WWE today announced the launch of its new mobile video game, WWE Immortals, available for free for iOS and Android devices. It is developed by NetherRealm Studios in conjunction with Phosphor Game Studios and published by Warner Bros.
The game features WWE Superstars and Divas who are thrown into a supernatural world and turned into superheroes with mega powers. The game was designed by the makers of Mortal Kombat and you’ll see some of the resemblance of MK in this video game as well.
Superstars and Divas such as Triple H, John Cena, The Undertaker, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Daniel Bryan, Big Show, Bella Twins and others are part of the big roster of the video game.
While the game is free, it contains in-app purchases that require real money to get.
It’s available to download from the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store today.
Just in case you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks or so, Smackdown is moving to Thursdays starting today, reclaiming its old time slot that the show held from its inception until 2005.
There will also be a new commentary team for Smackdown, with Michael Cole, the newly promoted Byron Saxton, and WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler, who got moved himself from Raw.
The show will feature a six-man tag team match as the main event and will also have Daniel Bryan’s first match back since May 2014 against Kane.
The Rock, the individual who pretty much came up with the Smackdown word, posted a photo of himself holding the WWE title with the Smackdown and SyFy logo on his Instagram.
“It’s official… #Smackdown has moved to THURSDAY NIGHTS. It’s also official that since the show was created in my honor I’ll be happy to “Lay the Smackdown” on anyone’s candy ass on any day that ends with “Y”. Enjoy the show.. #Smackdown #ThursdayNights #WhereRockJokesLike #BottleOfSmirnoffShovedUpYourPutin #WillAlwaysBeWelcomed #PeoplesChamp,” he wrote.
WWE will have a big presence at the Arnold Sports Festival which is taking place in Columbus, Ohio, between March 5 and 8.
The company will be holding an NXT event as part of the Festival at the LC Pavilion on Thursday, March 5 with NXT Champion Sami Zayn, NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte, Ryback and Big Show, Hall of Famer Ric Flair, Adrian Neville, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Sasha Banks and many more all appearing.
Tickets for NXT will be available on Friday, January 23, at 10AM EST at the LC Pavilion Box Office and Ticketmaster.com.
During the weekend, WWE will hold a WWE Experience Event at the Columbus Convention Center with live matches from NXT, meet-and-greets, autograph signings, and Legends Q&A sessions.
There will also be live tryouts and a recruiting booth where company officials will meet prospective future Superstars and Divas.
A general admission Daily Expo ticket costing $10 is required to watch or participate in any of these WWE events. Visit arnoldsportsfestival.com for more info.
TNA announced the full roster that will be traveling to the United Kingdom for the three double Impact television tapings set to take place in Glasgow, Manchester, and London.
The company is taking all their biggest Superstars and Knockouts – minus Jeff Hardy – to the shows with the lineup announced consisting of Bobby Lashley, Kurt Angle, Bobby Roode, James Storm, Sanada, Manik, Mahabali Shera, Abyss, EC3, Tyrus, Rockstar Spud, Magnus, Bram, Madison Rayne, Low-Ki, Brooke, Gunner, Chris Melendez, Austin Aries, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Gail Kim, MVP, Awesome Kong, Eric Young, Matt Hardy, Robbie E, Jessie Godderz, Zema Ion, Mr Anderson, Kenny King, Angelina Love, Samoa Joe, Sam Shaw, Crazzy Steve, Rebel, Taryn Terrell, Al Snow, Grado, Noam Dar, Kay Lee Ray, Mark Andrews, Dave Mastiff and Rampage Brown.
TNA’s Maximum Impact 7 UK tour kicks off on January 29 in Scotland before heading to England on the 30th in Manchester and 31st in London.
The presale for the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony kicks off today at 10AM PST and ends tomorrow, Friday, at one minute to Midnight.
Ticket prices will range from $25 to $150 and WWE will be occupying around three quarters of the arena with three tiers of seats – floor, lower, and upper level.
We have two presale codes available which you can use today at Ticketmaster.com, one is 1LEVIS and the other is HOT1035. (Thanks to Steve Alleyne for the second code.)
The show will be held at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, on Saturday, March 28.
Kevin Nash noted yesterday on his Twitter that as of 3:30PM EST, all charges against him stemming from the Christmas Eve family altercation have been dropped.
Nash, along with his son, were arrested after the two brawled at their home when the 18 year old son showed up at home under the influence of alcohol. Nash was arrested first following a police report from his son that he attacked him but then the son’s uncle – his mom’s brother – called the police later saying that the son was threatening his mother and himself. The two ended up in a jail and were released later in the day. Nash was charged with battery assault.
WWE suspended Kevin Nash’s Legends contract pending the outcome of the investigation as per their Talent Programs and Policies and removed him from next Monday’s Raw Reunion show where he was supposed to reunite the nWo with Hall and Hogan.
Nash was critical of WWE for the suspension today, saying, “The WWE had no other action than the suspension that was placed upon me. Just difficult to always be guilty until proven innocent.” He then said that after his suspension he does not see himself returning to WWE programming.
Stories running in New Jersey media are reporting that the Izod Center, the home of this year’s SummerSlam, might be closed by the end of January.
The plan is for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority board to approve a motion that would move all shows from February and March that are already booked to the Prudential Center in Newark.
The 34 year old Izod Center in East Rutherford has been losing business ever since neighboring arenas went up, including the Prudential Center and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
WWE moved SummerSlam from the West Coast to the East Coast this year and the plan was the host the show from the Izod Center for the first time away from Los Angeles in six years.
“WWE is currently looking at alternatives and we’re confident we will come up with an equivalent to or better option,” a WWE statement read.
WWE has a show scheduled on January 24 at the Izod Center which should not be effected by any decision taken.
Monday Night Raw rebounded slightly in the rating, getting the best number in a month and a half. The show drew 3,905,000 viewers for the three hour broadcast, up 142,000 viewers from last week.
Hour one drew 4,095,000 viewers, followed by 3,897,000 in the second hour, and 3,722,000 in the third and final hour.
Raw, just like every other TV show in its time slot, went head to head with the CFP Championship final on ESPN which drew a massive 33 million viewers, setting ratings record for ESPN and making it the highest rated program in the history of cable television with an 18.9 rating. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)
The 12th episode of season 3 of Total Divas titled Baby Not On Board drew 1,295,000 viewers on Sunday night on E!
That is down from the 1,411,000 viewers that the show pulled in last week for its return. Episode 12 is the second highest rated show of season 3 so far behind last week’s episode. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)
Jeff Jackson and Tony Mirabella returned with SNS UnPlugged on Tuesday night with an interview with Derrick “King” Taylor, one of the cast members of the new WGN reality TV show Wrestling With Death.
King called 30 minutes prior to the premiere of the show while at a country club in Osceola, Arkansas, joined by the cast.
He explained how this show is not like any other reality TV show as this is their real life and this is what his family goes through every day. King is the son-in-law and the newest member of the Latham family, who run the wrestling promotion and the funeral home.
King talked about how he has wrestled all over the place for 21 years while the Lathams have been in the business for over 20 years as well.
Part of the show is obviously running the funeral home and King said that he doesn’t like the part of being a mortician. He said he preferred sitting in the office in front of the computer and answering calls. He added that he’s not ready for that part of the job yet, something that both hosts said they could never do themselves either.
The hosts asked about being ribbed at the funeral home and King said that in his first week his family played a rib on him while the TV crew were present. He said that he was told to go to a prep room where there was a body and the body ended up being a live person who popped up and scared the hell out of him. He said that it was the initiation at the funeral home.
You can hear this and much more on the show which you can download here.
ABOUT THE SHOW:Wrestling with Death follows The Lathams of Osceola, Arkansas: morticians by day who run the Wilson Funeral Home, and professional wrestlers by night who run the Mid-Southern Championship Wrestling League (MCW).
Taking matters into his own hands, LaFonce chose to give “death a rest and pump some life” into his community by running the Friday night wrestling show at the MCW. The funeral business and the league are both family affairs, and according to LaFonce, “a family that ‘wrassles’ together, stays together.”
As LaFonce and his family understand better than just about anyone, nothing can teach more about the value of life than death; they choose to celebrate life in a unique and inclusive way, making them pillars of their community.
Wrestling With Death airs every Tuesday at 10PM EST on WGN America.
There will be no WWE Main Event next week, and probably not even the week after as WWE’s exclusive deal for the show with Sky Sports in the UK will conflict with the WWE Network.
In the rest of the world, Main Event airs on the WWE Network but in the UK, Sky has the exclusive rights for it which prevents WWE from showing it on the Network. With WWE unable to block it out in the UK so far, it left the company no choice.
The Network officially launches on Monday and no compromise has been reached between WWE and Sky yet which means Main Event will not air for now till something is worked out with Sky.
WWE will instead air a Royal Rumble special hosted by Santino Marella in place of Tuesday’s Main Event. The show will be titled Santino’s Royal Rumble Lottery Spectacular.
We have reached out to our Sky sources for their version of the story but we have not received a reply yet.
As noted earlier, WWE has removed the geoblocking that prevented fans in the United Kingdom from streaming the WWE Network a few days earlier than the official launch date.
Now the WWE Network app has popped up on TV-connected devices in the UK including Roku and Fire TV, as well as on Xbox, Playstation 3 and 4.
Fans who have already registered for the Network can disable their VPN and DNS settings and freely stream the Network while keeping the $9.99 monthly charge. Those new subscribers who will subscribe under a United Kingdom address will be charged 9.99 GBP which is around $15.
The WWE Network in the UK and Republic of Ireland will officially launch on Monday.
Two former WWE Divas are at it again on Twitter with one accusing the other (and vice versa) of being an escort.
Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, the WWE Hall of Famer who turned to hold “dates” with her fans on Skype for money took a shot at former Diva and Playboy covergirl Ashley Massaro in one of her tweets.
“FYI: for those of you emailing me, asking to “hook up”…. Im NOT an escort, sorry. give it up. tweet to Ashley Massaro,, I heard she has a history in that field,” Sunny wrote. Ouch!
Sunny was referring to a Rolling Stone story from 2008 where the magazine linked Massaro to an escort service called Bella Models. The FBI did a raid on the service after it had one of the agents infiltrate it in 2006 and found that Massaro was part of it in 2004.
Massaro, who wrestled for the WWE between 2005 and 2008, didn’t appreciate the name drop and posted a photo of herself from 2014 and one of Sunny from 2014 where she’s nude with her legs wide open.
“Since that hoe’s runnin her mouth saying disgusting things about me here’s the photo that I wouldn’t post until now,“ she wrote. “I’m pretty sure that about sums up who’s the one who’s selling themselves…I work, love my fans, my life, my job.She sells herself to fans!”
Some fans who actually paid to Skype-date Sunny did post screenshots of the Hall of Famer posing nude for the camera and let’s just put it this way, Sunny is way gone from her best WWE days. Massaro, the former Survivor contestant, still looks pretty hot herself! Massaro’s Twitter, which includes the NSFW Sunny photo is at https://twitter.com/ashleymassaro11.
The much-praised WWE Network original series Monday Night War has its series finale tonight on the WWE Network with the last episode titled “Life After Wartime”.
The series premiered on August 22 and in total 20 episodes were produced to showcase the WWE vs WCW war that went on between 1995 and 2001.
The Monday Night War on the WWE Network looked at the rise of the nWo, D-Generation X, the arrival of the Attitude Era, ECW’s mark on the war, the cruiserweights taking over WCW, Goldberg’s streak, The Rock, the emergence of the Divas, celebrities and more.
The synopsis for today’s final episode reads, “The war comes to a shocking conclusion, upstaged only by the talents that cross enemy lines in the years that follow.”
The series is narrated by American film, TV, and voice actor Keith David.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross wrote a piece on Macho Man Randy Savage’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame as his latest work for FoxSports.com.
Ross discussed the time he met Randy Savage for the first time at the WrestleMania IX weekend in Las Vegas and how they were never great friends – or even friends at all. Ross described how Savage didn’t really like him even at the broadcast booth even though he got the nod from Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan.
Ross however said that he’s proud to have worked with Savage and although he never understood him, he regrets not having a sit down with him.
“The WWE got it right and Randy Savage is going into the WWE Hall of Fame, where Randy’s spirit has resided since his passing,” he wrote.
Several movie websites are reporting that the third movie in the G.I. Joe franchise will revolve around Dwayne Johnson’s character of Roadblock.
D.J. Caruso is set to be directing the third installment after failed talks with another director Martin Campbell. Jon M. Chu directed G.I. Joe 2 which introduced The Rock’s character and basically put him in the leading role after getting rid of Channing Tatum’s Duke character which was the focus of the first movie.
Around Hollywood, G.I. Joe is touted as “Dwayne Johnson’s franchise” now and his participation pretty much makes or breaks the movie. With The Rock in the leading role, G.I. Joe: Retaliation grossed $375,740,705 worldwide in 2013, some $73 million more than the first movie did in 2009.
In anticipation for next week’s WWE Network launch in the United Kingdom, WWE already took off the geoblocking settings that prevented fans living in the UK access the Network website with a UK IP address.
While registration is not open yet for fans in the United Kingdom, those who already had an account and accessed the Network via a VPN or DNS can disable their software and access network.wwe.com or mobile.
The WWE Network will be available for £9.99 in the UK and €12.99 in Ireland with no commitment starting on Monday, January 19.
Dana Warrior, the wife of the late Ultimate Warrior, and her two kids Indiana and Mattigan, were present at Monday Night Raw last night in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“Bittersweet to be back in New Orleans but so special to finish the DVD here. Loving the chance to see our WWE family,” Dana wrote on the @UltimateWarrior Twitter account. The DVD she is referring to is the new Warrior DVD that the company is producing which will be released later this year.
The family were also presented with the Slammy Award for the Surprise Return of the Year which the fans voted for the Ultimate Warrior.
Triple H wrote that he was thrilled that he and Stephanie McMahon were able to present the Slammy to the Warrior family prior to the show and also posted a photo of Dana holding the statue.
Paul Heyman also tweeted about the Warrior family, writing, “Although it was only for a brief moment, I was honored to find out what a genuinely #ClassAct @UltimateWarrior’s children are tonight!”
Former WWE champion Macho Man Randy Savage will take his rightful place into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 28, almost four years since he passed away.
The announcement was made on Monday Night Raw last night with a beautiful video showcasing some of Savage’s best moments in his wrestling career.
Savage left the WWE in 1994 and his relationship with WWE went bust with the two sides barely acknowledging each other. Savage was kind of erased from WWE history and it was only in 2009 when WWE released the first Savage DVD collection, followed by another one late last year.
He started his WWE career in 1985 and remained there till 1994, winning the WWE Championship twice along with the Intercontinental title. He joined WCW in 1994 and spent six years there till the year 2000, winning the WCW World title on four different occasions. He also wrestled briefly for TNA between 2004 and 2005.
Savage passed away on May 20, 2011 after suffering a heart attack while driving in Seminole, Florida. He was 58 years old. His wife was in the Jeep Wrangler with him when he crashed into a tree but suffered no injuries.
Raw is back at the site of the epic, and one of the best Wrestlemanias in recent years, New Orleans! Unfortunately, with the way the first week in WWE-land for the New Year went, I’m not expecting any major shockers in the good way. Seriously, you take out three of your top guys on the roster and deplete it even more in a nonsense storyline; particularly after a hot-one started with Survivor Series?
Wade Barrett, who receives a strong reaction with his return and wins the I.C. Title in the above-mentioned storyline, then loses to Sin Cara on Smackdown!?
Dean Ambrose wrestles the night after his brutal Ambulance Match instead of being off TV for a while to sell the bout, especially after the danger of it was very well built?
Right now, there are a lot of issues within the upper-card state of the WWE, so let’s hope tonight starts clearing them up as we continue towards the Royal Rumble. Read on to find out if there are any changes for the better!
Monday Night Raw TV Report for January 12th, 2015 – “Opportunity Stomps”
Introduction Segment: Video Promo
Recap of last week’s Raw ending is played.
Segment #2: Arena Promo
John Cena’s music plays and he walks out, seemingly all happy and trying to hype up the fans. He defends his position on bringing back The Authority to “save Edge’s life,” then rips on Triple H for “turning coat” and now being remembered as a power-hungry man instead of the World Champion he should be. Cena then inquires if crowd wants to see the recently-fired Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erik Rowan again. He tells us all to get on Twitter and plug in “#Authority sucks.” Cena threatens The Authority to bring them back, or else, when he wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble, he will go home with it until the trio are on the roster again. He goes on to list the potential consequences until The Authority interrupts with mocking smiles on their faces.
Triple H reminds John about the consequences that could’ve (and did) happen after Survivor Series. Both berate Cena for acting like a hero, but really only putting himself first and his desires a head of theirs. However, they are willing to give Rowan, Ziggler, and Ryback another chance. “The Game” books Cena to take on Seth Rollins; if Cena wins, then Rowan, Ziggler, and Ryback will be rehired. Of course, this is not just a regular one-on-one bout. Triple H adds some outside help, as it is a Lumberjack Match. The Lumberjacks walk out, as this bout will be up next!
Commercials.
Match #1: Single (Lumberjack Rules) – John Cena VS. “Mr. Money In The Bank” Seth Rollins (with Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble)
(Note: The Lumberjacks are Kane, The Big Show, Curtis Axel, Cesaro, Fandango, I.C. Champ Bad News Barrett, Titus O’Neil, Tyson Kidd, and Justin Gabriel)
Rollins takes control early, tossing Cena to the outside where the Lumberjacks give him a few kicks and punches. Cena then throws Rollins out, but Joey and Jamie guard Seth from being attacked by the Lumberjacks.
Ads.
Seth is back dominating after Barrett tripped up Cena during the break. Cena begins another comeback with shoulder-tackles and a spin-out backdrop. He tries an STF, but Seth wiggles out of it. Cena quickly drops Rollins with the Attitude Adjustment, but Seth rolls to the outside. As the Lumberjacks protect him, Cena soars off the top turnbuckle with a splash!
In the ring, both trade near-falls, then Seth turnbuckle-powerbombs Cena. He covers but only gets two! Cena now powerbombs Rollins but also only gets two! They punch back-and-forth again, then Cena goes for another A.A. Rollins lands on his feet, then plants him with a flipping-reverse-DDT! 1 – 2 – Cena kicks out. He drives home another A..A but Noble and Mercury, along with other Lumberjacks attack Cena again. John manages to trap Rollins in the STF, but Kane pulls Rollins to the ropes. Big Show then Knockout-Punches Cena and puts him back to the canvas. Rollins lays on top for the victory.
Winner via Pinfall: “Mr. Money In The Bank” Seth Rollins (with Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble)
Later tonight, the contract signing for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble will take place, along with Daniel Bryan’s return to the city where he won said WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Commercials.
Segment #3: Office Promo
Stephanie is with Tag-Team Champions The Usos when Dean Ambrose walks in. She clarifies that Ziggler, Ryback, and Rowan’s firings are all on John Cena. Jimmy wonders if that is all, with no punishments, and Steph concurs. Except, she also makes Naomi wrestle later tonight, with one arm tied up.
Moving on to Dean, she orders a psych-evaluation for him. If he fails it, then he will not compete in the Royal Rumble match.
Segment #4: Backstage Promo
The Miz and Damien Mizdow gives their thoughts on last night’s Golden Globes Awards.
Segment #5: Office Promo
Dean Ambrose is being interviewed by the doctor. He wants to find out what goes on inside the mind of Ambrose, so he puts a clock that ticks away, which gives
Ads.
Match #2: Tag-Team – The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) VS. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd (with Natalya, Adam Rose, and The Rosebuds)
Cesaro and Kidd quickly take control, double-stomping Kingston in the corner. Cesaro swings Kofi around as they continue to dominate. Kofi eventually makes the hot-tag to Woods, who re-tags Kofi and they finish off Kidd and Cesaro!
Winner via Pinfalls: The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)
The announcers hype up the Hall-Of-Fame Ceremony, which will presumably be headlined by the big news of “Macho Man” Randy Savage finally being inducted! A clip of various superstars attempting his trademark “Ooooh Yeaaahhhh” catchphrase is aired.
Commercials.
It is made known that next week’s Raw will be a Reunion Show, featuring Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, and Scott Hall!
Segment #6: Arena Promo
The Big Show is back out and rips apart the fans. He calls them the “shallow end of the gene pool,” since all they can come up with is “Big Show sucks.” He compares their first day on their jobs, in which they were probably nervous and scared, to his first day where he defeated Hulk Hogan and won the WCW Heavyweight Championship. Show turns his attention to Roman Reigns, calling him a “loser” and the fans who cheer for him a “loser.” He threatens that he will put Reigns out while he will continue to dominate.
Roman answers, walking through the crowd and wanting to face Show in the ring. Big walks away, as Reigns continue to talk. He takes a shot at Dhow’s age, saying he was only around 12 when Show first on the WCW Championship from Hogan. He then compares the classic “Jack and The Beanstalk” story to Roman’s life, replacing Jack with his own name. “Believe that!”
Luke Harper now walks out and will be taking on “Superman” next!
Match #3: Single – Roman Reigns VS. Luke Harper
Reigns dominates pretty quick and seems to setup for the Spear, but Harper rolls to the outside for a break.
Ads.
Harper is now fighting back with punches and a big boot! Luke whips Reigns into the barricade and steel steps, then impressively sling-shots himself back into the ring on top of Reigns. He clamps a grounding front-facelock but Reigns battles back. Big Show gets up from the announcer’s area and gets the best of Roman. This didn’t do too much though, as Reigns fires back with the Superman Punch and outside running front-dropkick. Big gets to Reigns again, allowing Harper to nail a superkick. Roman hits back with a sudden Spear and the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Roman Reigns
Post-match, Show assaults Reigns, laying him out with the Knockout Punch.
Up next, Naomi will face Alicia Fox!
Commercials.
Segment #7: Backstage Promo
Miz and Mizdow continue talking about the Golden Globes. Mizdow reveals to Miz that he has filmed Miz in all aspects of his life.
Match #4: Single – Alicia Fox VS. Naomi
The referee ties up Naomi’s left hand, but she makes a valiant effort. She uses her right for a bunch of clotheslines and knees Fox on the outside. She slams Fox’s head into the ring apron, but is booted harshly in the head as she re-entered. Alicia takes advantage with a Scissors Kick to take this one!
Winner via Pinfall: Alicia Fox
Segment #8: Office Promo
The doctor continues to verbally examine Dean. He shows him pictures and asks Dean to say the first word(s) that come to bind. Triple H – Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Seth Rollins – Scumbag, Roman Reigns – Brother, Kane – Toothpaste, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan – Ho!, Stephanie McMahon – Ho!
Ads.
Segment #9: Arena Promo
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and his advocate, Paul Heyman, are out. Heyman has the microphone and is all-too-happy “to be back at the scene of the crime.” He is referring to Wrestlemania XXX, where Lesnar defeated The Undertaker, and made The Streak end. Paul E. then compares Lesnar to the other top stars/slogans of the WWE, saying they are all “fantasy” while he is “reality.” He threatens that Lesnar will show Cena and Rollins reality later tonight during the contract signing.
Commercials.
Match #5: Single – The Miz (with Damien Mizdow) VS. Tag-Team Champion Jey Uso (with Tag-Team Champion partner/brother Jimmy Uso) (Non-Title)
A lockup begins with a reversal whip and clothesline by Miz. Jey counters a dive with a punch, then over-shoulder slams Miz. He drops Miz Samoan-style, then runs into him in the corner rear-first. Miz kicks Jey in the upper-thigh and tries a Figure-4, which Jey reverses into an inside cradle, but Mizdow distracts Jey. Jimmy helps and yanks out Mizdow, but Jey was distracted enough to fall to the Skull Krushing Finale and cover!
Winner via Pinfall: The Miz (with Damien Mizdow)
Up next, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan will be out!
Ads.
Segment #10: Arena Promo
Lillian Garcia welcomes back Daniel Bryan. He walks out to a huge ovation and a plethora of “yes” chants. In the ring, a giant grin is on his face as he tries recall the last time he was in New Orleans. Daniel remembers correctly that he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship last time he was in this city. He now proclaims that it will happen again, as he is going to win the Royal Rumble.
Before he can continue, Stephanie McMahon walks out and plugs her new fitness DVD; she offers him a copy to help him get ready for Royal Rumble. McMahon puts into question what he will be remembered more for in 2014, the monumental win at Wrestlemania XXX or being out of action and not “staying on top” from May onwards. She wonders if he really wants to go at it all again.
Daniel retorts, insinuating that yes he will do it all again and it will be worth it! Stephanie then announces that he will be wrestling this week on Smackdown!, taking on his former friend and now foe, Kane! “The Big Red Machine” walks down the ramp, but Bryan meets him with a sliding front-dropkick. Daniel gets the better of Kane in the brawl after shoving him shoulder-first into the steel post then pounding away on him. Kane hi-tails to the back, leaving Daniel to celebrate with the fans.
Segment #11: Backstage Promo
Seth Rollins is gloating to Jamie and Joey about beating John Cena when WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar walks up to him. They get in each other’s face until Paul Heyman interjects and makes peace. He insinuates that it would be more beneficial to work together and eliminate Cena at the Royal Rumble, then go at it for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Commercials.
Match #6: Single – Paige (with Natalya and Tyson Kidd) VS. Brie Bella (with Divas Champion Nikki Bella)
Elbow/collar tie-up with Paige getting the best after an elbow. She repeatedly knees Brie against t ropes, but Brie fights back. She runs at her with a knee against the ropes and dives off the second turnbuckle with a dropkick. 1 – 2 – Paige kicks out! Brie stretches her with a chinlock, then slams her head against the canvas. She goes back to the chinlock, which Paige battles out of with elbows and headbutts! Paige kicks Brie down hard and covers, but Tyson hops the apron, somewhat distracting Paige. This allows Brie to get up and roll Paige for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Brie Bella (with Divas Champion Nikki Bella)
Post-match, Paige slaps Tyson for his interference, then Natalya walks off past Kidd.
Segment #12: Promo
“In the Royal Rumble match, 30 souls will enter. And 29 souls will fall. It will take time to realize that we’re not in Wonderland anymore Alice. And whatever I do next, will change your world forever. Some will laugh, some will cry, but most will be too shocked by what they see. They will have no choice but to sit there in silence while THE ANIMAL THAT IS CAGED IN THIS PRISON SHALL BE SET FREE! And no man on planet Earth will be immune to his wrath, me. RUN!”
Ads.
Segment #13: Video Promo
It is official! “Macho Man” Randy Savage will be inducted into the 2015 WWE Hall-Of-Fame! A montage of his career plays. More news reveals that Hulk Hogan will be the one to do the honours and induct Randy.
Match #7: Tag-Team – The Ascension (Connor and Viktor) VS. ???
As per the last few weeks, The Ascension defeat their no-named opponents with The Fall Of Man.
Winners via Pinfall: The Ascension (Connor and Viktor)
Segment #13: Office Promo
The tables are turned, as it is Dean Ambrose now interviewing the doctor, who is spilling his beans and lying on the couch. Ambrose coerces him into signing papers.
Commercials.
Segment #14: Arena Promo
United States Champion Rusev is in the ring with Lana, who gives props to both The Authority and John Cena for firing Ryback. The “Ravishing Russian” and United States Champion continue to berate Ryback and America until Dean Ambrose interjects and punches Rusev to the floor.
Ads.
Match #8: Single – United States Champion Rusev (with “The Ravishing Russian” Lana) VS. Dean Ambrose (Non-Title)
Ambrose begins to put up a fight as this impromptu match is underway. Rusev soon gains domination for a while. Dean appears to have a hurt knee, which Rusev focuses on. He hangs Ambrose upside down, then clubs away with hard fists. Chad Patton, the referee, decides to put this bout to an end.
Winner via Referee Stoppage: United States Champion Rusev (with “The Ravishing Russian” Lana)
Up next, the contract signing for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at Royal Rumble will take place!
Commercials.
Segment #14: Arena Promo
The Authority are in the ring, which is decked out with a red carpet and a table with black leather cloth. They bring out each competitor for the Rumble. Heyman takes the microphone first, putting over Seth Rollins for bringing back The Authority, but saying it was really made by him. He says that all ended up being good for Brock Lesnar, which is what really counts. All three wrestlers state they will be the ones to win at the Royal Rumble.
Cena then goes at it with Rollins until Lesnar German-suplexes him back. Cena gets up pretty quick and Attitude Adjusts Brock through the contract table, but then is planted with a Curb Stomp. Rollins does the same to Lesnar, much to Heyman’s dismay.
“Mr. Money In The Bank” is quite pleased with himself, as are The Authority. They stare down Lesnar and Cena from the top of the ramp to close the show.
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp
This was an improvement! I quite enjoyed this Raw; much better mike work and good matches. However, there are still some issues, so I’ll get into those too! Onto the analysis:
Excellence: #1 goes to the extremely long-overdue induction of the late-great “Macho Man” Randy Savage; need I say more? I will. As I have said before, I believe he is one of the top three stars in the 80s, with Hulk Hogan and the late-great Ultimate Warrior. He was on-par with them both in terms of charisma, but yet wrestled much better. He also had the ability to make the fans both genuinely love him and genuinely hate him, which is very hard to do in this business. Many credit his Wrestlemania III match as inspiration for them getting into professional wrestling, whether they actually got into the ring or just became fans after that classic bout; this is another huge achievement. Plus, the accolades as WWF and WCW Heavyweight Champion, and Intercontinental Champion. All of these are just a few of the reasons that his induction has been long time coming and absolutely well-deserved. God rest your soul, Randy. You are greatly missed, but thank you for the memories.
Matches – even though I don’t like the whole storyline, the match itself between Cena and Rollins was pretty great; I liked Harper/Reigns and Miz/Jey; Naomi and Alicia, and Paige and Brie were both better than I expected, especially considering the stipulation with Naomi!
The Big Show’s interview along with Roman Reigns’ response was fantastic; I must admit, I wasn’t excited when he turned heel because he is usually pretty boring, but he has really turned it up with the verbal-jousting and charisma this time, and Reigns is giving it right back to him, almost equally! Rusev was also very good on the stick and seemed to amp it up a bit too, and as always, Bray Wyatt’s promo. Keep it going, all of you!
As much as I still believe Ambrose should be out for a couple weeks, at least, selling last week’s Ambulance Match, I am liking his “psychotic” character more and more, and tonight’s dealings with “the doctor” were funny!
Once again, glad Daniel Bryan is able to continue on wrestling! It is also great they are going with continuity and having his first match be against the man that “put him out of action” for months, Kane.
Bogus: Definitely not liking The Ascension. Their promos are just the same week-in-week-out and they are much better than taking out jobbers weekly. It’s time for another team to step up and start a feud. It really is too bad I feel this way about them, as I was looking forward to their main-roster dominance since they were awesome on NXT and much-more dark and better with their promos.
The New Day has unfortunately stalled for me; and not digging the new team of Cesaro and Kidd.
Again, Bad News Barrett is the I.C. Champ, but relegated to only being a Lumberjack? Bad booking on a hot-return just a couple weeks ago!
I still don’t like the whole firing storyline. It just comes out of nowhere, and really makes Survivor Series seem all-for-not. There is also no credibility to what they’re trying to accomplish when Cena comes out all happy-go-lucky after being the one to cost Ziggler, Ryback, and Rowan their jobs just seven days ago.
Overall though, this was a much better Raw than last week, so let’s hope the “go-home” show for Royal Rumble is the best of the New Year so far! Until then, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!
