The first video preview of the upcoming Owen: Hart of Gold, the Owen Hart documentary/compilation Blu-Ray and DVD set has been released.
Set to go on sale on December 8, this 3-disc DVD and 2-disc Blu-Ray will feature a documentary on the life and career of the late Owen Hart as well as his greatest matches, the first ever DVD on Hart released by WWE.
The project got a lot of heat from Owen’s family as his wife Martha and two kids did not support the release of the video however the majority of the rest of the Hart family, including Bret, taped interviews for the project.
In this one minute video preview you can hear comments from Bret Hart, Road Dogg, Ted DiBiase, Jim Neidhart, Jerry Lawler, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Ron Simmons, Kevin Owens, and Daniel Bryan.
WWE Hall of Famer “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka posted a $100,000 bail and is now out of jail. His release came a few hours after he was booked.
Lehigh Valley District Attorney James Martin said that Snuka surrendered himself to authorities in Pennsylvania and was not arrested at home as it was reported by The Morning Call yesterday. After he was released from jail, Snuka also gave up his passport.
Snuka was arrested after a grand jury found conflicting statements and inconsistencies he gave to police during the years after the 1983 death of his mistress Nancy Argentino. The coverage of the incident in his autobiography also did not help as it differed from the statements he originally gave back then.
During the press conference, the District Attorney also revealed that the jury saw over two dozen evidences from the case and new witnesses who came forward after the DA reopened the case 30 years after it went cold.
The former WWE wrestler now has his first date with the judge on September 21, facing charges of third degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
You can watch the whole press conference which was broadcast via Periscope by LehighValleyLive.com reporter Sarah Cassi below.
Brock Lesnar has a new opponent for the Madison Square Garden live event and it’s no longer Bo Dallas but someone just a little bit bigger!
Lesnar will now be facing Big Show, a rematch from the 2002 Survivor Series where on that night, also at Madison Square Garden, Show defeated Lesnar for the WWE title with the help of Paul Heyman, who turned on his client.
Kevin Owens, who was supposed to take on Cesaro, also had a change of opponent for the show and will now be wrestling Chris Jericho.
The event is scheduled to take place on October 3 and will be broadcast live on the WWE Network.
Monday Night Raw drew 3,894,000 average viewers this week, up 173,000 viewers from last week. Raw also did an average of 1.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
Hour one pulled in 3,865,000 viewers for the return of Sting, followed by 3,987,000 in the second hour, and then 3,831,000 in the third and final hour. It was the best number for Raw since June 15. (Ratings credit: TV By The Numbers)
Tonight’s episode of Total Divas is the ninth one of season four with the episode titled Clash of the Divas.
The synopsis for the one hour E! broadcast reads, “Paige lands herself in hot water with WWE, Nattie sets her sister up with Big E, and Bryan takes issue with Brie’s sexy wardrobe.”
This is the first time that Total Divas airs on its own without Tough Enough airing before on sister channel USA Network.
In a short statement issued to PWInsider.com, WWE reacted to the news that one of its Hall of Famers, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka was arrested and charged with third degree murder over the 1983 death of his mistress Nancy Argentino.
“WWE expresses its continued sympathy to the Argentino family for their loss. Ultimately this legal matter will be decided by our judicial system,” the statement read. As of this writing, Snuka is still part of the WWE Hall of Fame section despite the murder charge, a move which many are considering double standard since Hulk Hogan was removed after his racist slurs from several years ago.
Meanwhile, TMZ Sports reported at 3:30PM EST that someone has bailed out Snuka from the county jail for $100,000.
The arrest of Jimmy Snuka came thanks to the investigative work of the people at The Morning Call, a daily newspaper based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is owned by the same company who runs the Chicago Tribute and the Los Angeles Times.
In June 2013, reporters Adam Clark and Kevin Amerman published a long story on the case, interviewing family members, former Whitehall police chief, the then assistant district attorney, and others who at the time were involved in the case.
Perhaps one of the most interesting things from the report was that Snuka, along with his boss Vince McMahon, met with the ADA, Whitehall police detectives and the medical examiner just a couple of weeks after the alleged murder. There’s no official record of what went down and the Assistant District Attorney couldn’t recall much either except that Vince was running the conversation.
In his 2012 autobiography, Snuka recalls, “All I remember is [McMahon] had a briefcase with him. I don’t know what happened.”
Nancy Argentino’s family said in 2013 that they all believe the police didn’t do enough to find out how Nancy really died. “It’s just like they squashed it somehow,” Nancy’s older sister Lorraine said. Nancy was 23 at the time of her murder.
Following the report of The Morning Call, District Attorney Jim Martin announced in January 2014 that a grand jury would investigate the mysterious death and thanked the newspaper for their role.
You can read the original report from The Morning Call on the death of Nancy Argentino at http://www.mcall.com.
WWE Hall of Famer “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka was charged today with third degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of his mistress Nancy Argentino, a crime which happened in 1983. The news was announced during a conference held earlier today.
Snuka, who last month was announced that he’s suffering from cancer, was arrested at home just shortly before 2PM and is being held at a county jail with a $100,000 bond.
The case picked up steam last year after The Morning Call revealed a never-before-seen autopsy report that marked the case as homicide. Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin re-opened the case and the grand jury’s term ended at the end of July.
On May 10, 1983, Jimmy Snuka returned back to his motel room in Whitehall Township after a WWF show and found his mistress gasping for air with yellow fluid coming out from her nose and mouth. The autopsy determined that Argentino died from traumatic brain injuries and suffered more than two dozen cuts all over her body. She was pronounced dead the next day.
The Morning Call reports that at the time, Snuka told different people including a police officer that he shoved Argentino earlier in the day and she hit her head. He then went back on what he said and said those people misunderstood what he said and said that she slipped and hit her head. Snuka was the only person of interest in the case but never charged with her death.
Two years after the murder, Nancy’s family won a $500,000 wrongful death case against Snuka but he did not pay one cent as he said he was broke. It was also revealed that four months before her death, police officers responded to a call at a New York motel where Snuka assaulted his mistress and then fought with the police. He pleaded guilty to harassment but the charges which were more serious were dropped. In his biography, Snuka said that he was innocent and everything said about him was a lie.
Seth Rollins will go in at Night of Champions with two titles but he might walk out of the arena with no titles as both his title belts will be on the line.
After giving Sting his WWE World Heavyweight title match, John Cena came out on Raw and cashed in his rematch for the United States title against Rollins at Night of Champions. With every title on the line during the show, Stephanie McMahon had no choice but to give a reluctant ‘Yes’ answer to Cena when he requested it during the final segment.
The direction seems to be going towards a Seth Rollins vs Triple H storyline judging from Raw’s promos and how they’re pitting them against each other.
CrossingBroad.com, a Philly based sports blog is reporting that Philadelphia has submitted a bid to host WrestleMania 34 in 2018.
Philly was in play to bid for the 2015 or 2016 WrestleMania events however Philadelphia Sports Congress Executive Director Larry Needle later cited the unavailability of venues needed for the other events as a reason why no official bids were made.
Now the news is that Philadelphia has submitted a formal bid for the 2018 WrestleMania event with the big event to be hosted at the Lincoln Financial Field, Raw and NXT would be at the Wells Fargo Center, and Axxess at the Convention Center.
The Lincoln Financial Field is the home of the Philadelphia Eagles and sits just under 70,000 in a football setting.
CrossingBroad.com reached out to The Philadelphia Sports Congress but they declined to comment on the story.
Charlotte won the Divas Beat The Clock Challenge last night on Monday Night Raw to earn a shot at Nikki Bella and her Divas title, a match which will take place at the Night of Champions pay-per-view.
The first match of the first ever Beat The Clock Challenge was Becky Lynch vs Alicia Fox. Lynch won the match at 3:21. Charlotte defeated Brie Bella in just 1:40, leaving Paige a very difficult task as she had to wrestle former NXT Women’s champion Sasha Banks.
After Paige hit the Rampaige on Sasha, her Team B.A.D. members pulled Sasha out of the ring and with a few seconds on the clock, Paige threw Sasha back in and tried to lock the PTO but the clock ran out and the match was stopped.
This will be Charlotte’s first shot at the Divas title and she can put an end to Nikki Bella’s record-breaking Divas title reign.
The current girlfriend of Bram, real name Thomas Latimer, was the one who made the 911 call to report the domestic disturbance which led to the arrest of the TNA star who has since been suspended indefinitely from the company.
According to the police report, the couple had an argument on Sunday night and on Monday morning the woman, believed to be Ashley Allen, felt threatened and went to her bedroom to hide. Latimer followed her there, closed the door and wouldn’t let her out and then he pushed her onto the bed and held her down by her neck.
Cops arrested Latimer and was taken to Pinellas County jail and charged with domestic battery by strangulation and false imprisonment. No bail has been set. He was married to WWE Diva Charlotte however the couple were finalizing their divorce.
The 29 year old who was shot outside the WWE Performance Center yesterday has been described by his friends as “just a little kid, like mentally.”
In comments given to Channel 9, one of those friends has said that Armando Montalvo needed help and they have been concerned about him for a long time. Described as “just a little kid who loves wrestling,” Elvis Kalicharan said that Montalvo has been arrested multiple times before for things “normal people don’t get arrested for.” He added that he doesn’t believe he was out there to hurt anyone, despite the fact that a few weeks ago he went to the Performance Center swinging a chain and yesterday he had a knife on him.
“We didn’t think it was going to end up like this. We thought it was a little trespass here, problems there. We didn’t know it was going to lead to this,” Kalicharan said.
WWE filed a restraining order against the 29 year old to keep him away from the property and staff. Montalvo was described as being fixated with a WWE female wrestler who was not at the Performance Center at the time yesterday. According to the restraining order, Montalvo used feces and urine to vandalize the building before.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said that the two officers involved in the confrontation with Montalvo – Corporal Steve Wahl and Deputy Dave Richardson – are both on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Montalvo was shot in the torso when he refused to back down and charged at the officers. The officer who shot him was around 75 feet away from him and the incident was captured on security cameras outside the WWE Performance Center.
Montalvo’s Facebook account lists that he submitted an entry for Tough Enough however he was not chosen to be part of the final 40 who were invited to the two-day boot camp at the Performance Center.
The full press conference from the Sheriff held yesterday can be seen below.
Tonight on Raw, Sting is set to be there and move along his rivalry with WWE World Heavyweight and United States Champion, Seth Rollins. What will “The Icon” have to say as to why he attacked “The Architect” last week?
The Dudley Boyz made a superb return last week and have another win already under their belt, despite the protests of Tag-Team Champions The New Day. Will a title match for Night Of Champions be made official? As well, Teams P.C.B, B.A.D., and The Bellas are still going at it; how will their war affect the Divas Championship at the Network/Pay-Per-View for September?
Lastly, can Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns can a measure of revenge tonight over The Wyatt Family; or does the destructing trio have more in store?
All this and much more, so read on!
Monday Night Raw TV Report for August 31st, 2015 – “Challenge(s) Set’”
Introduction Segment: Video Promo and Welcoming
Recap of Sting’s Raw return and attack on WWE World Heavyweight and United States Champion Seth Rollins is shown. The regular Raw video plays and the pyro explodes in the arena of Tampa, Florida. Michael Cole, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and John “Bradshaw” Layfield greet us and run down a few matches for tonight – the Intercontinental Championship will be on the line as Ryback defends against The Big Show; Paige, Becky, and Charlotte will take part in a Beat-The-Clock-Challenge in a #1 Contender’s Match to the Divas Championship; Braun Stowman goes against Dean Ambrose; and The Dudleyz face The New Day!
Segment #2: Arena Promo
The lights go dark and Sting’s video shows on the screens. The man himself walks out and moves into the ring. He is happy to be back and gives props to Triple H and their bout at WrestleMania. Sting berates Seth Rollins for “running roughshod” on his championship, which means so much to so many. He says Rollins has the audacity to compare himself to former WWE Champions Bruno Sammartino and The Ultimate Warrior. “The Icon” tells us the only thing missing in his career was a WWE Championship, so that is why he has challenged Rollins for the match at Night Of Champions, and he declares he will beat him. “I’m going to prove at Night Of Champions that Seth Rollins is not half the man that Triple H is!” Sting exits the squared circle and poses on the ramp for the fans.
Segment #3: Office Promo
The WWE World Heavyweight and United States Champion was watching on in The Authority’s office. He is upset at Sting’s comments and interruption of his ceremony last week. Stephanie tells Seth that right now, Sting is better than Rollins, but that can change as long as Rollins beats Sting at Night Of Champions.
Dolph Ziggler’s music plays in the arena and he and Lana makes their entrance; he is going to face Rusev, next.
Commercials.
Match #1: Single – Dolph Ziggler (with Lana) VS. Rusev (with Summer Rae)
Dolph waistlocks Rusev to begin, but is tossed around the ring a couple times. Ziggler hits back with a dropkick that sends Rusev to the outside; he gets back in the ring and kicks away at Dolph. He attempts a backdrop, but Ziggler flips out and jumps on his back with a sleeper. Rusev breaks it then pushes Dolph from the apron to the barricade.
Ads.
Rusev tries a mat-splash but Dolph rolls out of the way. Ziggler punches for a comeback but Rusev clotheslines him down and wears him with a bearhug. He misses another splash, this time in the corner, and Dolph jumps on him with the leaping-DDT! Rusev counters a neckbreaker with a backdrop and, impressively, somersault-splashes him on the canvas. He hits a spin-kick too, but is later superkicked for a near-fall by Ziggler!
They end up on the outside, where Dolph chucks Rusev into the steel steps, and both re-enter just prior to ten. Rusev kicks him hard, stomps on his back, then goes for The Accolade but Dolph slips out, counters a kick, and brings him down with the Zig-Zag! Before the referee can count to three, Summer Rae interferes on Rusev’s behalf, causing the DQ.
Winner via Disqualification: Dolph Ziggler (with Lana)
Post-match, Lana enters the fray and engages in a cat fight. She and Dolph get the better and walk to the back.
Up next is the Divas Beat-The-Clock Challenge!
Commercials.
Segment #4: Backstage Promo
Rene Young interviews Dolph Ziggler and Lana; Lana walks off quickly and Dolph makes comments about his match with Rusev, saying he would like Summer to keep away from them. He goes to his locker room, and as Young continues to talk about Raw, we see Summer Rae sneaking into Ziggler’s locker room.
Segment #5: Arena Promo
Team Bella are in the ring, and Divas Champion Nikki Bella addresses us. She wants to share her “moments” of being the Divas Champion for the last nine months, so she puts a countdown clock on the Titantron, which will end on September 14th, when she becomes the longest-reigning Divas Champion.
Match #2: Beat-The-Clock Single – Alicia Fox (with Team Bella partners Divas Champion Nikki Bella and Brie Bella) VS. Becky Lynch (with Team P.C.B. partners Paige and Charlotte)
Becky goes behind and rolls up Alicia for a quick count. They trade different pin combos, then Becky clutches Alicia’s left arm in a couple of holds. Fox fires back with a dropkick and wears down Becky with a rear chinlock. Lynch snapmares her over to break it then hits a couple clotheslines. She springboard kicks and suplexes Alicia out of the counter for another two-count.
Fox O’Connor rolls Lynch, but Becky kicks her off and turns it into her Disarmer Hold, forcing Alicia to tap-out at 3:21.
Winner via Submission: Becky Lynch (with Team P.C.B. partners Paige and Charlotte)
Ads.
Segment #6: Locker Room Promo
Rich Brennan inquires Intercontinental Champion Ryback about his match with The Big Show tonight. Ryback lists everything that he has gone through in the last few months and insists he will beat Show.
We hear a scream and the camera pans to Summer Rae running away; Dolph appears only in a towel out of his locker room.
Both The Big Show and Ryback make their entrances and will wrestle next for the IC Title!
Commercials.
Match #3: Single for the Intercontinental Championship – The Big Show (Challenger) VS. Ryback (Champion)
(Note: The Miz is on commentary.) Show kicks and punches Ryback right away, but “The Big Guy” fights back with fists of his own. He runs off the ropes but is met with a huge shoulder block by Show, who then chops Ryback in the corner. Ryback reverses and gives Show shoulders and clotheslines in the corner, but runs into another hard hit.
Big whips Ryback into the opposite corner and clotheslines him, mouths off to Miz, then slams Ryback down with his arm. Show gets angry at the crowd for chanting “please retire,” which allows Ryback to try and slam him. Show falls on Ryback and takes control again. He double-arm DDT’s Ryback, then works him over with a grounding Cobra Clutch. Ryback punches out of it and flies at him with a shoulder tackle! He gets out of a chokeslam and spinebusters Show for two! Big counters a Meathook Clothesline attempt with a chokeslam but also only gets two! He then ascends the turnbuckle, but Ryback tosses him off to the canvas! He gears up for another Meathook Clothesline but Show meets him halfway with a spear! Show winds up for the Knockout Punch but The Miz distracts him from the apron and Ryback finishes this hard-fought contests with The Shellshock!
Winner and STILL Intercontinental Champion: Ryback
Up next, Charlotte will take on Brie Bella in another Beat-The-Clock Challenge!
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Match #4: Beat-The-Clock Single – Brie Bella (with Team Bella members Divas Champion Nikki Bell and Alicia Fox) VS. Charlotte (with P.C.B. partners Paige and Becky Lynch)
Charlotte has three minutes and twenty-one seconds to win this. Brie stalls and tries to a escape a few times, but Charlotte finally catches her and tries the Figure-8 Submission. She gives Brie a neckbreaker and her other finisher, The Natural Selection (floatover-snapmare-facebuster) and gets the 1-2-3, with 1:41 to go!
Winner via Pinfall: Charlotte (with P.C.B. partners Paige and Becky Lynch)
Segment #7: Backstage Promo
Rene Young talks to The Dudley Boyz! Bubba Ray says they are “planning on putting everybody through a table!” He touts their success as “the most decorate tag-team,” and want to become ten-time Tag-Team Champions. He warns The New Day that they too will be put through the table.
Kevin Owens and Cesaro are walking backstage, and will wrestle next!
Commercials.
Match #5: Single – Cesaro VS. Kevin Owens
Owens talks trash in Cesaro’s face to begin, which Cesaro responds with an uppercut. They go back-and-forth until Cesaro gives him a big boot, stalling suplex, and double-stomp, all for two! He clotheslines Owens hard, but Owens takes a break on the outside. Cesaro chases and uppercuts him against the barrier, then soars off the top turnbuckle with a crossbody back in the ring.
Kevin gains control after yanking Cesaro’s leg on the apron and giving him the Cannonball in the corner. He plants Cesaro with a Torture Rack-Neckbreaker but only gets two, much to his dismay as he complains to the referee going into break.
Ads.
Both are battling on the top turnbuckle; Cesaro gets the better with a high-dropkick and a top-turnbuckle gutwrench suplex! He goes uppercutting in the corner, then catches a kick and drives him into the mat with a Reverse Death Valley Driver! Owens kicks out, then fends off both a Neutralizer and Sharpshooter attempt. Kevin goes for another Cannonball, but Cesaro moves. He slaps Kevin silly, then stops a Tornado-DDT attempt with a front-slam and crossface! Owens reaches the ropes and whips Cesaro, who flips over the ropes and stands on the apron. He kicks Owens in the head then tries a suplex from the apron. Owens blocks it and runs at him, sending Cesaro rocketing into the announce table, ribs-first. The referee checks on him and he seems okay to go.
In the ring, Cesaro tries a swing or sharpshooter, but Owens gets out of it, kicks him, and propels him to the canvas with his Pop-Up Powerbomb to take this one!
Winner via Pinfall: Kevin Owens
Up next, Dean Ambrose battles Braun Strowman!
Commercials.
Segment #8: Backstage Promo
Dolph Ziggler is trying to explain what happened with Summer Rae in his locker Room to Lana. She does not seem happy and walks off, despite Dolph saying that nothing happened and he covered up quickly.
Segment #9: Arena Promo
The Wyatt Family walk out and speak prior to Braun’s bout. Bray thanks “Sister Abigail” for giving him Mr. Strowman and talks about the end of the world. He gives the mike to Strowman, who verbalizes “This isn’t the beginning; it’s the end; the apocalypse.”
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Match #6: Single – Braun Strowman (with Wyatt Family members Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper) VS. Dean Ambrose (with Roman Reigns)
Strowman dominates by hurling Ambrose around then punching and kicking him hard in the gut/chest areas. He throws Dean into the corner of the barrier, then pushes his face down on it. He hits Reigns too, who comes back and slugs it out with Braun, causing a DQ.
Winner via Disqualification: Braun Strowman
Post-match, Braun continues to decimate Ambrose and Reigns around the ring; Roman tries a few more punch in the ring, but is quickly clasped in the reverse Cobra Clutch. Dean tries to break it up with a chair-shot, but it had no effect; Reigns tries another fist but Harper comes in and superkicks him. Strowman welds Ambrose unconscious with the reverse Cobra Clutch, then gives Reigns a powerbomb-side-facebuster. He holds up Roman, allowing Bray to spin him around with Sister Abigail. “Follow the buzzards,” Bray yells out.
Segment #10: Backstage Promo
Rene is with the WWE World Heavyweight and United States Champion, Seth Rollins. He puts himself over and wants to have a face-to-face with Sting later tonight!
Up next, Paige meets Sasha Banks in the final Beat-The-Clock Challenge!
Commercials.
Match #7: Beat-The-Clock Challenge Single – Paige (with P.C.B. partners Charlotte and Becky Lynch) VS. Sasha Banks (with Team B.A.D. partners Naomi and Tamina Snuka)
Paige sweeps up Sasha right away but is tripped up into the turnbuckle. Sasha kicks Paige in the corner, then both trade pin combinations. Paige manages to drive her into the mat with the RamPaige DDT, but Tamina and Naomi yank Sasha out of the ring before the cover. As Sasha gets back in, Paige tries for the Paige Tap-Out, the clock runs out.
Winner: No Contest
Post-match, Charlotte is declared the #1 Contender. Paige shakes her hand and hugs, then Charlotte stares down Team Bella who came onto the stage.
Ads.
Segment #11: Backstage Promo
Rene asks Lana’s reaction on Summer’s explanation of what took place in Dolph’s locker room. A video is shown of an earlier interview between Rae and Young, where Summer insinuated that Dolph invited her to talk and work things out, then he took off his clothes in front of her, which Summer says she enjoyed. We go back to Rene and Lana, where Lana silently moves on.
Segment #12: Arena Promo
Tag-Team Champions The New Day walk to the ring, complete with a new long-hairdo on Xavier Woods. They assert that The Dudleys are a “menace to society” because they like destroying tables. Kofi Kingston tries to get everyone to join them in a “save the tables” movement, and all three list examples of tables in people’s lives that have special moments, such as being with Granny/”Bubbi,” the poker table, or learning your times tables (multiplication). New Day pull out “the last table,” which is covered in bubble wrap! They begin a “save…the tables” chant!
Commercials.
Match #8: Tag-Team – Tag-Team Champions The New Day (Big E. and Kofi Kingston) (with Tag-Team Champion and New Day partner Xavier Woods) VS. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba and D-Von)
(Note: The Primetime Players – Titus O’Neil and Darren Young – are on commentary.) D-Von and Big E. begin, with wristlocks and a headlock. D-Von gives Big E. a spinning elbow and a neckbreaker for two. Big punches D-Von then tags in Kofi, who is flipped. Bubba is tagged and locks up with Kofi. At first, he is kicked, but clotheslines Kofi so hard he turns him inside out! Both Dudleys toss out Big E. and Kofi to the floor for a break.
Ads.
D-Von and Big E. are wrestling, then Kofi comes in. Woods pulls the ropes and D-Von tumbles to the outside. Bubba complains and Kofi leaps from the apron with a double-stomp on D-Von! New Day control, switching in and out. D-Von continues to get punished by Big E. with an abdominal stretch. D-Von tries to fight back but is elbowed down. Kofi is tagged in and stretches D-Von, but a move from the top turnbuckle is countered with a clothesline by D-Von! Bubba gets the hot-tag from his brother and cleans house on Kofi.
He flips Woods over into the ring too, and D-Von flips him back to the outside. Bubba hits Big E. with fists and a Bionic Elbow, then a scoop-slam. D-Von climbs the turnbuckle, but can’t dive off as Kofi breaks the “What’s Up” attempt. Bubba kicks Kofi, and he and D-Von give the 3-D (flapjack cutter) to Kofi for the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von)
Postmatch, The Dudleyz want to put The New Day through the bubble-wrapped table, but the trio escape, and The Primetime Players look on.
Up next, the in-ring faceoff between Sting and WWE World Heavyweight and United States Champion Seth Rollins.
Commercials.
It is announced that The Miz will host Dolph Ziggler and Lana on MizTV this week on Smackdown!
Segment #12: Arena Promo
Seth Rollins is out first. He proclaims that he didn’t ever have an issue and actually appreciated Sting, until the last Raw. He says that he doesn’t “hide in the shadows” and is a “real man.” He is asking Sting to retract his comments earlier when he said that Triple H was more of a man, and also wants Sting to bring back his statue.
Instead of Sting, Rollins gets Stephanie McMahon. She orders Seth to stop yakking about her husband, but Rollins reiterates that “The Game’s” time is over and his is now. Stephanie tells Rollins that Sting is distracting him, and boosts his ego by telling him that “he is the man.” Rollins agrees and demands that Sting show up with the knowledge of his statue.
Again, instead of Sting, Rollins gets John Cena. The former “Dr. Of Thug-A-Nomics” tries to convince Rollins that The Authority is not looking out for him at all. He backs up this statement by telling Rollins that he has to put up the United States Title at Night Of Champions, as all titles will be defended, and he has rematch clause. He asks Steph to confirm this, and she begrudgingly confirms. Cena walks off as Seth and Steph argue. Sting now walks out and joins John on the ramp to staredown the Rollins to close the show.
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings
This was a really good Raw match-amount and quality wise, and pretty-okay storyline-wise. Onto the scrutiny:
Excellence: promos by Sting, Rollins, Ryback, Bubba, The Wyatt Family, and The New Day (best of the night, entertainment-wise!) Both Sting and Bubba showed they still have the “fire” in them, and their oratories seemed very heartfelt. The New Day’s was just really funny and they are super entertaining.
I liked the idea of Beat-The-Clock Challenge to add a new form to the Divas feud. I do wish the matches were a little longer, and that Paige went for the cover instead of her submission, but otherwise, I’m still liking the revolution.
Great matches between Dolph/Rusev, Alicia/Becky, Show/Ryback, Owens/Cesaro, and Dudleys/New Day.
Bogus: Lana/Dolph/Summer storyline – I think it’s too soon for the soap-drama of betrayal and mistrust; Dolph just returned and the fans are just really getting behind Lana as a face, so if they break them up this quickly, it won’t be good.
While I loved Cesaro/Owens’ match, unfortunately it was “just there.” There was no build-up to a “SummerSlam Rematch” and Owens won that one, so why would he want a second – it doesn’t fit his character.
Where was Sheamus, Neville, and Randy Orton? I can understand Neville and even Orton missing Raw, but when they’re pushing Sheamus as “Mr. Money In The Bank,” he should be on Raw and Smackdown every week, unless injured or missed a flight (benefit of the doubt, perhaps that did happen.)
Overall, a pretty good Raw as the build towards Night Of Champions continues! Until Smackdown!, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Fans!
Scenes outside the WWE Performance Center resemble those from a movie as tons of police cars surround the property after a man was shot by a Sheriff deputy earlier today.
During a press conference on site held by Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, he said that a 29 year old Hispanic male by the name of Armando, who was fixated on one of the female wrestlers, refused to back down after officers gave him the order. Instead, he charged at them with a knife and he was fired upon. The Sheriff added that they have encountered the same man three times over the last few weeks. The WWE Performance security cameras captured the shooting.
The same individual came to the Performance Center two weeks ago with a chain threatening the employees of the state-of-the-art facility and WWE got a restraining order on him however he was back again today.
WWE employees at the Performance Center were also questioned by the police.
A person was shot outside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, today at around 1PM according to NBC affiliate WESH Orlando news station.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said deputies attended to a trespassing call at 5055 Forsyth Commerce Road, the site of the Performance Center, and an altercation with a male resulted in the deputy opening fire on him. The same person was arrested at the same location a few days ago.
“Unfortunately a deranged individual with no WWE affiliation, who had a court order prohibiting him from being on WWE property, was involved with an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy in the parking lot of the WWE Performance Center. We defer to the Orange County Sheriff’s department for further comment and information,” said a statement from WWE.
The individual was not killed and was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Zahra Schreiber, the girlfriend of current WWE Heavyweight and United States champion Seth Rollins, was released by WWE following the Nazi swastika Instagram controversy that popped up during the weekend.
Schreiber had just made her NXT debut a few days ago, debuting as Solomon Crowe’s little sister during a live NXT event in Ft. Pierce, Florida. On the same day, several fans unearthed disturbing photos on her Instagram dating back to 2012 where Schreiber thought it was okay to show off the swastika hanging in her room and saying it’s “no big deal.”
“WWE released Zahra Schreiber due to inappropriate and offensive remarks she made that were recently brought to out attention,” WWE said in a short statement.
Schreiber made headlines in February of this year when she traded naked photos with Rollins, who was dating another person, Leigh Schultz, at the time. Her naked photos, and those of Rollins, ended up on the Internet.
ProWrestling.Net is reporting that WWE Diva Charlotte was not involved in the case that led to the arrest of Bram earlier today in Gulfport, Florida, even though she’s apparently still listed as being married to him.
The latest news is that the two are no longer romantically involved together and Bram is now dating Ashley Allen, a film and television costume designer and co-creater of SOHO Bella handbags. In a photo she posted on her Twitter just a week ago she tagged the TNA star as her “#onetruelove.”
That hashtag might be changing very soon if she was on the receiving end of the violence.
TNA’s Bram, real name Thomas Latimer, has been suspended indefinitely after he was arrested and charged with two felony counts of domestic battery and false imprisonment in Gulfport, Florida.
“The charges against Thomas Latimer are serious, and he is immediately and indefinitely suspended from any future TNA-sanctioned events awaiting the outcome of the case,” said TNA Executive Vice President of Television and Talent John Gaburick.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office report listed the offense description as “domestic battery by strangulation.” No bond was listed.
This is not Latimer’s first run-in with the law. In late 2012, while under WWE developmental contract, he was released after he was charged with battery of a law enforcement officer and disorderly intoxication in St. Petersburg, Florida. Latimer had previously been arrested in January 2011 for driving under the influence.
Latimer is the husband of WWE Diva Charlotte and it’s unclear at this point if she was the victim in this case.
NXT will be invading TNA’s corporate home in Nashville, Tennessee, for a live event at the War Memorial Auditorium on Friday, October 2.
Tickets for NXT’s Nashville debut will be available starting this Friday, September 4, at 10AM CST at TPAC.org. No prices have been released on the website yet except from the $21.50 starting price. WWE will also sell VIP tickets which will include a premium seat and a pre-show meet and greet.
The Nashville War Memorial Auditorium sits around 2,000 people.
