WWE is loading up for the Chicago Comic Con as Wizard World today announced that The Undertaker, Sting, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, and Paige will be appearing during the busy weekend.
The event will be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center between August 20 and 23 but the WWE crew will be there between August 20 and 22.
Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan will be appearing on Thursday, August 20, with Orton between 4:30PM and 8PM and Bryan between 5:30PM and 8:30PM. Both will be signing autographs and posing for photos. Daniel Bryan will also conduct a question and answer panel at 8PM.
The Undertaker and Paige will take the stage the next day, with Taker appearing between 3PM and 7PM and Paige between 3:30PM and 7:30PM. Paige will do a Q&A at 7PM.
Sting will be making a solo appearance on Saturday from 11AM to 3PM and will be there in full face paint.
“The fans in Chicago have consistently supported WWE at Wizard World, and we have always strived to bring them the biggest and the best,” said John Macaluso, Wizard World CEO. “We are in absolute awe of The Undertaker, Sting, Randy, Daniel and Paige and are proud to be able to bring this remarkable lineup of WWE talent to Chicago!”
Tonight at 10PM EST, the WWE Network will air Mick Foley’s Cheap Pops comedy event which was taped last Friday at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
Joining Foley for the event were Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Scotty 2 Hotty, JBL, and Jim Ross, along with his daughter Noelle.
The synopsis for the show reads, “Join Mick Foley as he shares humorous tales full of wit and wisdom from the WWE Hall of Famer’s storied career. It’s an eclectic trip into the surreal mind and life of the Hardcore Legend like you’ve never seen before.”
The show will run for an hour and prior to the start, at 9PM EST, Renee Young and Byron Saxton will host ‘Mick Foley Have A Nice Night’ special, showcasing Foley’s most memorable and entertaining moments.
It seems not many cared about the fallout from the Extreme Rules pay-per-view as the show did over a quarter of a million less viewers from last week, getting a total average of 3,756,000 viewers for the three hour show.
Hour one pulled 3,823,000 viewers, followed by 3,855,000 in the second hour, and then down to 3,590,000 in the third and final hour. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)
WWE crowned a new king last night, the first one since King Sheamus back in 2010 as Bad News Barrett captured the King of the Ring tournament yesterday live on the WWE Network.
In the two semi finals, Neville first defeated Sheamus and then Barrett defeated R-Truth, setting up an all-England King of the Ring final.
A missed Red Arrow and a Bullhammer later, Bad News got great news as he pinned his fellow countryman to become the 2015 WWE King of the Ring.
Barrett joins the likes of Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Owen Hart, Booker T, and others who have won the tournament.
It seems like Matt and Jeff Hardy’s reign as TNA tag team champions will be short lived as Jeff Hardy suffered a broken leg yesterday after a dirt bike jump ended badly.
The brothers won the tag team titles at the March 16 tapings of Impact which aired on April 17. They defeated The Beat Down Clan, EC3 and Bram, and Bobby Roode and Austin Aries in an Ultimate X match after the the titles were vacated by The Wolves due to an injury suffered by Eddie Edwards.
Edwards suffered a broken heel during a taping of the One Night Only pay-per-views at the end of January and The Wolves had to vacate the titles. The Hardys will probably now have to vacate the titles themselves following Jeff’s unfortunate injury.
The nasty accident was caught on camera by his brother Matt which you can see below.
Daniel Bryan has been removed from all upcoming televised and non-televised live event advertising for the month of May and June.
The current Intercontinental champion has not wrestled since the Smackdown in London, England, as issues with his previous injuries that cut short his WWE World Heavyweight title reign last year have returned.
Bryan opted not to undergo a second surgery and chose an alternative method to fix his problem, a fix that only last a couple of months since his return in mid January.
The next time Bryan is advertised at a live event is on the July 13 Monday Night Raw in Atlanta, Georgia, which is the final Raw before the Battleground PPV. This will give him around two and a half months to recover.
The Intercontinental title, a title which he won at WrestleMania 31, will probably be vacated since he is once again unable to compete. WWE has not announced anything yet as far as plans for the IC title moving forward.
There’s a new wrestling couple waiting to tie the knot as TNA’s Angelina Love and Davey Richards announced that they are now engaged.
Richards was the first one to break the news on Twitter, saying, “I’m officially the luckiest guy in the world. I get my marry my dream girl @ActualALove thanks everyone for the nice words!”
Just a few minutes later, the former six time Knockout champion posted a photo of the ring on her finger and the words, “‘I give my hand to you with all my heart…’ I said YES!!! I love you @RichardsWesley”
Their boss, TNA President Dixie Carter, congratulated the couple on their engagement saying that she’s happy for the two of them.
The two have been dating since February of this year.
The main event for the Payback pay-per-view was set last night on Raw with the fans deciding on the match.
Earlier in the broadcast, Kane gave the WWE fans the option to vote on three possible main events – Seth Rollins vs Randy Orton, Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins vs Randy Orton vs Roman Reigns in a triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight title.
After Raw’s main event was over, the voting numbers were revealed and as expected the triple threat match won with an overwhelming majority.
It’s interesting to note that the video promo for Payback which was out last week showed all three Superstars gunning for each other so it was pretty obvious that the triple threat was going to be the most popular choice.
The 2015 King of the Ring tournament finals will be held tonight on the WWE Network live starting at 8PM EST at the site of the Smackdown tapings in Moline, Illinois.
In the quarter finals, Wade Barrett, R-Truth, Sheamus, and Neville, advanced by defeating Dolph Ziggler, Stardust, Dean Ambrose, and Luke Harper respectively.
The semi finals tonight will see Bad News Barrett vs R-Truth and Sheamus vs Neville. The winners of each semi final will then meet each other later in the night to crown the new King of the Ring.
An Owen Hart reference on Monday Night Raw by Booker T sparked controversy leading to the former 5 time WCW champion to apologize on Twitter.
The whole thing started when JBL said that Neville could very well become the first high flying King of the Ring. Realizing that Owen was a King of the Ring winner and a high flyer himself, JBL then acknowledged Hart on the broadcast but said that Owen was not on the level of Neville when it comes to high flying.
And then things turned awkward. Booker T out of nowhere then said that Owen “couldn’t defy gravity,” playing up the nickname of Neville as the “man that gravity forgot.”
The comment was obviously not meant to be disrespectful but taking in consideration the way Owen Hart passed away, the comment was a bit out of place.
“I would never say anything to disrespect the legacy of Owen Hart. If I did offend anyone, I apologize,” Booker T wrote on Twitter after the show.
Owen Hart passed away in 1999 during the Over The Edge pay-per-view when he fell to his death from the rafters before making an entrance as the Blue Blazer.
Wrestling personalities and friends of Verne Gagne went on Twitter to offer their condolences after the 89 year old legend passed away yesterday.
“Sad to hear my longtime friend Verne Gagne has passed today. To me their was never anybody quite like him. May you rest in peace,” said Gene Okerlund, who got his start in professional wrestling in the AWA under Gagne.
The Iron Sheik, who Gagne tried to bribe to hurt Hulk Hogan for real when he jumped to the WWF, wrote, “Verne Gagne, my first coach, boss and friend in the America. God bless him forever.”
Eric Bischoff said that this one hits “close to home”, as it was Gagne who gave him his first start in the business, first in the sales department and then as an on-air personality. “On a plane and just heard the news about Verne Gagne. This one hits close and hurts. My thoughts, prayers and gratitude are with his family.” Bischoff worked for Gagne until the AWA folded.
WWE and TNA also paid their respects.
“WWE is saddened to learn that @WWE Hall of Famer Verne Gagne passed away Monday at the age of 89,” read a statement on WWE’s Twitter. The WWE.COM website also had a short history on Gagne.
“#TNA joins the entire wrestling world as we mourn the passing of Verne Gagne. A true legend who will never be forgotten. #RIP,” said another statement from TNA.
Vince McMahon, who only uses Twitter when something important is announced, wrote, “Our hearts go out to Verne Gagne’s family and friends.”
WWE Hall of Famer and legendary promoter Verne Gagne passed away yesterday at the age of 89.
The Minnesota native joined the AWA – American Wrestling Association – in 1960 and began his reign as one of the biggest and most popular wrestlers of his generation, winning the AWA Heavyweight title 10 different times over a period of two decades.
A former NFL player, Gagne started his wrestling career in 1949 and joined the NWA in the 50’s, before moving to the AWA.
As the promoter of the AWA, Gagne had Hulk Hogan in his promotion but Hogan eventually left for the WWF in the early 80’s and when Gagne found out that Hogan was going to leave, he offered the Iron Sheik, a friend of Gagne, a large sum of money to screw up Hogan’s knee for real, something that Sheik refused to do. The AWA shut down in early 90’s after everyone left the company with Gagne declaring bankruptcy.
In April 2006, Verne Gagne was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his son Greg.
Gagne suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and lived with his daughter in Bloomington, Minnesota, up until his death.
Monday Night Raw TV Report for April 27th, 2015 – “Double The Payback”
Introduction Segment: Video Promo and Welcoming
A montage of previous King Of The Ring winners is aired, which is relevant because the tournament is returning, starting tonight! The regular Raw video plays, the pyro explodes in the arena, and Michael Cole welcomes us to Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The King Of The Ring tournament is back, with the first-round qualifiers on Raw, and presumably the rest tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 8pm ET/5pm PT on the WWE Network.
Segment #2: Arena Promo
The WWE World Heavyweight Champion kicks off, flanked by J & J Security and Kane. Seth Rollins boasts about his recent successes at WrestleMania and Extreme Rules. He takes all the credit, despite the amount of help he received from Kane, Noble, and Mercury. Rollins makes fun of Kane, calling him “the crypt keeper,” but Kane retorts back, saying he’d prefer to be “the crypt-keeper” rather than a “Justin Bieber” type. Both get into a heated argument until Randy Orton arrives.
Randy stands on the stage and wants a rematch since Kane blamed Rollins for cheating. Seth shoots him down, but Orton says he was actually demanding it from Kane. The Director Of Operations goes to respond, but is cut off by Roman Reigns’ music. He walks through the crowd and then stands on the commentary table. He also wants a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, since he defeated The Big Show at Extreme Rules in a Last Man Standing Match, and also hasn’t gotten a chance since Rollins took the title at WrestleMania.
Kane interrupts and books a Tag-Team bout for later, himself and Rollins taking on Reigns and Orton. Up next, Dolph Ziggler will face Bad News Barrett in a King Of The Ring Qualifying Match!
Commercials.
Match #1: King Of The Ring First-Round Qualifying (Single) – “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler VS. Bad News Barrett
Dolph slugs away with elbows and punches right away, but Barrett fires back with a few of his own. Dolph hits back with a kick and dropkick, sending Bad News to the outside for a break.
Ads.
Bad News is in control now, but Ziggler elbows back and throws Barrett into the ring post. He swings around Wade with a Crucifix pin, getting two! Barrett attempts Wasteland but Dolph reverses into a DDT! Barrett does hit Wasteland but only gets two as well! He winds up for the Bullhammer Elbow, but Dolph ducks and nails him with a superkick! Before he can go further, Sheamus walks out and reminds Ziggler that he kissed his “arse.” Barrett capitalizes on the distraction and hits the Bullhammer and covers for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall and ADVANCING: Bad News Barrett
Up next, new Tag-Team Champions The New Day, who appear to be going by “Freebird Rules” (where any of the three members can be the champs), will be in action!
Commercials.
Match #2: Single – Tag-Team Champion Big E. (with Tag-Team Champion and New Day partners Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston) VS. Tyson Kidd (with Natalya and Cesaro) (Non-Title)
Prior to the bout, The New Day cut a promo, trying to entice the fans to chant “New Day Rocks” instead; it does not work, to say the least! Tyson immediately spin-kicks Big E. and dominates this contests. He mudhole stomps him in the corner, then delivers another stiff-kick off the apron. Big E. launches a clothesline and suddenly gets the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Tag-Team Champion Big E. (with Tag-Team Champion and New Day partners Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston)
The announcers recap the Russian Chain Match at Extreme Rules and the impending I Quit Match at Payback on May 17th, then make it down that John Cena will continue to have is Open Challenge for the United States Championship.
Ryback makes his entrance and will be wrestling next!
Ads.
Match #3: Single – “The Big Guy” Ryback VS. “The Inspirational” Bo Dallas
Before this begins, Bo cuts a promo ripping on the fans and trying to convince Ryback to “Bo-lieve.” It doesn’t take, as Ryback slams Dallas down right away. Bo comes back fiercely and takes control. He kicks him hard and locks him in a rear chinlock. Ryback gets out of it and hits the Meathook Clothesline and Marching Samoan Drop for the W!
Winner via Pinfall: “The Big Guy” Ryback
Post-match, Bray Wyatt’s video plays and the lights go out. He appears behind Ryback, then drives him down with the Sister Abigail. Wyatt crab-walks to a laid-out Ryback, then kneels over him and screams something inaudible.
Up next, John Cena will give another person a chance at his U.S. Title.
Commercials.
Match #4: Single for the United States Championship – John Cena (Champion) VS. ??? (Challenger)
Ahead of this contest, Cena cuts his usual promo (great) of passion for wrestling and America. He amps up the I Quit Match at Payback, by supposedly laying his career on the line too. He then institutes the U.S. Open Challenge and the person to answer is ….
Heath Slater! Before wrestling, he talks on stage about becoming the new U.S. Champ and idol for Green Bay instead of Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers Quarterback.) From behind, Rusev pushes and kicks Slater off the stage, then Lana walks out to a massive pop. Rusev orders her backstage, to massive boos. He then rants to Cena about being the new U.S. Champ again himself and making the U.S. fail/quit. The Russian Flag is then displayed above the ring.
Segment #3: Office Promo
Kane is walking back-and-forth when WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins walks in with Noble and Mercury. He wants to know what Kane has in store for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at Payback. Kane is going to let the WWE Fans decide who will challenge Seth – Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, or both! Rollins is irate at this decision, and Kane says the people can vote now.
Ads.
Match #5: King Of The Ring First-Round Qualifying (Single) – R-Truth VS. Stardust
Both trade moves to begin, then Stardust takes control. He dominates with a few kicks and hisses at Truth. He continues to rip at R with facelocks and stretches. He whips him hard into the corner, but Truth hits back with an elbow and a clothesline. He tries for the Axe-Kick, but Stardust reverses into a roll-up for two! Truth hits a spinning elbow, and the two trade pins again. Truth catches Stardust out of the Disaster Kick into a flatliner to take this one!
Winner via Pinfall and ADVANCING: R-Truth
Commercials.
Match #6: Single – Adam Rose (with The Rosebuds) VS. Fandango
Rose controls early, hammering Fandango against the ropes. Fandango comes back, sending Adam to the outside and then soars over the ropes onto him and a couple of the Rosebuds. One of the Rosebuds takes of a part of her costume and we see that she is Rosa! She dances around the ring, which averts Fandango’s attention enough for Adam drive him to the canvas with the Party Foul Cutter and succeed!
Winner via Pinfall: Adam Rose (with The Rosebuds)
Post-match, Rosa tells Fandango she has now found a new man since Fandango has picked us, the fans. She turns around and goes into a full-on make-out session with Rose in the ring, while Fandango walks away disgusted and the Rosebuds cheer Rosa and Adam on.
Segment #4: Backstage Promo
Rene Young asks Brie Bella about the health of her husband, current Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan. She puts him over with the passion he has for this business, but is quickly assaulted by Naomi.
Ads.
Match #7: Single – Brie Bella (with sister and Divas Champion Nikki) VS. Naomi
Brie jumps on Naomi with a Lou Thesz Pres right away, but Naomi soon dominates. She plants Brie with a backbreaker and drops a leg across her throat. She rips at her with a chinlock, but Brie flips her over to break it. Both rung and hit each other with a crossbody. Brie is fired up, hitting flying clotheslines and a smacking knee-to-the-gut! She runs at Naomi with another knee, then rockets off the middle turnbuckle with a missile dropkick. Naomi catches her with a roll-up for the win!
Winner via Pinfall: Naomi
Dean Ambrose makes his entrance for his KOTR bout, next!
Commercials.
Match #8: King Of The Ring First-Round Qualifying (Single) – “The Lunatic Fringe” Dean Ambrose VS. “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus
They lockup and struggle in the corner, then Sheamus rolls over Ambrose while locked up with him. They continue to tussle until Sheamus gives Dean a shoulder block. He rips at Dean’s nose, but Dean ties him up with an Indian Deathlock and rips at his nose too! Ambrose kicks Sheamus in the back, but Sheamus slugs back with a hard punch. Ambrose runs Sheamus into the corner and follows with a clothesline, then puts him to the outside. He goes for the suicide dive, but Sheamus walks away and regroups.
Ads.
Sheamus dominating now, planting Ambrose with a flip-over suplex. Dean comes back with a clothesline and ferocious chops but Sheamus counters into an over-the-shoulder slam. He runs at Dean in the corner, but misses and falls to the outside. Dean follows up with the suicide dive, but is caught back in the ring with another over-the-shoulder-slam. Sheamus clamps on the Cloverleaf submission, but Dean manages to crawl to the ropes for a break.
Sheamus goes for 10 Beats Of The Baron, but Ambrose elbows out of it. He ascends the top rope and dives off with another elbow! 1 – 2 – Sheamus gets his shoulder up!
On the outside, Ambrose runs at Sheamus but is tossed onto the announce table. Sheamus pounds away, but Ambrose runs from the table onto Sheamus with a forearm! He shoves Sheamus into the ring post, but Sheamus hits back with The Brogue Kick! Dolph Ziggler now runs out and beats on Sheamus until “The Celtic Warrior” retreats through the crowd.
Winner via Disqualification and ADVANCING: Sheamus
Commercials.
Segment #5: Arena Promo
Ring Announcer Eden Stiles asks us to welcome Damien Sandow. He recaps his career thus far, which started out as a pompous aristocrat, then impersonations a plenty, and lastly ending up as The Miz’s sidekick and assistant. Sandow cuts the usual face promo, putting over the fans for making him a superstar. (To many nice cheers.) Curtis Axel interrupts, but gets mocked, mimicked, and laid-down by Damien to the enjoyment of the crowd.
It is announced that there will be a Tag-Team Championship rematch this week on Smackdown! as Cesaro and Tyson Kidd challenge The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Big E.)!
Segment #6: Video Promo
“Learn to play with fire. Tell me friend, will you ever learn? Will you ever realize who you truly are? Or will you always just be a man of obsessed with his own vanity? You may not know yourself, but I know you. I can see right through you; you’re transparent. I know what drives you, I know what motivates you, and I know what scares you. What you witnessed tonight, is only the beginning. Open your eyes, friend. RUN!” quips Bray Wyatt.
Ads.
Match #9: King Of The Round First-Round Qualifying (Single) – “The Man That Gravity Forgot, The New Sensation” Neville VS. Luke Harper
Harper lifts Neville right away, but Neville uses his skills to twist Luke around with a headscissors. He follows up with a hurricanrana from the stairs, but is caught off the top. Harper takes control leading to the break.
Commercials.
Luke has Neville gripped in a rear chinlock, but Neville gets out of it. He springboards onto Harper with a moonsault to the outside, then splashes him on the canvas with a standing-Shooting Star Press. He tries another aerial maneuver but is planted by Luke. He rolls out of Luke again and brings him back with a German suplex. He kicks Luke hard to the head, but then Harper drives him to the mat with a sit-down powerbomb! 1 – 2 – Neville kicks out!
Luke bashes Neville’s head against the turnbuckle repeatedly, then props him up there. Neville fights back with fists and headbutts, and kicks him hard in the head again too! He flips over with a sunset powerbomb, then tornadoes off the turnbuckle with the Red Arrow Splash! 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall and ADVANCING: “The Man That Gravity Forgot, The New Sensation” Neville
Roman Reigns makes his entrance for the Tag-Team main-event, next!
Ads.
Match #10: Tag-Team – Roman Reigns and “The Viper” Randy Orton VS. Kane and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins (with J & J Security)
Roman and Rollins begin, with Reigns flipping Seth over; the Authority converse strategy on the outside. Back in the ring, Rollins kicks at Roman, but is quickly spun around with a tilt-a-whirl slam! Reigns switches with Orton, who slowly picks apart Rollins. Reigns back in and picks up Seth, who wiggles out and slides to the outside. He tags in Kane to square off with Roman. He tags Rollins back in, who tosses Orton to the floor.
Commercials.
Seth is back in control over Randy with a rear chinlock. He continues to work over Orton until “The Viper” tosses him with a t-bone suplex! Roman and Kane are tagged in respectively, with Roman getting the better of Kane! He hits 10 short-clotheslines in the corner, then. He throws both Kane and Orton to the outside, and goes to run, but is caught by Mercury. Around the ring, Roman gets an uppercut and run into the ring post a couple times by Kane, then put back in the ring. Rollins and Reigns punch away, then Kane is back in. He dominates over Roman, as does Rollins, for a while.
Roman blocks a suplex and gives Kane one of his own, but cannot tag Randy as Seth was tagged first and stopped Reigns. He rolls up Rollins, then powerbombs him, and gets the hot-tag to Orton! He is all over Rollins with punches and clotheslines. Orton powerslams Seth, but Kane breaks up the subsequent pin attempt. Reigns is in and pushes Kane’s hand off a Chokeslam, then punches Rollins down. He gears for the Superman Punch on Seth, but Mercury hops the apron and is hit instead!
Rollins shoves Reigns out of the ring, but is slingshot-DDT’ed by Orton. “The Viper” goes for the R.K.O., but it is reversed into a roll-up by Seth for two! Rollins kicks Orton hard out of the ring, then suicide dives onto Kane, as both Orton and Reigns moved! He puts Orton back in the ring, but Kane hurls Mercury and Noble over the announce table, then rolls Rollins back in the ring who is Superman Punched and R.K.O.’ed for the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: Roman Reigns and “The Viper” Randy Orton
Post-match, Kane reveals the results of the poll for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match at Payback. The winner(s) is (inevitably) a Triple-Threat Match! Seth is not pleased, then turns around into a Spear from Roman Reigns! Roman stands tall as Orton smiles from the stage to close the show.
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp
This was a pretty-good Raw, especially for in-ring action. While most of it was taken up by the King Of The Ring Tournament, the storylines from Extreme Rules and before still continued and were intertwined nicely. Onto the in-depth review:
Excellence: The “Freebird Rules” for the Tag-Team Titles. Glad they are doing this with The New Day and keeping us guessing who will defend the straps. I hope these guys get a long run, as they have been really entertaining and picking up their game since the night after WrestleMania.
KOTR matches of Ziggler/Barrett, Neville/Harper, and Truth/Stardust. Nice to see Truth get the win, but overall, it’s either going to be Barrett or Neville to get the crown. My only complaint about this is that it is not a Pay-Per-View/Network monthly show; they should really bring it back again and make it the June one like years gone by.
Promos by Wyatt, Sandow (really deserves a big face-push), Cena, Rusev, Rollins, Reigns, and Kane. Still liking Naomi’s new attitude too, and her light-up shoes taboot!
Some great back-and-forth action to cap off the Tag main as well!
Bogus: losing interest in Fandango/Rose/Rosa; this needs to end quickly. Also, I really hope they give Bo Dallas a push again; he didn’t merit the “downsize” since he got injured, as he’s great on the mike and superb at annoying the fans, so he really makes a great mid-card heel that should be winning a decent amount.
All-in-all, a nice Raw and looking forward to seeing who wins the King Of The Ring, plus more build for Payback! Until next week, as always, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!
The first match for the Payback pay-per-view was made official at last night’s Extreme Rules with Cena defending the United States title once again against Rusev.
This time around it will be an I Quit match, the second gimmick match in their feud following last night’s Russian chain match. This will be their fourth pay-per-view match in a row, with matches at Fastlane, WrestleMania, and Extreme Rules. Rusev won the first one at Fastlane but Cena has been victorious since then.
Payback is just three weeks away, with the pay-per-view taking place at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 17.
Just before Extreme Rules started, WWE announced that Daniel Bryan would not be appearing at the pay-per-view, saying that he was medically unable to compete.
WWE.COM has removed Bryan from tonight’s Raw advertising however the Resch Center, the home of tonight’s Raw, is still promoting Daniel Bryan on the event page. He is still advertised for next week’s show.
Bryan is expected to be out of action for the next four weeks at least with the future of the Intercontinental title still undecided.
Jerry Springer will make his WWE Network debut tonight with his brand new show titled ‘Jerry Springer Presents WWE Too Hot For TV.’
The show will be available on demand right after Monday Night Raw is over although it is not part of the live schedule.
Springer has appeared as a Raw guest host twice before, in 2010 and 2014. In the 2014 appearance, he was injured during his segment and suffered bruised ribs and also a twisted ankle after he got rolled over by Nikki, Brie, and Stephanie McMahon.
The synopsis for the new WWE Network show reads, “This new series brings you the most outrageous stunts and cringe-inducing moments in WWE history.”
The King of the Ring tournament is returning to WWE, starting tonight on Monday Night Raw and then tomorrow during a live broadcast on the WWE Network starting at 8PM EST.
The live presentation on the WWE Network will run for an hour and will be held at the I Wireless Center in Moline, Illinois, where Smackdown will be taped.
The participants of the tournament or any additional details were not announced.
This is the first time that WWE is bringing back the tournament in five years, with the last show held in 2010 during an edition of Monday Night Raw. Sheamus won that tournament beating John Morrison in the finals.
In quite a surprising move, TNA today announced that Billy Corgan, founder of the Smashing Pumpkins and creative icon, is joining the company as Senior Producer, Creative and Talent Development, effective immediately. In this position, Corgan will develop characters and create story lines for TNA’s Impact and other programming.
“I’ve known Billy for years and have always been blown away by his musical artistry, as well as his knowledge and understanding of professional wrestling,” said TNA President Dixie Carter. “He has always impressed me with his creativity and passion for our business. Billy is truly gifted and understands the emotion tied to the psychology of connecting with an audience. The more we talked, the more I realized his perspective has the potential to make a huge impact on our brand.”
Corgan will attend TNA television tapings where he will serve as a senior producer. This is not the first time that Corgan will be involved in professional wrestling as he co-founded Resistance Pro Wrestling in 2011 although he is no longer associated with the promotion.
“Saying I’m humbled and honored by this opportunity to be part of TNA, a world-class wrestling organization, is an understatement and a dream come true,” said Corgan. “What’s great is the entire TNA organization stands in full support of my music life with the Smashing Pumpkins. In return, I’m fully committed to using my 30 years of entertainment experience, along with my deep-rooted passion for pro wrestling, to take on the thrilling challenge of creatively contributing to IMPACT WRESTLING, finding and developing new talent, and working eye-to-eye with the best-of-the-best. For as cultures currently evolve at great speed, so must pro wrestling meet and supersede such expectations to thrive.”
Here are the results from last night’s Extreme Rules 2015 pay-per-view which took place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
Neville defeated Bad News Barrett in the kickoff match; Dean Ambrose defeated Luke Harper in a Chicago street fight; Dolph Ziggler defeated Sheamus in a kiss me arse match; The New Day defeated Tyson Kidd and Cesaro to become the new Tag Team champions; John Cena defeated Rusev to retain the United States title in a Russian chain match; Nikki Bella defeated Naomi to retain the Divas title; Roman Reigns defeated Big Show in a last man standing match; and Seth Rollins defeated Randy Orton in a cage match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight title.
As expected, Daniel Bryan was unable to compete and defend the Intercontinental title due to his injury.
In odds just hours before the pay-per-view is scheduled to kick off, Seth Rollins is the clear favorite to retain the WWE World Heavyweight title against Randy Orton tonight at Extreme Rules, with Rollins at 1/9 and Orton at 5/1.
In other bets, Cena is also favorite to retain at 1/10, Nikki Bella is at 4/7 to win, Reigns is 1/7 favorite against Big Show, Sheamus is clear favorite at 1/4 against Ziggler, Ambrose is 1/5 for the win, and Kidd and Cesaro are also favorites at 4/11 to retain the Tag Team titles.
For the Intercontinental title match which at this point is very unlikely to happen, Bryan is at 1/1 to retain and Barrett is at 8/11 for a win.
