches and kicks. He hits a senton-splash after Mark missed a splash of his own. Henry makes a comeback for a bit until Owens superkicks him in the head, and drops him impressively with the Pop-Up Powerbomb and 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens
Post-match, Kevin continues to yell at Henry until Ryback hauls himself out. He pulls his straps down, but Owens escapes to the outside. As he walks around the ring, Mark met Kevin and places him back in the ring, where Ryback powerbombs him!
Segment #8: Backstage Promo
Rene asks Rollins about a “one-night-only reunion with The Shield,” but Seth shoots down that again. He is just there to show everyone, “to Shawn Michaels, to Triple H, that I am what I say I am when I call myself ‘the man.’ And if Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose want to rehash the past, well, I’ll just destroy them again. Thank you!”
Commercials.
Segment #9: Video Promo
The highlight reel of Brock Lesnar and Undertaker’s rivalry is shown.
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It is announced that John Cena will have a United States Championship Open Challenge this Sunday at Hell In A Cell, and that the Six-Man between Sheamus/Barrett/Rusev and Cesaro/Ziggler/Neville will take place on the kickoff show.
Match #7: Six-Man Tag-Team – Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins VS. The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Erik Rowan, and Braun Strowman)
The Wyatts face-off with Ambrose and Reigns, but Rollins does not join right away. He then gets in Rowan’s face, but backs Reigns and Ambrose away and orders them to the apron while he begins because he’s “the champion of the world.”
Seth turns around into Rowan, who nods happily. Rollins immediately tags in Roman, and the two big-men wrestle. Rowan shoulder-blocks Roman, but Reigns hits back with a slap and tags in Dean, who hits a running front-dropkick. Erik gains the upper with a headbutt, then switches with Bray. Dean hits back again with a jumping clothesline, and punches away on Bray before tagging in Seth.
Rollins actually wrestles Bray, but gets out of the ring after a backbreaker. Roman and Dean try to comfort Rollins, but he doesn’t want it.
Commercials.
Both Rowan and Reigns are laying on the mat, but are able to get tags. Dean and Strowman fight it out, with Braun stopping Ambrose’s momentum with a big body-check. Bray is tagged, then is Rowan, and The Wyatt Family dominates.
Bray eventually tries Sister Abigail, but Dean fists out of it and moves from a corner splash. Dean looks for a tag, but Braun pulls Roman off the apron and throws him into the barrier. “The Lunatic Fringe” is looking for a tag, and Seth appears to as well, jumping on the apron. Just as Dean reaches out, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion hops off the apron and limps away, appearing to hurt his knee.
In the ring, Ambrose does g the tag to Reigns who cleans house on Erik. He signals and hits the Superman Punch, but Braun stops the subsequent pin. He then hurls Ambrose to the outside, and locks on his submission to cause Roman to fade. Ambrose breaks it up with numerous kendo stick shots, which also cause him and Roman to be DQ’ed.
Winners via Disqualification: The Wyatt Family
Post-match, the trio continue to beat-down Dean until Roman soars over the top rope with a splash! He spears Wyatt and Rowan, then he and Ambrose stand tall against The Wyatts to close the show!
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings
This was a pretty-good Raw, especially for a “go-home” show where they usually just run through the motions, however there were a few anomalies which have perplexed me. Onto the analytical:
Excellence: matches of Teams Bella/B.A.D., Rollins/Ryback, Brie/Charlotte, and the two Six-Mans. Promos from “Stone Cold,” Undertaker, Rollins/Michaels, and Reigns/Wyatt.
Bogus: While Owens was superb in doing the “little things” again in his match and I understand why they booked him against Henry for power reasons, I also thought it was kind of a waste since we all knew Mark would lose anyway, and I would’ve preferred a final promo face-off between Owens and Ryback instead.
I would’ve liked to see a bit more out of Flair other than the quick reflection on his tine in Dallas and the quick intro for Reigns/Ambrose. I know Ric’s basically a “special attraction,” but the man can still cut a promo, so let him go for it once-in-a-while, like he could’ve tonight!
Not digging Paige’s constant flip-flop again; stay on one side!
What the heck happened to both Randy Orton and Luke Harper? I hope all is OK with the two and it was just storyline reasons why they were moved from their respective matches, tonight and at Hell In A Cell.
Until Smackdown, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Fans!
TNA has reinstated Thomas Latimer, better known to fans as Bram, after he was suspended indefinitely this past August.
A statement from TNA published by John Gaburick on his Twitter states that Bram is now immediately reinstated to his contract and the TNA roster following resolution of legal matters related to the domestic dispute charges brought against him in Florida.
“We hold all our wrestlers to a high standard of conduct and take any potential legal charges against them seriously,” said Gaburick. “With all charges being dropped, Bram has been reinstated.”
Bram was still appearing on TNA television since his matches were taped back in July. He is part of the TNA World Title Series tournament.
WWE and the Texas Lottery today announced a partnership around WrestleMania 32, making a WrestleMania scratch ticket game available starting Monday, November 16, with revenue supporting Texas public schools.
The new game gives fans a chance to instantly win more than $10 million in prizes, including top prizes of $25,000, and the opportunity to enter one of four promotional second-chance drawings with prizes that include trips to WrestleMania, VIP all-access experiences at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, and replica WWE World Heavyweight Championship belts.
“When we found out that WrestleMania 32 is taking place in Dallas, we knew we wanted to be involved,” said Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery. “We are excited about this opportunity and believe this partnership will be an asset in generating revenue for Texas education.”
Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer, added, “We are proud to partner with the Texas Lottery, a long-standing and valuable Cowboys partner, and help generate substantial funds for educational programs in Texas. This new partnership will not only provide fans with a chance to instantly win cash prizes, but an opportunity to win exclusive once-in-a-lifetime WWE experiences.”
As part of the agreement, the Texas Lottery will be a promotional partner for WrestleMania 32 which includes integration at WrestleMania Axxess, presence at WWE live events leading up to WrestleMania, as well as custom digital and social media activations across WWE’s platforms.
There are a total of five WrestleMania scratch tickets, featuring WWE Superstars and Divas including John Cena, Seth Rollins, Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, The Bella Twins and Paige.
Former WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will be in Steve Austin’s hot seat tonight as he will be the next guest on the Stone Cold Podcast.
Lesnar was indirectly involved in Austin packing up his bags and leaving the WWE in June 2002 after Austin was booked to wrestle Lesnar in a King of the Ring qualifying match on Raw. Unhappy with the booking decision, Austin left, a move which he often says he regrets to this day.
Brock is not often interviewed in-depth and earlier this year he appeared on ESPN to discuss re-signing with the WWE prior to WrestleMania 31. It will be very interesting to see how the usually-private Lesnar handles the interview considering Austin’s way of tackling his guests on his show.
The Stone Cold Podcast with Brock Lesnar airs live tonight on the WWE Network starting at 11PM EST right after Raw goes off the air in Dallas.
Stone Cold Steve Austin is no longer being advertised for tonight’s Monday Night Raw in Dallas, Texas.
The big names scheduled to appear on the final Raw before Hell In A Cell are The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, and WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair.
Last week Austin denied he was ever appearing even though WWE put him on the graphic and then said he doesn’t know what’s going on. The latest graphic on WWE.COM has Austin missing where before he was placed next to Shawn Michaels.
TNA and Sony Six in India announced the first ever live international televised event from the country as well as a partnership with Dalip Singh, the man formerly known as The Great Khali, for a talent search to find the next Indian wrestling star.
TNA will present three live events in Mumbai on December 2, 3, and 4, with the last show being a One Night Only show broadcasting live in India.
Present for the announcement were Ethan Carter III, Rebel, and Mahabali Shera, as well as Dalip Singh. The TNA talent are on a 7-day tour in the country to promote their upcoming tour.
Former WWE champion Dalip Singh will lead the talent search along with John Gaburick, TNA’s Executive Vice President of Television and Talent Relations. Singh will be a part of the selection process and help mentor the contenders.
“For the first time in India, fans will be able to experience a live event which is something that they have only seen on our channel,” said Prasana Krishnan, Business Head, Sony SIX. “Through our annual efforts in showcasing international wrestling talents in India, we aim to reach out to more than millions of viewers, reaching out to a broader fan base in the country.”
Dixie Carter, President of TNA Wrestling, said that Sony SIX are phenomenal partners and have been “tremendous” in expanding the reach of TNA in the country.
“We are also proud of the relationships we are forming with our fans across India and we are honored to travel our incredible roster to India for three historic global live events emanating from Mahabali Shera’s home.”
Hogan’s Beach, the restaurant on premises at the Best Western Bay Harbor hotel in Tampa, Florida, is getting re-branded and is being sold to different investors.
Ben Mallah, a real estate investor who’s listed as the owner according to the Tampa Bay Times, said that no sale is guaranteed until closing but Hogan’s affiliation with the restaurant will not continue no matter what happens.
“We’ve had a two-and-a-half-year run with that brand,” said Mallah, noting the restaurant has done well. “It’s time for a new brand. Everything changes.”
Mallah said that Hogan licenses his name to the restaurant but there’s no ownership interest despite paperwork filed with the Florida Secretary of State saying differently. The restaurant is listed as owned by Hogan with Hogan’s home address as the registered address on file. The documents were filed on February 11, 2015.
PWInsider.com is reporting that Patrick Clark is signing a WWE deal pending passing the required medical tests, becoming the fourth signing from this year’s Tough Enough cast. He joins winners Sara Lee and Josh as well as Amanda Saccomanno and ZZ.
Clark wrestles for Maryland Championship Wrestling and was one half of the tag team champions however he was not at the weekend shows according to the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show podcast, missing the two shows, one of which his tag team partner dropped the tag titles.
Patrick Clark was considered to be the best contestant on Tough Enough but was eliminated after he found himself in the bottom three in the sixth week and the public failed to keep him safe.
The new Breaking Ground series on the WWE Network will debut right after Hell In A Cell on October 25 starting at 11PM EST. Initially the show was set to launch on October 26 after Monday Night Raw however the WWE Network schedule puts the show after the HIAC pay-per-view.
The one hour weekly series will look at the stars of NXT and their road to become a WWE Superstar or Diva similar to the way Hard Knocks, the reality sports documentary series produced by NFL Films and HBO, is filmed. The regular time slot for Breaking Ground will be Mondays at 11PM EST.
Adam Rose was stretchered out from the ring last night during the non-televised event in Merida, Mexico, following an incident in the ring.
Rose was wrestling Fandango on the card and the injury happened when both of them mistimed running the ropes with Rose getting the short-end of the stick after the collision. The WWE medical team rushed to the ring to attend to Rose and the match was called off.
It’s not clear yet how serious the injury is or if he was taken out on a stretcher just as a precaution.
The Brothers of Destruction reunited yesterday night at the WWE non-televised event in Merida, Mexico, the first stop of this short tour of Mexico.
Kane and the Undertaker have not teamed up in a few years and the last time they did they had an unlikely tag team partner, Daniel Bryan, when they took on The Shield. The two wrestled Luke Harper and Braun Strowman of the Wyatt Family. The match ended with the Undertaker locking in Hell’s Gate on Luke Harper for the tap out and the win.
Taker has not done any non-televised events ever since he stopped being a full-time wrestler and with the lack of a big Latino Superstar in the WWE at the moment, WWE opted to bring in the Dead Man for the tour which will serve him as a good warm up for his match against Brock Lesnar next week.
