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Monday Night Raw TV report for 02/02/2015

By
W-O Staff
-

Last week was one filled with mixed emotions, from curious and happy to downright belligerent and disrespectful. Now, a new week and month begins in WWE! Here’s hoping it is a fresh new start. A clue to said start may be the biggest thing awaiting us – Triple H’s “shocking” announcement that will “shake the WWE Universe to its core!”

So, why wait? Let’s find out what that is all about now!

Monday Night Raw TV Report for February 2nd, 2015 – “A Fresh Restart”

Introduction Segment: Video Promo & Welcoming

Recap from the Royal Rumble match and Triple H talking about it on Smackdown! is first shown. The regular Raw video plays, then pyro explodes in the Pepsi Center. Michael Cole, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, and Booker T. greet us from Denver, Colorado.

Segment #2: Arena Promo

We may not have to wait long for the announcement, as The Authority make their way to the ring right off the bat. At first, Triple H and Stephanie antagonize the fans by talking about The Superbowl, where the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks. (Denver is not a fan of New England, hence the “poking-the-bear” by HHH and Steph.) They move on to The Royal Rumble Match, talking about the controversial ending. Another replay is aired.

Triple H cites his issue with The Royal Rumble – The Rock. He explains that since Rock is more movie-star than wrestler, he had no reason to just come on by and interfere in the finish of a bout. However, “The Game” also takes the blame for letting Sting come in at both Survivor Series and on Raw two weeks ago. This showed an example of anybody with a “big name” thinking they can come and go as they please. The Authority vow to put an end to this at Fast Lane when Triple H confronts Sting face-to-face.

Back to The Royal Rumble, Stephanie starts the speculation of whether Roman Reigns should be allowed to face WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania all because of his cousin’s interference. Before she can go on, the current #1 Contender walks through the crowd to a better reaction than last week and gets in The Authority’s faces.

McMahon is trying to convince Reigns not to main-event WrestleMania and preserve his family’s legacy/history. One again, they are interrupted. This time, it is the super-fan-favorite, Daniel Bryan, who jumps down the ramp. He wants his rematch for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which he never “officially” got after being stripped of the championship due to his neck injury. Triple H disputes this, as when Bryan finally returned, he immediately announced his candidacy for the Royal Rumble Match, negating the automatic rematch for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Triple H said he would’ve received.

Now, they are all interceded by “Mr. Money In The Bank.” Along with J & J Security (Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury), Seth Rollins marches to the squared circle, albeit minus a working microphone. Cole wonders what will happen next as we go to our first break.

Commercials.

Back live, Rollins is making a case for Reigns and Bryan not to be the #1 Contender, but instead for it to be him. Roman threatens to knock out Rollins, but Triple H and Stephanie interject. HHH says that plans always change, so he is proposing that Daniel takes on Seth tonight, with the winner facing Reigns at Fast Lane, and that winner going to WrestleMania and matching up against “The Beast Incarnate.”

Stephanie goes back to trying to persuade Roman that this is a good idea, again to protect his family and himself. Bryan tells Reigns not to pay attention to The Authority, instead to go for the offer so they can tear the house down at Fastlane and see who gets to be in the main-event of WrestleMania. Rollins weighs in, insinuating that if Reigns doesn’t this suggestion, then it is because he’s afraid to wrestle him.

Stephanie questions Roman on his decision, which he replies by saying “screw it; I’ll fight you (Bryan) and I’ll fight you (Rollins).” He takes the deal, and it is official. Bryan will take on Rollins tonight, with the winner facing Reigns at Fastlane to determine the #1 Contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Triple H then informs Reigns not to go anywhere; The Big Show then makes his way to the ring and they will be squaring off next!

Ads.

Match #1: Single – Roman Reigns VS. The Big Show (with “Mr. Money In The Bank” Seth Rollins, Jamie Noble, and Joey Mercury)

Big Show is in firm control for most of this bout. He tossed Reigns over the ropes and whipped him hard into the corner barricade. Reigns tries to mount a comeback, but J and J, and Rollins, interfere a few times; this causes Roman to be driven down with a chokeslam and Big Show to get the victory!

Winner via Pinfall: The Big Show

Segment #3: Backstage Promo

Triple H and Stephanie discuss their plan and how it played out perfectly to rid Reigns of his guaranteed Wrestlemania title shot.

Commercials.

Segment #4: Arena Promo

Curtis Axel walks out and debates that he should be in the main-event of WrestleMania, as he never even entered after being beat-up. Dean Ambrose interrupts him, chucking him to the floor. Ambrose moves on, wanting to challenge Bad News Barrett for his Intercontinental Championship.

Segment #5: Video Promo

WWE is celebrating Black History Month, so to commemorate, they present a video on WWE and AFL Hall Of Famer, the great, late, “Big Cat” Ernie Ladd.

Ads.

Match #2: Tag-Team – Gold and Stardust VS. The Ascension (Viktor and Conor)

Conor and Viktor finish this one quickly after the Fall Of Man on Goldust.

Winners via Pinfall: The Ascension (Viktor and Conor)

Post-match, Stardust berates his brother for the loss.

Up next, John Cena will have a “welcome back” party for Ryback, Erik Rowan, and “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler!

Commercials.

Segment #6: Backstage Promo

Stardust is walking around, muttering gibberish to himself, when Goldust walks up. He tries to get a hold of Stardust mentally, but can’t. So, he calls him Cody, which infuriates Stardust.

Segment #7: Arena Promo

John Cena is out, first ripping on Triple H for wanting a “WWE without John Cena.” He then gives props to Sting, who helped him defeat Seth Rollins two weeks ago on Raw, which brought back Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erik Rowan. The trio come out but are barged by Stephanie, who appears on the Titan Tron. She books all three in matches, with Dolph taking on Bray Wyatt, Erik going against U.S. Champ Rusev, and Ryback facing Luke Harper, next!

Ads.

Match #3: Single – Ryback VS. Luke Harper

Harper begins with a suplex on Ryback, but Ryback just stands up and beats his chest. He returns with a standing-stalling-suplex of his own. He hops to the second turnbuckle and splashes Harper for two, then works him over with a kick and a chop in the corner. Ryback runs off the ropes but is caught by a dropkick from Luke. He follows up with a big boot, which puts Ryback to the floor.

Back in the ring, Harper chops Ryback and hits another big boot. He wear shim down with a grounding rear chinlock. Ryback gains momentum with a roll-up for a near-fall, then a quick splash. He moves out of the way as Harper runs, sending Luke tumbling to the mat below. Ryback follows up with a spinebuster, then signals for the Meathook clothesline, but is cut off by a superkick. 1 – 2 – Ryback gets the shoulder up! Ryback set sup for the Shellshock, but Harper reverses into a sunset flip for another near-fall!

Ryback suddenly nails the Meathook clothesline, then gives him the Shellshock Samoan Drop for the 1 – 2 – 3!

Winner via Pinfall: Ryback

Commercials.

Match #4: Single – Tag-Team Champion Jimmy Uso (with Tag-Team Champion brother/partner Jey Uso and Naomi) VS. Cesaro (with Tyson Kidd and Natalya)

Both trade takedowns and holds until Cesaro elbows Jimmy hard, gaining an advantage. Uso fires back, soaring over the ropes with a splash! Cesaro hits one of his own, with a double-axe-handle off the top turnbuckle! He clamps on a grounding rear chinlock, then swings him around a bit later. He turns the swing into a half-crab, but Jimmy gets out of it. Cesaro continues to control until Jimmy catches him with a superkick. He ascends the turnbuckle and tries a Superfly Splash, but Cesaro cut shim off with an uppercut to take this one!

Winner via Pinfall: Cesaro (with Tyson Kidd and Natalya)

Post-match, Kidd attacks Jey as well, then celebrates with Cesaro and they leave with Natalya.

Ads.

Segment #8: Backstage Promo

Damien Mizdow is dishing out blueberries, to the orders of The Miz. A production man walks up and asks for an autograph. Miz is happy to oblige, but it is really Damien’s he wants. Mizdow signs, then Miz tears it up. He scolds Damien and calls him “the worst stunt-double I’ve ever seen!” (Mizdow was mocking all of Miz’s moves during the yelling!) Miz fires Mizdow, then quickly rehires him, as his “personal assistant.”

Segment #9: Locker Room Promo

John Cena is with Erik Rowan, who thanks Cena for standing up for him. This has never happened before in his life.

Dolph Ziggler makes his entrance for his match with Bray Wyatt, next!

Commercials.

Match #5: Single – “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler VS. Bray Wyatt

The bell rings and the two lock up. Ziggler fires away right away with punches, but Bray pushes him off and hammers on the back of Dolph. The fans are split between the two. Dolph comes back with a few punches, but Bray quickly puts him back to the canvas. He starts to dominate, choking Dolph on the ropes.

Ziggler flips out of a backdrop, but can’t hit the Fameasser as Bray slipped away to the outside. Both exchange mat-wrestling holds, then Bray slaps Dolph hard and senton-splashes him. Wyatt squeezes on the collar/shoulder area of Ziggler, but Ziggler battles out. He hits an elbow then a dropkick, but Wyatt goes to the outside again and jawbreaks Dolph on the middle rope. He pulls him through and suplexes from the apron to the floor!

Ads.

Bray is still governing this contest, until he runs at Ziggler and misses, sending himself shoulder-first into the ring post! Dolph goes for a dive but Bray counters with an uppercut. He goes for a senton splash, but Ziggler moves! He hits a clothesline and splash, then brings him down with a neckbreaker. Dolph drops an elbow for two, but runs into a stiff, hard, harsh clothesline! Bray attempts Sister Abigail, but Ziggler elbows his way out and drives him down with a DDT!

Dolph tries a splash, but eats turnbuckle. Bray follows with a splash of his own, then starts to roll his eyes and hangs upside down. He grabs Ziggler, but Dolph shoves him off and tries a Fameasser. Bray moves but runs into a superkick for a near-fall!

Both punch it out now. Dolph kicks off and plants with the Fameasser, but Wyatt gets right back up and drives Dolph down with Sister Abigail to take this one!

Winner via Pinfall: Bray Wyatt

Segment #10: Office Promo

The Authority and Seth Rollins are quite happy with how everything has turned out so far. Triple H compares “the future” Rollins to the “former future” Randy Orton, where Rollins goes along with everything while Orton complained and went out on his own. Rollins swears that he will make sure that it is him going to WrestleMania.

Commercials.

Match #6: Single – Alicia Fox VS. Paige

(Note: The Bella Twins are on commentary, and Divas Champion Nikki will be facing Paige at Fast Lane for the Divas Championship)

Elbow/collar tie-up begins, with both plummeting to the floor mat. Paige runs and screams at The Bellas, but gets small-packaged inside the ring for two! Fox boots Paige down then clamps on a rear chinlock. Alicia gives Paige a Northern-Light suplex for two, then continues to tear at her chin. Paige soon reverses a tilt-a-whirl slam into a press-cover for the win!

Winner via Pinfall: Paige

Post-match, Alicia continues to beat on Paige when The Bellas come in. They spray Paige with some paint, declaring “we just want to give her some color!”

Ads.

Match #7: Single – The Miz (with Damien Mizdow) VS. Sin Cara

Miz starts out with a side headlock, but then has to yell as Mizdow not to mimic him. Cara takes advantage and flies around, but misses the top rope Senton Splash. Miz goes to the top rope, as does Mizdow. Miz stops Damien, then goes back to work on Sin.

Damien eventually hops on the apron and gets a crowd reaction, which distracts Miz, and allows Cara to trap his legs in a pinning position!

Winner via Pinfall: Sin Cara

Post-match, Miz freaks out at Damien, who just stands there, being on-guard for The Miz.

Segment #11: Video Promo

“I’ve been called many names in the past. ‘Seducer,’ ‘accuser,’ ‘destroyer.’ But you, you may call me Bray. Because I’ve been watching you, I’ve been watching you for quite some time now. And OH, how they used to fear you. And look what you’ve gone and did. You let all that fear turn into love and admiration. But me, I’m a little bit different. Me, I am the NEW FACE OF FEAR! I am the dragon. The devil is real man, and he cannot wait to see you again. I know you’re listening. (Bending backwards) Find me!”

Commercials.

Match #8: Single – United States Champion Rusev (with “The Ravishing Russian” Lana) VS. Erik Rowan

Rusev immediately attacks Rowan, with the bell not evening being called for. He totally decimates Erik with slugs and kicks, then stretches him with The Accolade.

Winner: No Contest due to No Official Start

Lana has the microphone and presents a video that highlights Rusev’s destructive ways over the last several months.

Segment #12: Locker Room Promo

Roman Reigns is sitting and thinking when Daniel Bryan walks in. he gives sympathies for The Authority’s actions earlier, but Reigns wants none of it. He doesn’t care who he faces, because he will go through them anyway and move on to WrestleMania.

Seth Rollins makes his entrance, along with J & J, to prepare for the main event!

Ads.

Match #9: Single (Winner will take on Roman Reigns at Fast Lane) – “Mr. Money In The Bank” Seth Rollins (with J & J Security, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury) VS. Daniel Bryan

(Note: These two faced off a few times, over 5 years ago in Ring Of Honor, and had a fantastic match. It’s nice to se them main-event Raw, and have come along way) Both lock up and shove into the ropes before Daniel slaps Seth back. Bryan slips out and twists Rollins’ arm with a lock. J & J yank Bryan into the barricade, then Rollins follows up with a suicide dive.

Commercials.

Rollins is in control, stomping and choking Daniel in the corner. (Note: Big Show is now out at ringside.) Seth runs at Bryan in the corner, but Daniel moves and nails a bunch of punches and uppercuts. He goes for a clothesline, but is caught and driven into the second turnbuckle.

Bryan fires back up after flipping over Rollins in the corner and hitting a running clothesline! He delivers many kicks-to-the-chest of Rollins. Bryan hurricanranas Seth from the top turnbuckle, but Rollins turns it into a sunset flip for a near-fall! Both punch away, then Daniel tries a Yes Lock. He is whipped into J & J, then tosses Rollins onto them. Bryan follows up with a suicide dive that sends both J & J and Rollins sprawled around the ring!

He climbs the turnbuckle again, but is kicked down. Daniel reverses a move and brings Seth from the top turnbuckle to the mat with a backdrop! Bryan measures Seth, but Rollins catches Bryan and powerbombs him into the corner!

Rollins consoles with Show, but Roman Reigns rockets down the ramp with a spear! He takes out Joey Mercury as well, then Superman Punches Rollins while the referee is distracted by Jamie Noble. Bryan capitalizes with the Running Knee and covers to get the victory!

Winner via Pinfall and facing Roman Reigns at Fast Lane: Daniel Bryan

Post-mach, Rene Young interviews Triple H, but he is going to say what he wants on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s Podcast, right after raw. Michael Cole interviews Daniel. He promises that will go on to Fastlane and defeat Roman Reigns (to a mixed reaction), then go to WrestleMania in the main event. He celebrates to close the show.

End Of Raw.

Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp

This was another pretty good Raw overall; I especially enjoyed the crowd – they were really into it and appropriately reacted this time! Onto the analysis:

Excellence: matches between Cesaro/Jimmy, Ryback/Harper, Bray/Dolph, and Bryan/Rollins – superb wrestling and storytelling! Even though it ran long, the opening segment was really well done. I’m not surprised that Triple H’s announcement didn’t “shake the WWE Universe to its core.” Instead, I am happy that one way or another, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match at Wrestlemania still looks to be one-on-one. I also like how they are pitting Reigns and Bryan against each other, so the fans can pick who they really want to be the “golden boy.”

Loved the interactions between Miz and Mizdow. They were well-performed, and as my Dad said, not rushing it and teasing us to the huge inevitable face-turn by Damien, and probable match at ‘Mania between the two.

Seeing the video package on Rusev was great to show him as the destroyer he can be, and a very credible threat to “superman” John Cena. As always, Bray Wyatt’s promos are masterfully, creepily spoken.

I am intrigued by the brewing feud of Stardust and Goldust.

Bogus: Not intrigued by the feud between The Usos and Cesaro/Kidd. Still not liking The Ascension; there bad promos really ruined them for me, as I was quite spoiled when they were on NXT and I got to watch. (Cheap-shot at Sportsnet 360 here in Canada, which took away NXT for me!) Still, Conor and Viktor were much better in NXT and need to go back to that for me to like them again.

While it was a decent match between Paige and Alicia, The Bellas on commentary were awful. They also focused way too much on them instead of the actual bout in the ring.

All-in-all, another pretty good Raw and really looking forward to the night after Fastlane in just under three weeks, as WrestleMania should be truly set then. Until next week, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!

Triple H talks issues with CM Punk on Austin’s podcast

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Just like he asked Vince McMahon, Steve Austin touched the subject of CM Punk with Triple H on his Unleashed podcast last night.

Triple H said that there was a history between them which started when he said he’s never seen Punk before he came to WWE’s developmental and that wasn’t meant to be a knock on CM Punk. He said that he never had any beef with him but Punk carried it over with him when he was brought up to the main roster.

He said that all the storylines they did together with Nash also coming in where all done for the right reasons and to get Punk more over but things didn’t work out, noting all the decision were taken by Vince McMahon.

Triple H said that Punk was a “weird cat” and was very hard to get to know and didn’t communicate well. He recounted a story of how he was hearing that Punk was complaining about something backstage and when he went to talk to him, Punk said that everything was alright.

Asked if there’s a way for CM Punk to return to the WWE, Triple H said the usual “never say never” line and if the fans want it and that’s what’s best for business, then they can work something out but only if Punk wants to come back and if he can get past the issues he has with the business.

Steve Austin puts Triple H in the hot seat for special podcast on WWE Network

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Triple H was the special guest on Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Unleashed podcast last night on the WWE Network, an interview which went over an hour following the conclusion of Monday Night Raw.

Triple H talked a variety of subjects during the show including the controversial Royal Rumble booking, how kayfabe is dead, being criticized for marrying into the McMahon family, the difference in producing NXT vs the “no forgiveness” of live WWE, the process of the Hall of Fame, mending fences with Bruno Sammartino and the Ultimate Warrior, and how he would have liked to wrestle Buddy Rogers.

Austin then played the word association game with Hunter, asking him to say a word or two about Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Eddie Guerrero, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Owen Hart, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Kane, Pat Patterson, and Michael PS Hayes.

The question of Brock Lesnar’s contract was brought up and Triple H said that they are talking to Brock to see if he wants to continue or if he has “unfinished business” that he needs to complete (UFC). He said it all comes down to Brock and they love having him there and obviously want him to stay. Triple H said that Brock loves the arrangement that they have and he thinks he loves what he’s doing but right now it’s all up in the air.

The Undertaker’s streak at WrestleMania was also touched with HHH saying he doesn’t know if it should have continued or broken, although he said he sees value in both.

With production wrapping up, Triple H pulled a Vince and told Austin that they could do five more minutes with Austin saying Kevin Dunn was screaming in his ear to wrap it up. The two then discussed promos and how Triple H would like to see Raw go back to two hours instead of three as the third hour is very difficult to write. He said he wished he had more time to develop storylines and understands that some people have a short attention span nowadays and wishes that they give the women more television time.

Before wrapping it up, Austin asked HHH when or if we will see him back in the ring and he said that he will get back but we have to stay tuned for that. “It’s coming,” he said, adding that he doesn’t want to give anything away.

Reigns vs Bryan set for Fast Lane with winner going to WrestleMania

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Roman Reigns’ road to WrestleMania encountered a speed bump which he can get over at the upcoming Fast Lane pay-per-view.

On Raw last night, Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins wrestled with the winner going to Fast Lane to take on Roman Reigns and the winner of that match going to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.

Daniel Bryan won the match with some help from Roman Reigns who speared the Big Show at ringside and then delivered the Superman punch to his former tag team partner.

For the second time in a row Daniel Bryan now finds himself fighting for a spot at the WrestleMania main event although this time the outcome could be very different from last year unless WWE has given up on the push of Roman Reigns.

Triple H discusses Chyna’s chances of a HOF induction with Austin

By
Colin Vassallo
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Former WWE Women’s and Intercontinental champion Chyna was pretty surprised to see her name trending on Twitter after Stone Cold Steve Austin last night suggested her name as a potential Hall of Fame inductee to her former boyfriend, Triple H, during the podcast on the WWE Network.

Triple H said that Chyna absolutely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame but it’s “one of those questions.” When pressed about it, HHH said it’s a bit like “a double-sided edge.”

HHH added that he doesn’t need to get “into any of the other stuff” that happened with her but he has an 8 year old kid and if she goes on the Internet to look at Chyna, “What comes up?”

He is obviously referring to her porn career, with her nude images and videos splashed all over the Internet.

“I’m not criticizing anybody. I’m not criticizing lifestyle choices. Everybody has their reasons,” Triple H said. “It’s not a morality thing or anything else. It is just the fact of what it is. That’s a difficult choice.”

On Twitter, Chyna replied, “If the WWE was ever to say that I was going to be inducted, either as part of the groundbreaking DX or as an individual, well, my answer would be what a friend of mine us(ed) to say in the ring, O HELL YEAH,” she wrote.

Chyna said that she has her reason to believe why she’s not in the Hall of Fame, most likely the problem that is Stephanie McMahon, and her former career as a porn star.

Stephanie and Chyna were not best of friends during their WWE angle as Chyna was originally going out with Triple H until Stephanie McMahon was added to the picture and their on-screen relationship turned real.

On Twitter, Chyna also thanked fans for keeping her name out there and that it means a lot to her.

Dwayne Johnson in Furious 7 Super Bowl trailer

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was part of the $4.4 million Furious 7 trailer which aired yesterday during the Super Bowl on NBC.

The trailer, showing new out-of-this-world stunts, features the whole cast of Furious 7 including the departed Paul Walker and the other two lead actors Vin Diesel and The Rock. Other cast members in the movie include Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black. They are joined by international action stars new to the franchise including Jason Statham, Djimon Hounsou, Tony Jaa, Ronda Rousey and Kurt Russel.

The movie opens on April 3 and you can see the trailer below.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/4vYQby_hDDU&w=700]

Steve Austin welcomes Triple H on his podcast tonight on WWE Network

By
Colin Vassallo
-

WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin will host his second Unleashed podcast on the WWE Network tonight as he welcomes Triple H to the hot seat right after Monday Night Raw goes off the air.

The live podcast, kicking off at 11:06PM EST on the WWE Network, will run for an hour and will be held backstage at Raw.

In December, Austin welcomed the Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and did not shy away from some controversial questions including those on CM Punk, Randy Savage, how the Network was doing, etc. Austin and Triple H had great chemistry together in the ring over the years so this will be interesting to see!

Taped interview from Raw at WWE HQ with Daniel Bryan leaks online

By
Colin Vassallo
-

A taped interview with Daniel Bryan which aired on Raw last Monday “live” from the WWE Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, leaked online.

In the footage you can see people roaming around Bryan and his interviewer, Renee Young, as Bryan talks about his elimination from the Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns as the winner, and his casket match with Kane which was going to take place a few days afterward on Smackdown.

“Is that better?” Bryan asks the producers after the interview is done. A voice from the background is heard saying, “Much better.” Bryan continues, “The stuff with Roman, does that sound good?” The producer says, “I think it’s fine.”

Bryan then questions the first draft where apparently there was a line that said “pro wrestler” and then the producer jumps in and said that he re-wrote it “WWE-style.”

This obviously was not supposed to make it anywhere on the air but somehow someone managed to get it. You can see the interesting behind-the-scenes video below.

Free month of WWE Network for new subscribers starts today

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Starting today, WWE is offering the entire month of February free for new WWE Network subscribers, the second month-long free promotion following last November.

Only fans who never subscribed to the Network are eligible for this promotion which is available to all parts of the world except for Canada. You will have to cancel your subscription by the end of the month if you do not wish to keep the service otherwise your credit card will be billed on March 1.

Notable events this month on the Network include tomorrow’s Steve Austin Podcast with Triple H, the NXT Takeover event in two weeks, and of course the Fast Lane pay-per-view at the end of the month. All this – and everything else on the Network – is available for free for new subs.

Fans in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland who already subscribed last month will get February for free as well as a gesture of good will for their patience in waiting for the service to launch in the area.

If you are in an area where the Network is not available, you can still subscribe by following our tutorial at http://w-o.it/1k4w3Yu.

Spoilers from the TNA Impact London tapings

By
Colin Vassallo
-

W-O reader Ian Hamilton attended the last set of TNA Impact tapings in London yesterday, held at Wembley’s SSE Arena. The company had a very successful tour with packed crowds across all three live events in Glasgow, Manchester, and now London.

TNA taped two sets of Impact shows at every stop which is around a month and a half worth of television shows for Destination America.

Below are the results and photos for the London shows. Report and photos by Ian Hamilton.

Announced ahead of time as an Ultimate X match to open the show, along with Spud vs. EC3 (hair vs hair), Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Lashley (for the TNA title) and Bobby Roode vs. Eric Young.

Before the show they had Grado and Mark Andrews (and most likely the rest of the British Bootcamp contestants) in the lobby doing photos and autographs. The Ultimate X rig was set up with the tag team titles up, so I guess that’s our opener! Just before show time they also brought out some plunder and stuffed it under the ring.

Crowd I would guess at 5,000 – a lot of the arena was curtained off, and there were a handful of empty seats from what was left. Crowd was loud pretty much all night though!

Impact Wrestling spoilers – Air date March 13, 2015

The Wolves (c)  vs DJ-Z and Jesse Godderz vs Manik and Sanada for the tag titles in Ultimate X – Wolves retained in a good opener. A few light “we want Velvet” chants, but nothing major.

Before the next match, they announced that Roode vs Young was a last man standing match, plus a three way knockouts title match between Taryn Terrell, Gail Kim and Awesome Kong.

Last man standing – Eric Young vs Bobby Roode – good match, with not too much reliance on plunder. Roode won after hitting the Roode Bomb off the apron and through a table on the floor, before beating the count.

Drew Galloway came out for a promo, threatening to take back wrestling. Not many people remember him until he spoke. Out came the BDC, leading to Galloway vs MVP and his Manchester United bodysuit… And chants of “M V Penis”. Match didn’t go long, as Drew went for a double arm DDT, Kenny King and Low Ki hit the ring for the DQ. Samoa Joe followed but didn’t take part in the beat down, watching from the aisle. Possible turn (already?) Joe stopped Low Li from kicking Galloway’s head, but instead gave Ki a pipe which was thrown in the general direction of Drew’s head. The BDC held up a bloody Galloway to end the segment…

Magnus vs Bram – crowd seemed confused as there was no clear face/heel (since both are British), mixture of silence and duelling chants. Mickie James came out during the match (people eventually recognised her) to lend support to Magnus. Does that mean she’s turning on him? If Russo is back, it does! Bram hit a donkey kick low blow for an intentional DQ…. Post match, Bram attacks Magnus with a chair as Mickie distracts the referee. Bram gets some cable ties and ties Magnus to the ropes as Mickie comes in to act as a human shield. She slaps Bram, but he gets hold of her and cuts a promo on Magnus, threatening to take away everything he loves…Unless he kisses his boot. Magnus plants his lips on the boot and Bram leaves to boos.

Brooke vs Robbie E – DJ Z, Angelina Love and Jessie were out with a bucket and stool a la a boxing match. They actually worked a man vs woman match… Lots of interference, Brook won with a jacknife cradle after Jessie missed a dropkick and accidentally hit Robbie E.

Spud vs EC3 – Hair vs Hair – Spud led the crowd in singing “God save the Queen” during his intro… Tyrus came out to give Spud a powerbomb on the floor but EC3 only got a two from it. Ken Anderson came out to neutralise Tyrus with a horrible looking Mic Check. Spud was busted open in this. Borash gave EC3 a low blow but Spud only got a two from a stunner. EC3 repeatedly rammed Spud’s bloody head into the mat, only for him to hulk up, but EC3 blocked a shiranui and hit a braced elbow shot for another two, before finally scoring the win with the 1%. Spud’s getting shaved… And after a swerve baby-faced promo, EC3 attacked Spud, put him in the tree of woe and shaved some of his hair off.

Impact Wrestling spoilers – Air date March 20, 2015

After a change of mat, I guess we move into the second show (they didn’t differentiate between shows here)

Awesome Kong vs Gail Kim vs Taryn Terrell (c) – decent match, Taryn retains after blocking the Eat Defeat from Gail and hitting a roll up. Kong dominated a lot of the match but was taken out by a Gail Kim dive…

Xplosion match – Dave Mastiff, Rampage Brown, Samuel Shaw and Madison Rayne vs Noam Dar, Mark Andrews, Crazzy Steve and Kay Lee Ray – “Mandrews” wins with a shooting star press in a fun eight man.

Borash announces that they’ll be airing a documentary in the UK about the British Bootcamp finalists – “British Bootcamp On Tour”. He then said that Challenge TV was their best TV partner in the world. Wonder how Destination America feels about that?

Magnus and Bram spilled out of the back, brawling into the ring. Magnus waffles Bram with a series of chair shots before refs break it up. Mickie James attacks Bram too, who tries to escape, only to get a powerbomb on the stage for his troubles.

Austin Aries out for a promo. Challenges BDC – namely Samoa Joe and Low Ki – to give him his feast or fired briefcase back. The pair come out with the briefcase, and Aries challenges Ki to a match for the briefcase and the X division title. Instead we get Joe vs Aries… The Crowd chant “briefcase wanker” at Low Ki (a nice reference to the Inbetweeners there!)

They were having a good match, but another disqualification finish – Aries hit a suicide dive to Joe, but got jumped by Low Ki as he tried to throw him back in.  Aries grabbed his briefcase after Ki accidentally hit Joe with it, and Aries took out Ki before going to the back.

In the aisle, Aries passed Rocester Spud – with his own briefcase… Who cashed it in, hit a Shiranui and pinned Low Ki to become the new X Division champion!

James Storm (with the entire Revolution – Manik, Sanada, Abyss and Khoya) vs Matt Hardy – a hardcore match, plenty of interference but this struggled after Spud’s big win… Abyss brought out some thumb tacks, only for Hardy to block a superplex and shove Storm into them. A twist of fate followed up by a horribly botched ref count (so Abyss could pull him out) led to some more interference from the revolution, and a cow bell shot from Storm, plus a superkick for the win. It was what it was..

Post match, the Revolution threaten to take out Hardy, but he gets saved by Grado. I’m not a fan of Grado, but will admit that he got a good pop (possibly in the top three of the show), as the Wolves come out to help run off the heels. Grado and the Wolves danced a little, with Hardy returning to give Grado his Impact moment.

Main event – Lashley (c)  vs Kurt Angle – the best match from the show, and definitely worth at least dvr’ing… plenty of rolling German suplexes in this one. A pretty good match, with Angle a slight crowd favourite. They kept this mostly on the mat, with plenty of near finishes, including a Lashley spinebuster and an Angle slam both getting near falls. Lashley ended up going to the top rope in frustration, and missed Angle off the top. Angle did connect with a flying cross body, but Lashley rolled through and applied an ankle lock. Kurt got the ropes, and scored another near fall with an angle slam. Lashley responded with a cross arm breaker, which was countered into another ankle lock, which eventually led to Lashley tapping out to give us a new TNA champion!

TNA wraps up UK tour today with show in London

By
Colin Vassallo
-

TNA wraps up its Maximum Impact 2015 Tour in the United Kingdom tonight with the final set of Impact tapings in London at Wembley.

The tour started on Thursday in Glasgow, Scotland, and then moved to Manchester last night, both shows in front of good-sized crowds. This yearly tour is very important to TNA as financially they do pretty well due to the large attendance compared to their American tours.

TNA took a loaded crew for this tour including their biggest stars Kurt Angle, Bobby Lashley, Samoa Joe, Matt Hardy, Bobby Roode, and others. Jeff Hardy missed the trip due to legal issues. This was the 7th consecutive tour in the region.

Summer Rae, Nikki, and Brie Bella at ESPN’s The Party in Scottsdale

By
Colin Vassallo
-

WWE Divas Summer Rae, Brie Bella, and the Divas champion Nikki Bella attended the ESPN: The Party at WestWorld of Scottsdale yesterday in Scottsdale, Arizona, an event for the Super Bowl weekend.

The trio represented the WWE by looking absolutely fantastic! Hundreds of other celebrities and athletes were present for the party. You can see some photos of Summer, Brie, and Nikki, upon their arrival below.

Live Smackdown pulls best number since November 28 broadcast

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Smackdown has once again increased its viewership for the third straight week in a row ever since moving to Thursday nights on SyFy.

This week’s special live edition of the show pulled in 2,952,000 viewers, up from last week’s 2,814,000 viewers. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)

The Miz to guest star on USA Network’s Sirens next week

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Former WWE champion The Miz will be appearing as a special guest on the USA Network series Sirens this coming Tuesday, February 3, starting at 10:30PM EST.

The Miz will be playing the role of Lance, a gym trainer in episode 9 of the series. Sirens follows follows Chicago’s best EMTs through their professional and personal lives. The show stars Michael Mosley, Kevin Daniels and Kevin Bigley.

No stunt double was needed for this role. Sorry Mizdow!

Tickets for post-WrestleMania 31 Smackdown on sale

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Tickets for the post-WrestleMania Smackdown in Fresno, California, on Tuesday, March 31, went on sale to the general public this morning on Ticketmaster.

The Save Mart Center will host these tapings just two days after WrestleMania and tickets are available for $15, $25, $40, $55, $65, and $100 plus other fees. No VIP Platinum packages are being sold for this particular Smackdown.

You can purchase your tickets at Ticketmaster.com.

Mick Foley ejected from chicken wings eating contest for cheating!

By
Colin Vassallo
-

In one of the most hilarious stories of the week, the Associated Press and TMZ are carrying a story about WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley being disqualified and ejected from the Wing Bowl Eating Contest after he was caught…cheating!

Foley was competing at the Wells Fargo Center, the site of the Royal Rumble, versus some of the world’s best eaters and officials judging the competition caught Foley hiding chicken wings in his fanny pack. TMZ says Foley disputed the call but then a video was played on the big screen showing him putting chicken wings in his fanny pack.

In comments to the Associated Press, the always awesome Foley said that he didn’t want to get sick by overstuffing himself like other competitors. “I didn’t want that to be my legacy. So I stretched the rules. I thought people would appreciate that, right here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!” Ha! Foley even retweeted the story from TMZ and played along.

20,000 people attended the event which was won by a guy who ate 444 wings in 26 minutes!

Triple H to make “huge announcement” on Raw this Monday

By
Colin Vassallo
-

WWE teased a huge announcement for this Monday’s Raw on last night’s live Smackdown as Triple H said he will be addressing the “controversy” from the Royal Rumble and the announcement will “shake the WWE universe to its core.”

The controversy he was referring to is Roman Reigns winning the 30-man over-the-top rope Rumble match and the fans crapping all over the Rumble after Daniel Bryan was eliminated, booing Reigns out of the building at every chance they got.

Last year the Batista vs Randy Orton WrestleMania main event was switched and Daniel Bryan was added to the mix after fans pretty much elevated Bryan to the top.

Drew Galloway debuts on Impact in Glasgow, Scotland

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Former WWE Superstar Drew Galloway, who used the name Drew McIntyre, made his TNA debut last night in Glasgow, Scotland, during the first stop of the TNA Maximum Impact tour.

The Scottish wrestler made his surprise appearance at the Impact tapings and came to the aid of TNA British Boot Camp season 2 competitor, Grado. Galloway had a hoodie on when he entered the ring and received a massive pop from the Scottish crowd when he unveiled himself.

“Felt unreal to make an IMPACT in Glasgow. Trust me I’m just getting started. I’ll see everyone in Manchester & London,” Galloway wrote on Twitter after his debut. The TNA website also put a short statement reading, “Tonight, Drew Galloway, once dubbed “The Chosen One,” debuted at the IMPACT Wrestling tapings in Glasgow! More information as we have it.”

Galloway, as Drew McIntyre, signed with the WWE in 2007 and was immediately put on television, first to Smackdown, and then to Raw, before he sent to OVW and later to FCW at the end of the year.

In 2009 he returned as “The Chosen One” but he was never put in any significant storylines and often found himself on the less-important WWE television shows. He was released from WWE in 2014.

You can see the video of his debut below.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=730UajdoZ0Y&w=700]

WWE stocks go up…and then down in after hours trading

By
Colin Vassallo
-

WWE stocks had another good day, ending the trading day up 3.14% over yesterday’s closing but then quickly lost 2.20% in after hours trading.

Stocks were on the up almost from when trading started earlier in the day but after 4PM they nosedived again. Currently they are at $12.20 each, losing 27 cents of the 38 cents they gained during the day.

WWE will announce their Q4 2014 and year end results on February 12.

Hulk Hogan says door not closed on one more match

By
Colin Vassallo
-

In an interview with BANG Showbiz carried by ContactMusic.com, WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has once again stated that he is training for one last match as an advice from a wise man, Vince McMahon, told him “Never say never.”

Hogan said that WWE is where he started and that’s where he’s going to end the legacy and put the period on the end of the sentence. He said he’s training like he’s getting ready to go for the WWE title. “It’s not over until the fat lady sings and I haven’t put the period at the end of the sentence yet,” the Hulkster said, adding that you just never know when that match might me as it could be any time, anywhere.

“I’m thinking very positively about getting back in the ring,” Hogan said. You can read the interview here.

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