WWE announced this week that it will be returning to Spain with two non-televised live events on November 6 and 7.
The first event will take place in Barcelona at Palau Olimpic de Badalona on Friday, November 6, and the following day in Madrid at Barclaycard Center Madrid.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased from proactiv.es, elcorteingles.es, misterentradas.com and ticketmaster.es. Ticket prices range from €20 to €150.
“Proactiv and Atresmedia are pleased to partner with WWE to bring WWE Live back to Spain,” said Nicolas Renna, Managing Partner of Proactiv, Live Entertainment and Brand Events. “WWE offers a unique blend of sports and entertainment, combining in-ring action with dramatic storylines that always deliver for the fans.”
Justin Roberts, the former WWE ring announcer, is the latest subject of a blog entry on the Sports Illustrated website where he talks about his upcoming book and the politics that dominate the WWE business.
Taking a shot at Triple H, Roberts said that everyone thought that Triple H would be the savior of the company and of professional wrestling once Vince stepped away however the popular opinion backstage changed once HHH started running things.
“When he took over, our live events schedule was brutal. We’d start in one place and flew all over. Since he used to be one of the boys on the road, we thought he’d stand up and stop that, and he didn’t. The schedule got worse,” Roberts revealed.
Roberts also said that all Triple H cares is NXT which is baby and he is ignoring the present and focusing only on the future. He name dropped Superstars such as Zack Ryder, Dolph Ziggler, Primo and Epico as those who are popular with fans but who are destined to fail anyway cause of the glass ceiling.
“Daniel Bryan is a rare exception, despite the company fighting it over and over,” he added, saying that fans get strongly behind certain individuals but unless the company wants it, they won’t go over.
Jessica Cricks, known better to fans as Havok, attended tryouts at the WWE Performance Center this week even though she’s still listed on the TNA website under the Knockouts section.
The former Knockouts champion has not been used much on television lately and last appeared on the Lockdown-themed edition of Impact four months ago. Her presence at the Performance Center suggests that she is not actually under a TNA deal otherwise she would not have been able to appear.
WWE hosted a group of indy wrestlers for the week as they seek to add more talent under developmental contracts.
After the weird angle that aired on Impact showing James Storm pushing Mickie James down on a train track, ImpactWrestling.com continued playing the storyline at least confirming that James is “not dead.”
When Storm pushed her he said it was “a long way down” while laughing and following the show Mickie was tweeting in third person for some odd reason.
The TNA website now states that “security at the train station” confirmed that Mickie “briefly blacked out and showed symptoms of a concussion,” adding that she underwent tests and passed all concussion field tests although she “was emotionally disturbed following the events.”
The video submissions deadline for the new season of Tough Enough is today as the company then has to choose its top male and female submissions for a live debut on June 23.
The new season of Tough Enough, which airs on USA Network, will be co-hosted by Chris Jericho and Renee Young and features a panel including Hulk Hogan, Daniel Bryan, and Paige. The trainers this year will be Billy Gunn, Lita, and Booker T.
A male and female winner will be crowned at the end of the season with each of them earning a $250,000 one year WWE deal.
Former WWE tag team title holder Tyson Kidd has apparently been injured during the closing moments of his dark match against Samoa Joe this past Monday.
Joe performed his Muscle Buster finishing move on Kidd and the Canadian landed hard on his neck. PWInsider.com reports that the rumor is that Kidd will be out for months.
So far WWE has not confirmed the injury and while Kidd has not tweeted about anything for the past few days, his wife Natalya did.
“Going through some challenging times right now… Realizing that friends and family are absolutely EVERYTHING,” she wrote in a post on her Instagram.
She then posted on Twitter saying that she was grateful for everyone who has reached out, offered support and checked on them daily.
You can see the video of the incident from Monday below.
Mickie James was apparently “killed off” (!?!?) last night on Impact during a segment with James Storm at a train station.
First, Mickie and James have a conversation on a couch where he asks her to join him on his journey and be a part of The Revolution. Mickie says she’s sorry that he “misread this” and they’re just friends. Storm, visibly pissed off, then said that as a friend he’s going to stand behind her and went with her to the train station.
Then as the two are standing on the train platform, Storm bumps Mickie off and she dropped onto the train tracks.
“Boy, that’s a long way down,” Storm says while he laughs.
Now what’s even more weird is that Mickie James is tweeting…in third person.
It was announced during this week’s NXT episode that the NXT title will be on the line on the July 4 WWE show from Tokyo, Japan, live on the WWE Network.
This will be a special that will air only on the WWE Network starting at 6:30AM EST due to the time difference. WWE Superstars scheduled to be on the card are John Cena, Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, and more.
Finn Balor, who is now the number one contender, will wrestle NXT champion Kevin Owens in a match that many expect Balor to win considering Owens is being moved permanently to the main roster. Balor, as Prince Devitt, has quite a long history in Japan and this would be the perfect place for him to grab the title.
The show will take place at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Hall in Tokyo.
WWE and Sky Italia announced yesterday that they have extended their television distribution deal for five more years with Sky airing exclusively Raw, Smackdown, NXT, Experience, and Main Event through 2020.
In addition, Cielo, Sky Italia’s free-to-air channel which is available in more than 24 million homes, will air one-hour versions of Raw and SmackDown weekly on Sundays at 10AM and 11AM respectively, and all 12 WWE live, pay-per-view specials, including WrestleMania and SummerSlam, will continue to be available on Sky Prima Fila.
“We are thrilled to renew our long-term relationship with WWE, which dates back to 2003, and we are glad that, once again, WWE has recognized the Sky platform as a key driver for maximizing exposure of its brand,” said Matteo Mammi, Rights, Programming and Production Director, Sky Italia. “We look forward to working together and continuing to serve WWE fans in Italy.”
The WWE Network is still unavailable in the country.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hit Man” Hart did not have good things to say about his sister-in-law Martha during his appearance on Jim Ross’ Ross Report podcast.
Talking about the upcoming Owen Hart DVD that WWE is producing and releasing later this year, Bret said that Martha was wrong in how she’s dealing with the situation and thinks that she’s trying everything to erase wrestling from Owen’s life. He even ended up calling her selfish and childish.
Bret said that while Martha and her kids are not supporting the DVD, the majority of the Hart family is backing the project and some of them are going to be interviewed for the documentary part of the release.
The Hitman added that it will be good and very important that Owen is remembered for what he did in wrestling and a DVD is a good way to do that.
Triple H announced on Twitter that the company has signed two Indian wrestlers to a developmental deal and they have already reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
The two are Lovepreet Sangha and Satinder Ved Pal, who now join other fellow International wrestlers in the newest class at the state-of-the-art Performance Center.
Sangha has fought in Kabaddi, a contact sport that originated in Ancient India and is a 6 feet and 225 pounds.
Ved Pal is a wrestler in India and is a two-time national heavyweight champion in Kushti. He stands 6’4” and weighs 235 pounds.
The post-Elimination Chamber Monday Night Raw drew a total of 3,974,000 viewers, up around 375,000 viewers from the previous week.
Hour one did 3,964,000 viewers, followed by 4,113,000 in the second hour, and then down to 3,862,000 in the third and final hour. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)
Stone Cold Steve Austin welcomed Paul Heyman to the Stone Cold podcast last night on the WWE Network during a live show from San Antonio, Texas, backstage at Monday Night Raw. Heyman said he was humbled and feels it should be the other way round, him interviewing Austin and not this.
Austin covered the history between two and how Heyman put him in the Dangerous Alliance and later got him in ECW. Heyman recounts how they originally met, mentions Austin’s ex-wife (which Austin said he didn’t have to do that!) and five weeks after meeting the two were working together.
Heyman said the Dangerous Alliance was something to fight off the 4 Horsemen and the idea was to build the faction around Rick Rude. Heyman told Rhodes that something was missing and that something was Steve Austin.
Austin asked when is Brock Lesnar coming back and Heyman said it’s public knowledge now that he’s coming back soon. He said that Lesnar has been on the farm, as he’s a farmer and a hunter and most of the money he made from WWE before, the UFC, and what he’s making now he goes and buys more farm land because deep down Brock Lesnar is a farmer. He said no matter how much UFC wins he has, how much WrestleManias he gets to main event, he goes back home to his farm and that’s what he likes.
Austin told Heyman to fix a meeting with Lesnar so the two can go hunt together and if they want the WWE Network crew can tag along to film it. Heyman said he’s Jewish and hunting is not his thing.
The Rattlesnake asked how close Lesnar was to going to UFC earlier this year and Heyman said in January Lesnar held a mini training camp and if no WWE deal was coming he was ready to go in a full training camp and go to the UFC. He didn’t care who his opponent would be as he would have been ready.
Heyman said Brock was torn about the decision as he enjoyed his WWE run, ending the streak, the SummerSlam match with Cena, and basically everything in between. But at the end of the day he’s an athlete, hunter, predator, and if he managed to do all the things he did in the UFC with diverticulitis, imagine now what he can accomplish having a clean bill of health. Heyman said the two are having a blast now and Lesnar is enjoying his time in WWE for the first time in a very long time.
Austin says that many people think Lesnar doesn’t enjoy wrestling considering he doesn’t do many dates. Heyman said Lesnar loves the business but loves his children more and those kids need their father more than WWE needs Lesnar. He said anytime Lesnar appears it’s special and you can’t miss a Lesnar match. He compares a Lesnar match to Christmas Eve, saying it loses the meaning if they do it every week.
Austin says people want more of Heyman and asks if he’s ready to take on more clients. He said he and Lesnar has an interesting dynamic as they are true friends outside the business so it translates perfectly on television. When you put him with another man, fans will still see him as Brock’s advocate so the idea doesn’t work well.
Heyman said the other person he’s friends with is CM Punk and that’s why that worked as well on television although he played a different role with Punk than he does with Lesnar. He said Punk did all the work and all he did was stand in the background and clap. Austin asked if he still talks to Punk and Heyman said they do everyday.
He said they text more than they talk but it’s a great friendship outside the business. He said Punk sees UFC as a challenge and doesn’t care about money. He probably regrets not getting there earlier, but it was time to pull the trigger. Heyman said Punk believes he will either shock everyone in the Octagon or get knocked out/tapped out and he accepts both possibilities.
Austin brings up the art of selling and mentions how everyone now kicks out of the DDT for example and other finishing moves. Heyman said that if they take Mark Henry or someone his size and make his finishing move the headlock and he taps people out in a few seconds, the move will get over as long as the wrestlers put it over, as long as the announcers put it over, and as long as everyone protect the move.
The discussion turns into cutting promos and Austin said there’s something missing in the big picture. Heyman talked about closing the final show before his first Starrcade and Dusty gave him the opportunity to go ahead and knock it out of the park. He talked for 4 minutes putting everyone over and ended with a stupid punchline. He went backstage and Dusty said it was entertaining but he forgot he had to sell the event.
Austin asks if he gives advice to others and Heyman said that whoever comes and ask for advice he will help but he doesn’t impose on others. He said that there seems to be a disconnect on how wrestlers take a mic and start talking about the events of last week before they do three simple things – introduce themselves, what they do, and what they will be selling. He feels like they are not engaging with the audience but rather preaching.
Austin brings up Vince Sr and a photo flashes on TV which Heyman says he took. He said he made the first $50 from Vince Sr and that was a pic of Vince and Andre at MSG. He recounted how he hustled his way to a press pass, got on the phone with Vince Sr, and the next month he gave the Andre photo to Vince in the hallway of MSG. Vince Sr then sent The Fink to give him the $50 and told him to keep giving them photos. He said he got a lot of $50 notes but never straight from Vince Sr.
Austin asked what’s the difference between Vince Sr and Jr. He said Vince Sr was in a different TV industry era, the era of syndication and territories, and when Vince Jr bought it, cable was already out there. He talked how Lou Albano was the guy who got fired the most in the history of WWWF/WWF/WWE for being drunk every show hating on Vince Jr and then brought back every time and apologizes.
When asked how is the relationship now with McMahon, Heyman said it’s probably better than before because they don’t have to interact every day. When he came in 2001 he was tasked to give contrary opinion and that was a big challenge. He said he changed the way he deals with Vince McMahon now and that fatherhood has chilled him out.
When he came in as Smackdown head writer his plan was to surpass Raw and they did. Austin asked about the infamous 2006 private jet ride he shared with McMahon and Heyman said Vince never talked about it publicly so he doesn’t think he has the right to break that confidentiality. But in a nutshell, what happened was that it was his time to go as he lost his passion, mainly thanks to how they dealt with the ECW revival and Vince told him they can’t co-exist together and one of them has to go. He said there was a really, really, really, really bad show and it got heated afterward with Heyman telling Vince what did you do to my brand (ECW) and McMahon telling Heyman what you did to my investment!
The two go over some funny road trips from the WCW days. Heyman recounts a story where he was riding with Austin and Rude and Austin loved to use the words “God damn” with every letter. Rude got annoyed and stopped the car and asked Austin to stop using the “Fu****g Lord’s name in vain.” Austin apologized and said he would not say it again and when Rude said thank you, Austin replied with a “You’re God damn welcome.”
Another road trip story featured Sting, the Steiners, and the Samoan Swat Team. Sting used to drive with the Steiners and when they used to see a car full of wrestlers, Sting would drive close to the other car, Rick Steiner would get out of the window with Scott holding his legs and they would open the other car’s door. There was something wrong with the car locks, so they ended up calling Locksmith Brisbane to fix it.
One time Heyman was riding with the Samoans and they see Sting and Steiners fast approaching behind them. Knowing what’s coming, they locked the doors and when Steiner couldn’t open the door, he went back in and they all started throwing food at Heyman’s car. Pissed off, the Samoans told Heyman to stop at a convenience store, bought up tons of food and proceeded to have a road war, throwing food, bottles, baseballs, and everything else. When they arrived at the Charlotte airport, the car was totaled and to this day, Paul reveals he’s still banned – 26 years later – from renting a car in Charlotte.
Heyman and Austin reverse roles and Paul start to ask Austin some questions of his own. He asks Austin what he thinks of Cena using the Springboard Stunner, and Austin said that now a bunch of them kicked out of it so it’s not very effective. He said it doesn’t bother him and he’s a Cena fan but he thinks it’s a high risk move due to slippery ropes.
Then the question everyone was waiting for came. “Would you like to fight Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32?”
Austin said he’d kick Brock Lesnar’s ass and Heyman once again asked if he’s ready for The Rattlesnake vs The Beast in Texas. Austin said it’s a great place to settle the score, but he doesn’t want to take the momentum out of Lesnar and Heyman because if they roll in the AT&T Stadium with 100,000 fans, Lesnar is going to get his ass smoked.
Heyman turned his cell phone on to call Lesnar and a bunch of text messages were coming in, one of which was “fire all writers” which funny enough was sent by a current WWE creative writer.
Austin then cut a promo on Lesnar and Heyman and said he would open a can of whoop ass on Lesnar. “Can we make it happen? We can discuss it,” Austin said, and Heyman suggested they go talk to Vince McMahon now.
The WWE Hall of Famer said that if it does go down he has three words for him: Texas Death Match.
The interview ended with Austin and Heyman going against each other as a riled up Austin thanked Heyman for coming to the show.
The main event for the Money In The Bank pay-per-view was made official last night on Raw as Seth Rollins will take on Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Heavyweight title in a ladder match.
Ambrose, who’s holding the title belt hostage after he was screwed at Elimination Chamber, requested a ladder match as his rematch, a request which was delivered by his former Shield partner Roman Reigns at the start of the show.
Money In The Bank is just two weeks away and so far only two other matches have been announced apart from the WWE title match. These are John Cena vs Kevin Owens and the MITB ladder match for the contract involving Ziggler, Neville, Reigns, Orton, Kingston, and Sheamus.
During John Cena’s in-ring segment yesterday on Raw, he pointed out a member of Cenation in the crowd who was holding an “I’m Beating Cancer” sign while wearing a Cena shirt. The emotional kid was shown on the Titan Tron and received a large ovation from the crowd.
After the show went off the air, Cena requested the kid to come down and Lilian Garcia picked him up while she took photos of the kid with a cell phone. Cena then took the sign and moved the kid to the ring, gave him his United States title to hold, held his sign up high and saluted the crowd.
Cena then shook hands with the boy and gave him a hug before escorting him out of the ring.
According to PWTorch.com, former TNA champion Samoa Joe is now a full-time WWE Superstar as he has now signed a regular deal with the company.
Joe was on a special deal that would allow him to work some NXT shows and also keep his indy commitments while WWE also had the rights to sell his merchandise on WWEShop.com and at arenas.
The Pro Wrestling Torch also adds that his merchandise flew off the shelf super quick, catching the eyes of both Vince McMahon and Triple H, who in turn decided to sign him full time.
Joe made his NXT debut at the Takeover: Unstoppable WWE Network special last month and had a face off with NXT champion Kevin Owens.
Samoa Joe, who left TNA earlier this year after a 10 year stint with the company, was at Raw yesterday and did a dark match against Tyson Kidd. Joe will also wrestle for Ring of Honor on June 20, his final date with ROH.
The land of WWE has changed again after last night’s Elimination Chamber; we have a new champion and an almost-new champion! I will not spoil for those who are waiting to read this report and did not watch the show, however, let’s just say the build up to Money In The Bank is already intriguing, and one match has already been made for that Pay-Per-View on June 14th!
For tonight, let’s see what goes down in the “heart of Texas,” as Raw emanates from Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels’ hometown of San Antonio!
Monday Night Raw TV Report for June 1st, 2015 – “Four-For-One”
Introduction Segment: Picture Recap
Still photos of the main-event from Elimination Chamber, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, is shown.
Segment #2: Arena Promo
The entire Authority walk to the ring, none of them with a smile on their face despite the fact that Seth Rollins is still the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Stephanie McMahon berates Dean Ambrose, who stole the championship last night and “assaulted” someone last week. Triple H says they have given Ambrose until the beginning of Raw, which is right now, so they are demanding he return Seth’s title.
Unfortunately for The Authority, it is not Dean they get, but his long-time friend Roman Reigns who answers. After parading through the fans, he says that Dean is not in attendance tonight, but informs them that Ambrose wants another bout at Money In The Bank, this time in a Ladder Match so there is no debate over who wins.
Roman argues that Ambrose did actually beat Seth at Elimination Chamber, which makes Rollins irate and he accepts. Rollins goes further, saying that he doesn’t need any of The Authority, and can beat Dean on his own. Seth storms to the back, leaving Roman playing it cool. Stephanie demands him to “wipe that smirk off his face,” then Triple H gets in Reigns’ face to tell him he has to wrestle someone to qualify for the Money In The Bank Ladder Match; that will happen next!
Commercials.
Match #1: Single
Barrett tries a quick roll-up but only gets one, then begins to wear him down with a standing side-headlock. Reigns reverses into one of his own, but is shoved into the corner. Wade bounces Roman’s head off the turnbuckle, butt Reigns counters with a big kick and then a clothesline in the corner. Barrett tosses Reigns to the apron, but Roman hits a few hard kicks, then attempts the running front-dropkick but Bad News moves. Reigns clotheslines Barrett to the floor instead, then whips him into the steps, but Barrett hops them and kicks the stairs into Reigns’ knee. He then slams him into the steps for a break.
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Wade is still in control, grounding Roman with a headlock. Roman tries to battle back, but misses a splash in the corner, allowing Barrett to pound away on his back and run at him with a kick. Reigns fights out of another headlock and punches away, then plunges him to the canvas with a Samoan Drop. He builds lots of momentum with punches and a flying forearm, but is caught with the Winds Of Change slam off the ropes! 1 – 2 – Roman kicks out!
“The King” gears up for a Bullhammer, but Reigns rolls him up for a near-fall and gives Barrett a one-handed powerbomb for a close-call! Barrett uses the ropes to scratch the eyes of Roman and swings for another Bullhammer, but Reigns moves and counters with a Spear for the victory!
Winner and Qualifying for the Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Roman Reigns
Commercials.
Segment #3: Backstage Promo
Triple H and Stephanie “congratulate” Roman on defeating Barrett, but put him through another bout to qualify, telling him he now has to face Mark Henry.
Segment #4: Backstage Promo
Byron Saxton interviews Nikki Bella, who is still the Divas Champion. She is happy-as-a-clam to be the champ and in the division. Paige walks in and feels she deserves a title match, so Nikki agrees and will give her the chance tonight!
Segment #5: Arena Promo
Lillian Garcia asks us to welcome the new Intercontinental Champion, Ryback. He puts over the fans for standing behind him when he returned from injury and is proud to be the IC Champ. “When it comes to the competition, when it comes to the challengers, you know what I say…” (he holds the mike up for the crowd to chant “feed me more.”) Up next, Ryback will defend his newly-won title against The Miz!
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Match #2: Single for the Intercontinental Championship – Ryback (Champion) VS. The Miz (Challenger)
Right after formal introductions, The Big Show’s music plays and the 7-footer walks out. He stares-down Ryback and signals for a Knockout Punch, but turns around and hits The Miz! He takes the microphone and challenges Ryback to take him on. “You call yourself ‘The Big Guy,’ you ain’t got nothin’ on The Big Show.” He backs away as Ryback is pumped up for his new opponent.
Winner: No Contest due to No Official Start/Interruption
It is announced that Paige facing Nikki for the Divas Title is official for tonight. Up next, NXT Champion Kevin Owens, who defeated John Cena at Elimination Chamber, will be out.
Commercials.
Segment #6: Arena Promo
“When I say ‘I’m going to do something,’ I deliver. When I got to NXT and said I was going to win the NXT Title, I delivered. When I said I was going to take out Sami Zayn, I delivered. And when I said I was going to leave John Cena laying in the middle of the ring, I delivered.” Kevin says he should be pleased, but he isn’t because his son was more concerned about John Cena than the big win his father had last night.
Owens rips Cena for all the catchy one-liners and merchandise. He says that his is what really made John the “superhero” while Owens was going around the globe “honing my craft.” Owens wanted to be that “hero” to his son, but couldn’t because he wasn’t on TV all the time. “Last night, I beat ‘Super Cena!’ So tonight, as I stand before you, those ridiculous words ‘Hustle, Loyalty, Respect’ and ‘Never Give Up’ are being uttered by a broken, empty-shell of a man.” Kevin tells us that a “real role model” is not about sayings or t-shirts, but says a “real role model” backs up their statements with actions.
Cena answers, joining him in the ring. He tells Owens that he should be acting like he’s done it before, not like it is his first match. Cena says Owens already has what he wants, as “the entire world is talking about Kevin Owens.” The fans start to chant “you got beat” to Cena, which Cena acknowledges as correct.
John tells Owens he was going to shake hands until his talk tonight. “It’s because you’re so concerned with being a ‘real role model’ when you’re not even a ‘real man.’ A ‘real man’ throws jealousy aside; a ‘real man’ doesn’t judge by the color of their t-shirt, physical appearance, or how they choose to live their life. Do you want to why your son feels the way he feels? According to you, it is the ‘WWE Marketing-Machine.’ If that were the case, your son would have an Adam Rose T-Shirt, he will still love The Funk-A-Saurus, and want to grow up to play in the X.F.L. Your son feels the way he feels because like the person holding that sign right there, or the young person in the second row on his father’s shoulder, or the young person right there with a ‘You Can’t See Me’ hat and a sign that says ‘I am beating cancer,’ they feel the way they feel because they believe, and they believe because they see me each and every week on this stage deliver. And those ‘corporate slogans’ and ‘catchphrases’ you talk about, they weren’t puked up by a bunch of ‘suits’ at a boardroom table. Over 10 years, they define who I am and how I choose to live my life, both in this ring and outside of it. And I take nothing away from what you have done, but over the past decade, it is blatantly obvious that my undying passion to both the WWE, and most importantly, the people that fill the seats every single week; is so obvious, that whether your six or sixty-nine, whether I win or whether I lose, whether you chant ‘let’s go Cena’ or ‘Cena sucks,’ if I say or if I wear the words ‘Never Give Up,’ not only am I telling the truth, but I am encouraging young and old, all alike, like that person right there (child with cancer) to do THE EXACT SAME THING! And by the way, you keep fighting and you never give up, you understand that? And that’s from me. Three words, you would be amazed Mr. Owens at how those three words can affect people’s lives. It would be like working day-in-and-day-out for a decade trying for an opportunity, being told time after time you’re never gonna make it, but still scratching and clawing, and finally the day comes when opportunity knocks and you don’t just answer the door, you kick it down, you raise your hand, and you say ‘THE CHAMP IS HERE.’ And that is exactly what happened to you last night, Kevin Owens. For you see, the three words that define the life journey of Kevin Owens are not ‘fight Owens fight,’ and this one is going to be a thought one to swallow holmes, because the three words that define Kevin Owens are ‘never give up.’ A bit of advice ‘man’ to ‘almost-man:’ think before you speak, because you said you could deliver on every promise, but in two weeks, at Money In The Bank, you are going to have to explain how a real good wrestler got his ass kicked by a real man!” Owens walks off and leaves Cena glaring.
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Match #3: Single – Tag-Team Champion Kofi Kingston (with Tag-Team Champion/New Day partners Xavier Woods and Big E.) VS. “The Show-Off” Dolph Ziggler (with “The Ravishing Russian” Lana) (Non-Title)
Prior to the bout, The New Day talk about being jovial and still being Tag-Team Champions, as well as Kofi being able to become “Mr. Money In The Bank.”
They lockup to start then Dolph rolls back Kofi, and the two trade waistlocks. Kofi leaps over Dolph a couple times, but gets hit with a smacking dropkick. Ziggler jawbreaks out of a headlock. Kofi makes a comeback until Dolph jump-DDTs him for a very-near-fall! Xavier distracts Ziggler, which gives Kingston the chance to roll him up, but he only gets two as Dolph reverses it and holds on to the tights for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: “The Show-Off” Dolph Ziggler (with “The Ravishing Russian” Lana)
Post-match, all three New Day members beat down Dolph until The Prime Time Players run out for the save.
Commercials.
We are now in a Six-Man Tag-Team action!
Match #4: Six-Man Tag-Team – Tag-Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E.) VS. “The Show-Off” Dolph Ziggler and The Prime Time Players (“Mr. No Days Off” Darren Young and “The Big Deal” Titus O’Neil) (Non-Title)
New Day controls a good part of this contest until Young moves, sending Big E. shoulder-first into the post. Darren makes the hot-tag to Titus, who cleans house on the New Day! O’Neil drives Xavier to the canvas with a Pump-Handle Over-The-Shoulder-Slam to finish this one!
Up next, Roman will take on Henry.
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Match #5: Single – Roman Reigns VS. “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry
Both slug it out, then Roman picks up Henry, but “The World’s Strongest Man” falls on him for a two-count! Henry starts to work over Reigns, punching and kicking him. Roman fires back with repeated clotheslines in the corner and a leaping forearm, then manages to give him a Samoan Drop! Mark falls to the outside, but shoves Reigns into the ring post, however Roman soars back with the Superman Punch! Reigns crawls back into the ring just as the referee counts to 10!
Winner via Count-Out and Qualifying for the Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Roman Reigns
Post-match, as Reigns is cooling himself off with a water bottle, Henry drives him to the mat with a World’s Strongest Slam.
Later tonight, Randy Orton and Sheamus, who are also in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match, will go against each other!
Commercials.
Segment #7: Backstage Segment
Roman Reigns is walking off his soreness when Steph and Trips greet him again. Once again, he will be having to put his M.I.T.B. Ladder Match spot on the line, as they book him against “The Eater Of Worlds,” Bray Wyatt!
Segment #8: Video Promo
Footage of a bunch of Superstars promoting Sonic Shakes is aired, which include Tag-Team Champions The New Day, The Big Show, and The Mega Powers.
Paige makes her entrance prior to the break for her Divas Championship match!
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Match #6: Single for the Divas Championship – Paige (Challenger) VS. Nikki Bella (Champion)
An elbow/collar tie-up begins this contest, then Nikki drops Paige with a fireman’s carry takedown and armlock, followed by a belly-to-belly suplex. She carries her into the corner and rams her shoulder into Paige’s gut a few times, then suplexes her. She clamps on a rear chinlock, then springboard-suplexes her for a two-count! Nikki traps Paige in a leglock, but Paige reaches the ropes to break.
Paige kicks hard to counter and crawls for Nikki, but The Champ goes to the floor. Nikki kicks back and tries an Alabama Slam, but Paige sunset-flips and knees Nikki for two! Nikki kicks Paige then Alabama-Slams her to the mat! 1 – 2 – Paige gets her shoulder up!
Paige counters again with a hard punch and kick, then hits out of a Rack Attack attempt! Nikki blocks out of the corner, but Paige runs again and drives her down with a modified-DDT! Nikki rolls out of the ring and switches with Brie, who was under the ring! The other Bella goes back in and inside-cradles Paige to finish this!
Winner via Pinfall and STILL Divas Champion: Nikki Bella
Recap of Henry/Reigns is shown, then Randy Orton makes his return!
Commercials.
Match #7: Single – “The Viper” Randy Orton VS. “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus
Both stare each other down then lock up, and trade wristlocks and headlocks. Sheamus rolls to the outside for a break then they go back-and-forth for a bit. The two go to the outside and brawl, with Orton backdropping Sheamus on top of the commentator’s table. He clotheslines Sheamus down and mouths off in the ring.
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Sheamus now has Randy in trouble with a grounding rear chinlock, then drives him down with a tilt-a-whirl powerslam! Orton breaks out of another grounding chinlock with another backdrop, but is hit in his gut by Sheamus’ shoulder. Orton manages a comeback, planting Sheamus with the slingshot-DDT! He attempts the RKO but is shoved off and kneed! Orton falls to the outside, where they both fight again. Sheamus is tossed over the barricade, but hits back with a chair for the DQ loss.
Winner via Disqualification: “The Viper” Randy Orton
Post-match, Sheamus continues to attack Orton around the ring until four referees put a stop to him. He answers one more time with a second Brogue Kick.
Segment #9: Backstage Promo
Byron Saxton is with Rusev, who is currently out of action with a broken ankle. Saxton asks Rusev about the recent turmoil in his life. Rusev says he is a “broken man” all-around, but vows to get all back.
Commercials.
It is announced that Kevin Owens will put his NXT Title on the line this week on Smackdown in “Kevin Owens’ NXT Championship Open Challenge.”
Match #8: Single – “The Inspirational” Bo Dallas VS. “The Man That Gravity Forgot,” “The New Sensation” Neville
Dallas dominates most of this bout until Neville hits back with multiple kick, putting Bo to the mat. Neville follows up with the Red Arrow Twisting-Splash to take this one!
Winner via Pinfall: “The Man That Gravity Forgot,” “The New Sensation” Neville
Up next, Roman Reigns’ final chance to stay in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match as he squares off against Bray Wyatt!
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Match #9: Single – Roman Reigns VS. Bray Wyatt
Reigns immediately delivers quick punches to Wyatt and works him over to start out. As this bout goes on, The Authority minus Triple H and Stephanie walk to the stage. Bray capitalizes on the mini-distraction, launching himself at Roman with a crossbody. On the outside, Wyatt stalks Reigns and hits him with a hard-clothesline!
Commercials.
Wyatt is still in control, DDTing Reigns on the ring apron then splashing him in the corner. He goes for a second, but Reigns counters with a rocketing-clothesline! He chucks Bray into the post and DDTs him. He gives Bray repeated clotheslines in the corner, then the running front-dropkick on the outside! Wyatt comes back with a clothesline and senton-splash. 1 – 2 – Reigns gets his shoulder up! They slap each other, then Reigns catches Bray with a Samoan Drop! He goes for the Superman Punch, but Bray Chokeslams him to counter! 1 – 2 – Reigns lifts his shoulder again! Wyatt attempts to grab Roman but he is countered into a roll-up and The Superman Punch!
The Authority march to the ring and Kane tries to distract Reigns but is taken to the floor after Roman shoved Bray out of a Sister Abigail! Reigns Spears Bray for the victory!
Winner and Officially Qualifying for the Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Roman Reigns
Post-match, The Authority start another beat-down until “WWE World Heavyweight Champion” Dean Ambrose appears on the announce table to make the save! He helps Roman run off The Authority, the two escape through the crowd with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in tow, as The Authority glare to close the show.
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp
This was a great Raw, both coming off a “big” show and building to another one. I really enjoyed the amount of wrestling, and quality in the matches! There were a couple major plot-holes, but in general, the storytelling was also in good-standing! Onto the analysis:
Excellence: all the matches had some great wrestling, but particular kudos goes to all three of Reigns’, the Divas, and the Six-Man.
Loving the feud between Rollins/Ambrose/Reigns. As my Dad thought earlier, this could easily end up being a Triple-Threat at SummerSlam for the title and that would be totally cool! As well, I think Roman is finding his personality now, being the new “Big Daddy Cool” for this generation. He plays it well and has the perfect look/expressions for it.
Fantastic promo between Owens and Cena; really loving this rivalry with the passion both men have, and Owens absolutely carries himself like a main-event man already!
Bogus: the returns of Orton and Wyatt; for both who have not been on TV for a while, theirs literately came out of nowhere and had no back story or build.
If Rollins claimed he had no use for The Authority, then why was he sticking by them and using them through the end of the night?
All-in-all, this was a pretty superb and action-packed Raw. I’m looking forward to next week, as it will be the “go-home” show before M.IT.B., which will also feature my predictions. Until then, as always, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!
The actual figures of The Rock’s new San Andreas movie came in today and it’s even higher than the projected $53 million.
BoxOfficeMojo.com reports that San Andreas did $54,588,173 in its first weekend, smashing the previous personal best of Dwayne Johnson in Hollywood. First estimates were that the movie was going to do $40 million, then $47 million, and then yesterday it was tipped to be $53 million.
An additional estimated $60 million was added from foreign box office receipts bringing the worldwide total to $114.5 million.
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter today to promote the Special Olympics Unified Relay Across America on behalf of WWE and the hosts asked him about next year’s WrestleMania.
“I would love to get back in there for one last match,” Hogan said, adding that its his record that is on the line from WrestleMania III at the Silverdome.
“I told Vince if I can get in shape and if I can pass the physical, I would love to get in the ring,” Hogan added. A few months ago Hogan said that Vince gave him the blessing that if he’s fit he would have his match at WrestleMania 32.
During the interview Hogan had one of his gaffes by saying that he slammed Andre The Giant at WrestleMania I.
You can see Hogan’s appearance on SportsCenter below. Please note that the video is only available for those located in the United States.
Tonight right after Monday Night Raw, Stone Cold Steve Austin returns to the WWE Network with his Stone Cold Podcast and special guest Paul Heyman.
Austin last did his podcast on the WWE Network in February with Triple H in the hot seat. Controversial questions such as Chyna’s possibility in the Hall of Fame led to several rumors that WWE didn’t like the line of questioning and dumped Austin for the more company-friendly Chris Jericho.
The former WWE champion denied the rumors and said that all was good and the only reason that he didn’t do more shows is because both parties couldn’t come to an agreement.
The Rattlesnake is now in it for the long run with his WWE Network version of his podcast being a monthly feature with future guests including Hulk Hogan, Sting, and The Undertaker among others.
The podcast with the one behind the one in twenty one and one airs live immediately right after Monday Night Raw tonight.
