UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones and his opponent for the upcoming UFC 159 took the time for a media call today. Also on the call was co-main event fighters Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher. UFC president Dana White was on a flight and unable to attend. Below are some of the highlights but the full audio is linked also.
This fight is monumental achievement for Jones’ career because a win over Sonnen ties him with Tito Ortiz for the all-time leader in successful title defenses. Looking at the 205 pound champion history no one has defended the belt successfully more than once since Hall of Famer Chuck Lidell dropped it in May of 2007. After Jones passes Ortiz for all time defenses he will entertain the idea of super fights and heavyweight fights.
Jones made it clear that he felt everyone is overlooking his wrestling abilities and stated “the storyline has always been his wrestling, his wrestling, his wrestling. It was that way with Matyushenko, Ryan Bader and Rashad Evans.” Jones continued by saying “maybe I’ll take him down more then he takes me down’ you never know.”
Sonnen took the opportunity to tell everyone just how great he thinks Jones is and added that Jones doesn’t realize how good he is by saying, “The reality is Jon Jones could beat up Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali in the same day.” Sonnen also praised Jones and informed everyone how his opinion had changed of the champ quickly after the two had met while filming The Ultimate Fighter 17. The dedication that Jones had shown to all the fighters and using the example of him never being late. Aside from praising Jones he also made it clear that he deserves this title shot and has earned.
The most interesting part of the call was when Bisping and Belcher verbally traded jabs. When they were asked about what a win would do for their careers, Bisping said he just wants to be back in the win column and work his way to a title shot. Belcher on the other hand just wanted to get the win and see who the best is and nothing more but Bisping took the opportunity to interrupt and tell everyone, “That a win over me for Alan Belcher would be by far the biggest win of his pathetic career. No one gives a fuck about Alan Belcher.”
Belcher responded with warning Bisping that he better not lose; which opened the door for Bisping to tell his opponent just how little he thought of him and how easy Saturday night will be.
In an interview with DJ Pete Rosenberg to promote his upcoming reality TV show Hero, former WWE champion The Rock said that there will be no Rock vs Cena III at WrestleMania 30 because Rock vs Cena II was possibly his last match, although he’s still not sure about it.
The Rock confirmed that the plan was for him to enter an angle with Brock Lesnar the night after WrestleMania but his injury prevented it from happening. Rock said he and Lesnar have been friends for over 10 years and he felt that the would could have an awesome match against each other. Rock feels that it could still happen down the line.
The two wrestled at SummerSlam 2002 where Brock defeated The Rock to become one of the youngest WWE champions ever.
Addressing the story of him no showing RAW after WrestleMania, Rock said that WWE knew he wasn’t going to show up and all the allegations are false.
Rock said he talked with Vince, Cena, Triple H, CM Punk, and others after Mania as well as the docs and it was determined that he wouldn’t be on RAW so he can go and get his injuries fixed. Rock added that the tweet that he sent just as RAW was about to go on the air was the idea of the WWE writers.
The new WWE Divas who will be featured in the Total Divas E! show are Natalie Eva Marie and Joseann Alexie Offerman, both found during a non-televised Divas Search that WWE held over the past several months.
Eva Marie is a 2012 Powertec fashion model winner, athlete, and an actress who has appeared on tons of magazine covers.
Joseann Alexie Offerman will be known as Jo-Jo and has a background in dancing. She studied Visual and Performing Arts while in school.
You can see some photos of the new Divas-in-training below.
At its upfront presentation, E! today unveiled a surprise new unscripted series titled Total Divas, taking a look at the women behind the WWE.
The new series will premiere on Sunday, July 28, at 10PM EST and will look at the personal lives of some of the WWE Divas in hourly episodes.
Total Divas will be produced by WWE and Bunim-Murray Productions.
The Bella Twins, Naomi and Cameron and Natalya will be featured as well as two new WWE Divas – Eva Marie, and Jo Jo Offerman.
“The show kicks off with an unprecedented look inside the most-anticipated WWE event of the year, WrestleMania, marking the first time that any television series was granted exclusive behind-the-scenes access to WWE,” reads the press release.
Too bad the match involving four of the Divas listed got canned from the show and WrestleMania featured no Divas at all!
“I’m thrilled for E! and WWE to join forces and pull back the curtain on one of pop culture’s most fascinating arenas,” said Suzanne Kolb, President E! “With tens of millions of weekly fans at their disposal, these glamorous, entertaining and powerful women prove that behind the glitz of the spotlight, the locker room drama and the jockeying for position within the organization, they are all drawn to one thing: stardom.”
This type of show was originally scheduled to air on the WWE Network, whenever that might launch (or not).
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced on his Twitter today that he is after all undergoing surgery next week to fix the tear in his abdomen, an injury which he suffered during the match against John Cena at WrestleMania.
“Saw my Dr who had to push my intestines back thru the tear in my abdomen. Kinda romantic,” Johnson tweeted before saying he’s undergoing surgery in the next few days.
It is not known if the surgery will effect the schedule of his movies as he was supposed to start filming the new Hercules movie this month.
His next movie out to be released is Pain And Gain, coming out at the end of this month.
Keith Cohen has been a wrestling fan since that fateful day in 1983 when he saw Bob Backlund viciously assaulted by the Iron Sheik. 30 years later, he still loves it just as much. He welcomes you to send all feedback to blackdiamond1974@yahoo.com or on twitter @strutter71 (where you are also welcome to follow him).
I realize that most of you probably saw the title of this article and immediately saw the inherent irony.
Yes, I am opening a debate about whether the internet has helped or hurt wrestling…and publishing the article on the internet. But that’s the beautiful thing about it, and one of the positive points I wanted to raise.
First and foremost, the internet has made the wrestling community more close-knit than ever would have been possible back in the ‘80s when I first started watching. In those days, the only source of wrestling info was in magazines like “Pro Wrestling Illustrated.” I would wait with bated breath for the latest issue to come out so I could read up on all my favorites. There were always a couple of problems with the magazine format, however. They only had so many pages available, so they couldn’t cover absolutely everything. Plus, publication times meant that it couldn’t always be the timeliest information.
Enter the internet age. Now wrestling fans all across the globe have access to more wrestling news than they can handle, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and they can even talk to each other about it in real time!
But is this always a good thing?
Not necessarily.
The biggest drawback I see with the internet is that it is chock full of spoilers. Some of my favorite wrestling memories of all time are based on the element of surprise. Remember when Lex Luger showed up on the debut episode of WCW Nitro? Nobody saw that coming, and it was gripping television. Or what about the debut of Chris Jericho on Monday Night Raw? Back then, the internet was still fairly young. Jericho’s debut may have been spoiled back then, but at the time I wasn’t very internet savvy, so if it was out there, I didn’t see it. I can’t imagine seeing that moment knowing ahead of time that it was Jericho coming out. The shock value is what made that moment so great to me.
A lot of that magic seems to be lost these days. Friday Night Smackdown is taped on Tuesdays, three nights before it airs on television. Immediately after it is taped, spoilers pop up on all the wrestling sites. I avoid them like the plague. Why on earth would I want to know all the details of what happens before I watch the show? And it’s not just all the “unofficial” wrestling sites that are guilty of this. WWE has spoiled title changes that occur on taped shows before they air, right on the front page of their own web site.
There are two arguments that could be made for that. The first is that by announcing the title change, more fans will tune in to see the moment happen. I prefer the second argument, which is that if you announce too much ahead of time, fans are LESS likely to tune in. Don’t tell me how the movie ends, please. I don’t want to see it now.
I would speculate that NOT advertising things like title changes ahead of time would lead to higher ratings over time. It all goes back to the element of surprise. WWE is fond of spouting out catchphrases like “anything can happen!” Sure, anything can happen. But if you tell us ahead of time that a particular thing is going to happen, it just doesn’t feel so special anymore.
Back to an earlier point. Remember how I mentioned that fans from around the world can now talk to each other about wrestling? Whether it is on message boards, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform, fans have a variety of ways to comment on what they like or don’t like about what they are watching. Unfortunately, it seems like most people take advantage of the anonymity of the internet and use their time to mindlessly bash something they profess to love.
Obviously, I’m not saying people don’t have a right to an opinion. If you disagree with me on something, great. Let’s have an intelligent conversation and debate the salient points. But don’t type in all caps “YOUR A IDIOT CM PUNK IS THE GRETEST WRESSLER OF ALLTIME U DONT KNOW WHUT UR TALKIN ABOUT.”
Please, people, don’t be trolls. Use proper grammar and spelling and the world will be a better place for it.
So, what’s the answer? Has the internet done more harm than good to the wrestling industry? Honestly, I think it’s hard to say for sure. 30 years later, I’m still here and still watching, so it can’t be all bad. I think, ultimately, each fan needs to decide for themselves how much they want to expose themselves to. I avoid trolls and spoilers on-line, and that seems to work for me. Anyone else out there have an opinion on the matter? Contact me at blackdiamond1974@yahoo.com or on Twitter @strutter71. Let’s discuss.
“Smooth” Benson Henderson came into hostile territory to defend his title and escaped San Jose with the lightweight title and a future Mrs. Henderson.
While it took a split decision with two of the judges scoring it three rounds to two for the champ the other judge saw it as three to two but for the former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. It was an ultra close fight with Melendez clearly taking round one and Henderson clearly taking round four other than that it really could have gone either way.
Melendez started out setting the pace early in the fight. Melendez was able to catch a good chunk of the kicks that came to the body. Henderson used a stepping elbow over and over through out the fight and seemed to switch from the body kicks that were being caught to knees. Henderson did work the jab as Melendez would close the distance but the stats that were being showed through out the fight clearly showed it was all Henderson as he out struck Melendez and out kicked by a huge advantage. Part of it being so deceiving was that Melendez spent most of the time as the man coming forward bringing the fight to the champ.
In what turned out to be a great fight I hope to see a rematch of but not too soon; as it is getting tiresome of having the champions tied up with the same opponents and jamming up the rest of the division. After the scores are read the HP Pavilion showed their displeasure in the verdict and showered Henderson with boos. As Rogan tried to get the post fight interview Henderson stopped him got the ring from one of his corner men, dropped to a knee and purposed to his girlfriend who had joined him in the cage. She of course said “yes” which momentarily stopped some of the crowd from booing but only long enough to give a real quick applause before the boos erupted in full force again.
The big men had their opportunity in the cage as Daniel Cormier finally got to get his hands on Frank Mir. In a match up between the two time Olympic wrestler and one of the greatest UFC submission artist ever it was all Cormier in this fight. In what seemed like a highlight of Hall of Famer Randy Couture fights Cormier stacked Mir up against the cage he put all his weight on Mir, he dirty boxed him and kneed him. This technique was very successful as Mir was helpless against it for three rounds and Cormier took the unanimous decision 30-27 on all three of the judges scorecards.
Josh Thomson made it a successful return to the UFC where he had gone 2-1 during 2003 and 2004. Also in the process Thomson became the first person to ever stop Nate Diaz at any weight. Thomson started off the fight with switching stances over and over while landing the leg kick to keep Diaz from using his range. Diaz ate a pair of head kicks from Thomson, the first he smiled and ate while the second turned out to be the end of his night. Diaz tried to duck under the one in the second but all he did was put the side of his head directly inline with the shin of Thomson. Thomson swarmed and pounded away as but the ref gave Diaz a chance before he jumped in but eventually had to bring it to a stop and he did so as you see the towel fly into the cage from Diaz’s corner.
In the first fight of the evening for the FOX portion of the broadcast “The Immortal” Matt Brown came out and showed the occasional fans who watch the free events exactly what it is that he does. He makes a fight a brawl! He swarmed one of the top welterweight prospects Jordan Mein right from the beginning as he usually does and never backed off. Brown chased Mein lunging at him with punches as he did so. Mein landed some sharp elbows when they were in close and even dropping Brown with a body shot. Brown the ever wise veteran immediately latched on to a leg of Mein and pulled him in close while threatening a triangle choke while he cleared the cobb webs. At the beginning of round 2 Brown swarms once again and brutalizes Mein as he pounds away on a turtled up Mein with elbows to the side of the head then standing over him elbowing his back till “Big John” McCarthy steps in at 1 min of round 2. That is what Brown does he wants to stand and punch till some one drops and with someone like Mein who uses more technique it really can pull them out of their game.
Dana White will have his hands full picking a knockout of the night winner tonight as 6 of the 8 preliminary fights end in some form of knock out.
The first fight on Facebook ended in stunning fashion as the Cuban Olympic silver medalist in free style wrestling, Yoel Romero, landed a flying knee to the chin of Clifford Starks. Romero wasted no time diving on top and pounded away on till the ref was able to get over and protect Starks. The middleweight Romero picked up his first UFC win just 92 seconds into round 1.
In the only other Facebook fight lightweights Roger Bowling made his UFC debut against Anthony Njokuani. Bowling was making his transition to the UFC ranks from Strikeforce and controlled the fight up to the 4:20 mark of round one when Njokuani was able to get up off the mat and stepped his game up to give the judges something to remember as he landed clean and often. However the judges wouldn’t be needed as the second round the two fighters stayed on their feet and as Bowling charged in Njokuani placed a perfect short left to the chin that knocked out Bowling and Njokuani being the veteran could tell the fight was over and just stood above rather than delivering more punishment as the referee raced over. Anthony Njokuani is now 3-3 in the UFC with this knockout victory at the 2:52 mark of round 2. To cap it off Njokuani busted out a big spinaroonie after it was over.
Team Alpha Male had an absolutely great showing from their fighters tonight as TJ Dillashaw started off the action when he took on Hugo Viana in the bantamweight ranks. Viana was able to drop Dillashaw 45 seconds into the fight with a right hand but the wrestler quickly turned it into his favor taking Viana to the ground. Dillashaw would go on to get his striking working as he was able to hurt and drop Viana a couple times in the 60 seconds leading up to the final right hand and ground and pound that would give the Alpha Males the first of three victories at 4:22 of round 1.
Next up for the team of fighters out of Sacramento, CA was the flyweight Joseph Benavidez who lost to the champion Demetrious Johnson in the fight to crown the first champion. It would take Benavidez nearly two full rounds of punishing Darren Uyenoyama to put him away but he was able to. In the second round Benavidez landed a left kick to the body that connected right under the ribs that you could just see hurt. Benavidez heard is coach say go to the body and a thudding left hand in the same spot dropped Uyneoyama. Benavidez dove on top and landed a couple more body shots and head shots as the ref rushed over. Benavidez would spend the longest time in the cage going to the 4:50 mark of round 2.
Chad Mendes would cap off the night for the Alpha Males as the number one contender at featherweight took on Darren Elkins who filled in for Clay Guida. It took “Money” Mendes 1:08 to land one overhand right to the temple and then dive on top to finish off Elkins for the TKO. After Mendes finished of Elkins he motioned at his waist for the belt. Mendes wants the rematch with the featherweight king Jose Aldo and their is no one left standing between the two. Having Duane “Bang” Ludwig as their new head coach has really been paying off.
The two former Ultimate Fighter competitors met as Ramsey Nijem and Myles Jury faced off at 155 pounds. The first round was dominated by grappling as neither man landed double digit strikes and they fought for position. In the second round though Nijem and his reckless striking would pay. Nijem charged forward winging punch after punch and Jury connected with an right to the face that shut off the lights for Nijem before he even hit the mat. Myles Jury with the win at 1:02 in round 2 is now 11-0 in his mixed martial arts career.
Jorge Masvidal is the latest transplant from Strikeforce to successfully step inside the octagon. He was at a distance disadvantage to the taller Tim Means and ate a few elbows when he was able to get in close but after the first round Masvidal was successful in take down after take down and that is where a majority of the last two rounds were spent. Means defended from really taking any punishment but he had spent too much time on his back and Masvidal took home the 29-28 decision from all three judges.
In the other bout to go the distance Georges St. Pierre’s teammate Francis Carmont was able to extend his winning streak to 11 fights by picking up the unanimous decision two rounds to one on all cards over Lorenz Larkin. Larkin looked to have this fight as he punished the legs of Carmont and defended 7 of the first 8 take down attempts. Larkin even pulled off a sweet looking spinning heel kick to the thigh of Carmont. When Carmont got the fight to the ground he was never there long and Larkin put up a fight from the bottom utilizing the rubber guard attempting submissions and almost locking in a kimura. Carmont was the aggressor in this fight with out a doubt; he was consistently moving forward and that had to be what stood out in the mind of the judges.
WWE Hall of Famer and former multiple time WWE and World Heavyweight champion Edge has landed a series regular gig on the SyFy television show Haven starting from the upcoming season 4.
Edge, real name Adam Copeland, plays the character of Dwight Hendrickson which was introduced in the second season of the show. He has appeared in 11 episodes over the course of two seasons and landed 7 episodes in season three before he was upgraded to series regular.
Jim Ross, who attended the Cauliflower Alley Club with Edge this past week, said that Edge will be filming the episodes of the show starting in May in the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada.
TNA will be launching the new Knockouts website this coming Thursday showcasing the beautiful women who wrestle for the company.
The theme of the website will be “dare to be” as the preview video for the site has Knockouts saying what they dare to be – glamorous, extraordinary, feisty, and strong.
TNA currently has 11 Knockouts on the roster – Brooke Hogan, Christy Hemme, Gail Kim, Madison Rayne, Mickie James, Brooke Tessmacher, SoCal Val, Tara, Taeler Hendrix, Taryn Terrell, and Velvet Sky.
You can see the video preview of the sexy site below.
Forbes.com has an interview with WWE’s power couple – Triple H and his wife Stephanie McMahon.
HHH talked about the Attitude Era, describing it as “wild and crazy time” but a lot of fun due to a bit of “a free reign” that he and others such as The Rock and Steve Austin enjoyed.
When the two were asked what keeps the fire burning between the two of them, Stephanie said she couldn’t answer that one publicly, but her husband immediately fired back an answer.
“A big log. It keeps the fire burning,” the former champ joked.
Shane Skwarek is a Technology Consultant in the Tri-State area and a long time, avid wrestling fan. He’s a mark for cocky heels and subtle wrestling references, and holds a special place in his heart for the Shawn Michaels/Bret Hart Iron Man Match at WrestleMania 12. You can follow Shane on Twitter at @suggafnshane.
Since his video vignettes began airing several months ago right up to his official debut at WrestleMania, the internet wrestling community has not been able to help themselves from trying to predict the likeliest path to the future for new wrestling sensation Fandango.
The issue I’ve had, which has inevitably led me to write this article, revolves not so much about the opinions surrounded the character, but around the basis of how those opinions are being drawn. Virtually everything I’ve read on the Fandango character is always comparing him to the WWE’s resident Funkasaurus, Brodus Clay.
There’s my issue. Brodus Clay is not a fair comparison.
Aside from the fact that the two men have an element of dance in their introductions, they share literally NO other similarities. Brodus’ entire act centers around his dancing routine. He dances out to the ring with two other dancers. He dances while he’s in the ring to build a crowd reaction. And he dances when he finishes his match. Brodus Clay is the epitome of a dancing gimmick.
Fandango, however, is not.
Fandango uses the ballroom dancer angle as more of a reflection of his social class. Ballroom dancing is stereotypically associated to wealthier and more elegant individuals. The WWE is using that stereotype with Fandango to give him a more snobby, or conceited, appeal. It’s very similar to how Triple H was introduced by using a curtsy or how Damien Sandow holds the microphone with his pinky extended as if he were sipping a $30 martini.
I think the intended element of dance, specifically ballroom dancing, is supposed to add to Fandango’s demeanor of telling the audience that he’s better than you are. Think about it … who do you typically see participating in that style of dance? It’s certainly not your inner city kids.
I think a more suitable comparison for Fandango would actually be a debuting Goldust blended with a blue-blooded Helmsley. While the cores of the gimmicks differ, their antics are very similar. When Fandango addresses his opponents, he does so with a condescending demeanor. However, it’s the way he executes his promos that really shines.
Remember when Fandango was supposed to wrestle Tensai? When Tensai inevitably couldn’t pronounce his name, he called upon Brodus’ Funkadactyl Naomi. He was blatantly aggressive with her, reciting that he wanted to hear from her “beautiful, sensual lips,” and also noted her “rhythm.” It’s a trend that continued with Natalya a week later and again just this past week on Smackdown with Lillian Garcia. Fandango took on a very alpha male persona in each of these segments, ala a debuting Hunter Heart Helmsley.
The comparison to Goldust comes into play with Fandango’s in-ring antics. The best example of what I’m referring to can be found in his match against Kofi Kingston on the April 8th episode of Monday Night Raw. You might remember it better by the infamous NJ crowd at the IZOD center.
With the way he perches he chest out, rubs his body up and down, and walks gingerly around the ring on his toes would leave the average viewer to question his sexual orientation. It’s a spitting image of the way Goldust introduced himself to the WWE Universe before he dove into the infatuation angle with Razor Ramon.
While Goldust certainly isn’t a huge success story (he never did capture any world titles), there was a point in time where he was an incredibly hot superstar and could have very well launched himself into the main event picture had it not been for some backstage politicking. And I think it goes without saying how the evolution of Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s character played out, no pun intended.
Will the act of Fandango eventually have to change to stay relevant? Of course. But the same can be said about just about any character in sports entertainment. Personally, I feel incredibly refreshed to see another CHARACTER in the WWE as opposed to yet another “firstname lastname” generic superstar that will inevitably sit at a jobber to mid-card talent level until their release.
Not sure what I’m referring to? See: David Otunga, Curt Hawkins, Alex Riley, Ezekiel Jackson, Michael McGillicutty, Justin Gabriel, Ted DiBiase, Yoshi Tatsu, or Mason Ryan, just to name a few.
So the next time you see Fandango hit the ring, do yourself a favor and forget about Brodus Clay for a minute. I promise you that you’ll see an incredibly well-rounded and well-designed character destined for a breakout year.
And if not, I’ll happily entertain your criticism on Twitter at @suggafnshane.
NJ.COM is reporting that local workers who were involved in helping with setting up WrestleMania and Axxess earned around $1.4 million in gross salaries and benefits.
A total of 450 people helped in setting up the huge set at the MetLife Stadium, transformed the IZOD Center for Axxess, and then set up for RAW, with workers coming in even as far as Cleveland to help out.
“We ran out of people in New Jersey,” International Alliance of Theatrical Stagehand President Kevin O’Brien said.
Between all Axxess events, Hall of Fame, WrestleMania, and RAW, WWE fans bought more than 140,000 tickets during the weekend.
TNA begins with a recap of the title match between Bully Ray and Jeff Hardy last week. In the back, Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco assure Devon that they can take care of Kurt Angle tonight. Wes and Garrett will be facing Angle in a handicap match, but Devon wants to make sure they don’t take him lightly. They seem over confident, Devon seems concerned.
Match #1: Kurt Angle versus Wes Brisco and Garrett Bischoff. Wes goes in against Angle first and they lock up. Angle gets behind Brisco and beats him down in the corner. Angle slams Brisco’s head into the corner and then whips him into the opposite corner.
Angle knocks Garrett Bischoff off the edge of the ring to the floor. Angle stomps on Brisco and then takes him down with a snap suplex. Brisco tags in Bischoff and Bischoff immediately gets hip tossed by Angle. Angle pummels Brisco for a while until Bischoff comes in to help; then Angle throws them both out of the ring.
Commercial
Angle is stomping on Garrett when Brisco gets in a nut shot while the ref was distracted. Bischoff pounds on Angle for the next minute or two and applies a chin lock. Angle escapes by suplexing Bischoff.
Bischoff tags Brisco and Angle clotheslines him twice. Brisco is still in the ring and Angle clotheslines him twice as well. Angle hits Brisco with a German Suplex and then hits Bischoff with three German suplexes. Angle tries to suplex Brisco, Brisco tries to block it by holding onto Bischoff and Angle suplexes them both at the same time.
Angle goes for an Angle slam to Brisco when Aces and Eights arrive at ringside. Angle applies the ankle lock to Brisco, but Bischoff hits Angle in the back of the neck with a steel chain while the ref was distracted. Bischoff pins Angle for the win. Angle gets another beat down from Aces and Eights after the match. Mr. Anderson tells us that anyone not wearing an Aces and Eights shirt is in big trouble tonight.
Commercial
Match #2: Petey Williams versus Zema Ion versus Kenny King for King’s X division title.
Lots of back and forth fast paced action to start the match off. King starts off looking strong until Petey Williams hits him with the Canadian Destroyer! Zema breaks up the pin attempt and King falls to the floor.
Williams and Zema argue and then exchange strikes. Williams hits Zema with a hurricanrana and a chop. Zema responds with a neckbreaker and stomps on Williams. Williams lands a few chops, but then Zema takes him down and applies a modified ½ crab. Williams hits Zema with a side Russian leg sweep and Zema responds with a jawbreaker.
Williams suicide dives out of the ring onto King and then re enters the ring. Williams and then hits Zema with a German suplex. Williams flies out of the ring again and this time hits King with a hurricanrana. Williams pulls Zema into the ring by his hair, but Zema snaps his neck on the ropes.
Zema hits Williams with a DDT and then climbs the top rope. Zema goes for a moonsault but Williams gets his knees up in time to block it. Williams gets the Sharp Shooter on Zema and has it locked in tight for a while. King re enters the ring and knocks Williams out of the ring with a running high knee. King covers Zema for the win!
Commercial
Match #3: Magnus versus Devon for the TC title.
The match never happens. Magnus gets beaten down by members of Aces and Eights before the match. Magnus fights them off for a while, but eventually gets hit in the gut with a chain and power bombed onto the ramp. Samoa Joe comes out to make the save and Aces and Eights retreat.
Commercial
When we return, Joe is screaming about the cowards in Aces and Eights. Joe also says that he gets a match later tonight with Devon for the TV title.
Match #3: Mickie James versus Miss Tessmacher with ODB as the Knockouts ref.
The two women lock up and jockey for position for the first couple minutes. Mickie lands the first kick and hits Tessmacher with a few short arm shoulder blocks. Mickie gets an armbar on Tessmacher, but Tessmacher gets to the ropes.
The two women exchange blows on the floor until ODB breaks it up and orders them back in the ring. Tessmacher lands a couple kicks and a faceplant. Tessmacher clotheslines Mickie in the corner and then gives herself a wedgie. Tessmacher then grinds her ass for a long time into Mickie’s face. Mickie slams Tessmacher’s face into the corner and then hits her with a flapjack.
Mickie goes to the top rope and hits Tessmacher with a flying Thesz Press for a near fall. Mickie mounts and pounds Tessmacher. Tessmacher gets to her feet and they both land a clothesline at the same time. The two women slam each the other’s face into the mat and exchange pin attempts and reversals. After a series of reversals Mickie covers Tessmacher for the win!
In the back, Joe Park is on the phone and is apparently still trying to get Brooke’s marriage to Bully Ray annulled. Devon takes his phone and tells him to stay out of family business. Bully Ray cheap shots Joe and tells him that he’s Brooke’s husband and he knows what’s best for her. Aces and Eights leave Joe Park in tears and laugh at him as he cries.
Commercial
Kaz and Daniels make their way to the ring and brag about how great things are going for them lately. They even claim a “Bad Influence” movie in the works and that Morgan Freeman will be playing Dixie Carter.
Morgan Freeman is a very good actor, but that may be a little too much for him to pull off. I bet Merry Streep could play Morgan Freeman playing Dixie Carter and pull it off. She’s pretty awesome. Kaz gives the fans permission to worship them. Bad Influence is interrupted by Austin Aries and Bobby Roode.
Roode and Aries claim that they are the real #1 contenders for the tag title because Chavo and Hernandez beat them in a fluke. Daniels claims that Roode’s opinion only counts for ¾ of an opinion because he’s Canadian, and Aries replies that his opinion counts for 1 and ¼, so they have 2 opinions between them.
Then Aries implies Kaz and Daniels are gay lovers with several comments about them spending all their time oiling each other up and putting meat in their mouths. Chavo and Hernandez sneak up behind Roode and Aries; Kaz and Daniels see them and back out of the ring. Roode and Aries think Kaz and Daniels are retreating and never see the attack coming. Chavo and Hernandez knock Roode and Aries out of the ring.
Commercial
When we return, several TNA stars lament the presence of Aces and Eights. Matt Morgan watches and laughs. He says this is all Hogan’s fault and could have been easily avoided if Hogan had just done the right thing.
Morgan claims Hogan’s mistakes keep piling up: 1) He should have made Matt Morgan #1 contender, 2) he trusted Bully Ray, 3) he pushed Sting away, and 4) he’s responsible for Jeff Hardy getting taken out on a stretcher.
Match #4: Samoa Joe versus Devon for the TV title.
Devon lands a cheap shot before Joe is ready and takes the early advantage. Joe responds by slamming Devon into the corner and pummeling him. Joe takes Devon down with a snapmare and then lands a chop, a kick, and a knee drop. Joe gets the rear naked choke on but Devon rolls out of it and hits Joe with a spear.
Joe lands a couple punches and Devon responds with a robust eye rake. Devon hits Joe with a boot to the chest in the corner, a punch, and then applies a chin lock. Joe escapes from the chin lock with an elbow strike. Joe lands a couple punches, runs into Devon back first in the corner, and then hits him with an enzuigiri.
Joe sets Devon up for the muscle buster, but Mr. Anderson hits Joe from behind with brass knuckles from behind while the ref was watching the rest of Aces and Eights around the ring. Devon rolls Joe up and gets the win. After the match Joe gets hit with the brass knuckles again.
Commercial
Match #5: AJ Styles versus James Storm.
AJ starts to walk away before the match even starts and Storm goes after him. Storm attempts a suplex but AJ blocks it and lands a punch. Storm nearly powerbombs AJ onto the ramp but AJ slides out of it and lands another punch.
Storm lands a punch of his own and a dazed AJ slips under the bottom rope and into the ring; the ref rings the bell to start the match. AJ hits Storm with a couple shoulder blocks in the corner and Storm retaliates with a running high knee. Storm mounts and pounds AJ and then puts him in a headlock. AJ whips Storm into the corner and leapfrogs him, then trips him when he comes back of the ropes.
Commercial
AJ hits Storm with a vertical suplex, a kick, and then applies a chin lock. Storm fights his way out and they exchange punches. Storm lands a flying forearm and follows up with a clothesline. Storm backdrops AJ and then hits him with a spinning bulldog. Storm lands a chop and then props AJ up on the top rope. Storm tries for a superplex but AJ blocks it and trips Storm up.
Strom’s legs get caught up in the top rope as he fell, causing him to get suspended upside down in the corner. AJ lands a dropkick to Storm’s midsection while he hangs in the corner. Bad Influence (Kaz and Daniels) make their way to the ring.
Storm hits AJ with a backstabber, and then follows up with a clothesline that sends them both to the floor. AJ slams Storm into the steps and the steel barrier. They re enter the ring and Storm hits Closing time. Storm goes for the super kick, but AJ catches it and twists Storm’s ankle. AJ applies a new submission hold to Storm and Storm taps out. AJ Wins!
Kaz and Daniels enter the ring to congratulate AJ and raise his hands. AJ smiles a little at first, but then clotheslines Kaz and dropkicks Daniels out of the ring. Aces and Eights enter the ring en masse and beat down James Storm, and then they beat down Kaz and Daniels as well.
AJ just walks away without looking back. Bully Ray asks if we know who he is, and if we know who they are. Bully brags about destroying Jeff Hardy, and brags about the destruction they’ve caused tonight. Bully claims TNA has no heroes left, only victims. Bully tells us that when you ride with Aces and Eights, you never walk alone.
TNA announced two BaseBrawl events for June at minor league baseball parks in West Virginia and Kentucky.
On June 14, TNA Superstars will be at the Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, West Virginia starting at 7:30PM. Tickets for this show went on sale last Friday at wvpower.com starting at $15.
On June 15, Lexington, Kentucky, will host TNA at the Whitaker Bank Ballpark with the show also starting at 7:30PM. Tickets for this show go on sale tomorrow, April 19, at LexingtonLegends.com and are also $15.
Those expected to appear are TNA champion Bully Ray, Bobby Roode, James Storm, Austin Aries, Velvet Sky, and others.
Today WWE announced the launch of the Performance Center which will open this summer in Orlando, Florida, and which will serve as the new home of NXT.
The 26,000 square feet building will house seven training rings, a world-class strength and conditioning program, and cutting-edge edit and production facilities to house the WWE’s developmental talent.
Nearly 100 high-wage jobs will be created in the Orlando area with the launch of the Performance Center.
Orange County Commissioner Peter Clarke, Mayor of Orange County Teresa Jacobs, Florida Governor Rick Scott, Full Sail University President Garry Jones and Triple H, who serves as the EVP of Talent and Live Events, all attended the press conference of the launch.
“WWE could have chosen anywhere in the world to house this new global performance center – and they chose the Sunshine State,” the Governor said. “Today’s announcement that WWE will create nearly 100 more jobs for families in Central Florida is further proof that everything we do is geared towards job creation and it’s working.”
Triple H said that the partnership with Full Sail University and the newly created WWE Performance Center are critical to the future of the company.
“Orlando is now the home to the next generation of WWE Superstars,” Triple H said.
You can see a photo of everyone involved in today’s announcement below.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross visited the UFC offices in Las Vegas, Nevada, yesterday, while he was in town for the annual Cauliflower Alley Club meet-up.
The visit was announced by Dave Sholler, the UFC Director of Communications, on Twitter, saying, “Business just picked up at Zuffa HQs!” Ross was invited for an office tour by Marc Ratner who is the UFC Vice Presdeint of Regulatory Affairs.
Jim Ross is a big MMA fan and often talks about the UFC shows on his blog. He expresed his wish several times to be able to call a UFC fight one day.
On Twitter, Ross thanked Ratner for the tour and he said he enjoyed meeting UFC President Dana White. “Cool dude. Great hospitality,” Ross wrote.
White called meeting Ross an honor and said it was a pleasure to meet him as well.
All of Ryback’s tweets were mysteriously wiped out following a message he wrote that might have been a bit too personal.
Addressing Cena’s comments from their segment on Monday Night RAW, Ryback wrote that watching the pain on John Cena’s face was worth standing back for, referring to the beat down by The Shield as he watched from the ramp.
However the comment that sparked some red flags came immediately after with Ryback saying, “Funny the 2 things he says I lack his ex wife seems to love. #RybackRules.” Ouch!
All of Ryback’s tweets were gone and now only shows one tweet, which he posted just an hour ago which reads, “If you have something worth fighting for you have to fight for it. Being bred to b scared is the problem. Rules will be broken.”
Monday Night RAW this week did a 3.08 rating with an average of 4,149,000 viewers. That is down from the 3.45 from last week’s post-WrestleMania RAW and 461,000 less viewers overall.
The show did 4,185,000 viewers in hour one, 4,236,000 in hour two, and 4,026,000 in the third hour.
That is the lowest number since the November 5, 2012 episode of the show which back then did an average of 4,076,000 viewers. (Ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research and put online by PWInsider.com)
In light of the tragedy in Boston, I will not be giving my usual Raw preview or an episode title, but instead, offer my condolences, thoughts, and prayers to all affected by the incident. May God take care of all in need.
Monday Night Raw Report for April 15th, 2013
Introduction Segment: Recap/Preview and Welcoming
A montage of last week’s epic ending to Raw with Ryback and WWE Champion John Cena, as well as C.M. Punk’s return tonight following his WrestleMania XXIX lost to The Undertaker is aired, with speculation of what will go down.
We go right to the arena, with Michael Cole welcoming us to South Carolina. (Ok, I’m surprised and disappointed they did not open with any comments or tribute about the incident in Boston today. Usually, WWE is on top and pay respects nicely, but nothing so far…)
Match #1: 2-On-1 – “The Viper” Randy Orton and “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus VS. The Big Show
Sheamus and Show lock up to begin the bout, and Show shoves Sheamus into the corner. The Irishman fires right back with fists, but Show takes him down with a sidewalk slam. Sheamus batters Show on the ring apron with a couple shoulders and hammering blows, then flies at him with a shoulder-tackle off the top rope! 1 – 2 – Show kicks out! Sheamus goes for the Brogue Kick, but Big catches him and chucks Sheamus over the ropes.
Sheamus makes it in the ring before the ten count, but Show takes control, slapping him numerous times against the ropes. He drops him with the Final Cut, but Orton breaks up the cover before three! Show drops Sheamus with another sidewalk slam, then slowly ascends the turnbuckle from the inside. Sheamus cuts him off and impressively lifts him up on his shoulders and falls back! Sheamus crawls over and tags in Randy!
Orton comes in with huge momentum, dropkicking Show and then planting him with the slingshot DDT! He zones in, but gets shoved off the R.K.O. Sheamus Brogue Kicks Show, allowing Orton to hit the R.K.O. for the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: “The Viper” Randy Orton and “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus
Up next, 3.M.B. will discuss their confrontation with “The Shield” from Friday’s Smackdown! (Read that report on this fine website!)
Commercials.
Segment #2: Arena Promo
Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal all want an apology from Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns. They don’t get “The Shield,” but instead the return of Brock Lesnar! He comes out and destroys 3.M.B. Lesnar F-5’s Slater twice on to the barricade, then Paul Heyman runs out and gets in the ring with his client.
Heyman reminds us that his client is ready for a fight, and he wants it against Triple H! He says that HHH is the only person in WWE history to knock out Brock Lesnar, and for that, Heyman puts over Triple H as a “warrior” and “man.” However, Lesnar does not feel the same way. The score between the two is 1 and 1, so they want a tie breaker. They challenge “The Game” to a steel cage match at Extreme Rules, on May 19th, then walk off.
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Match #2: Single for the United States Championship – Kofi Kingston (Challenger) VS. Antonio Cesaro (Champion)
Kofi immediately rolls up Cesaro for a quick count try but to no avail. He counters a hip toss into a backslide for another two, however misses a splash in the corner, which allows Antonio to whip him and clothesline him. Cesaro throws him down with a gutwrench suplex, then clamps on a grounding rear chinlock.
Kofi ducks a clothesline and hits a chop then jumping forearm. He nails the boom drop legdrop and measures the U.S. Champ for the Trouble In Paradise Kick. Cesaro counters with an uppercut for two.
Commercials.
Back live, Cesaro is pushing against Kofi’s face with his boot in the corner. Antonio gently and mockingly kicks away at Kofi, and runs at him with an uppercut in the corner. Kofi reverses a move into the S.O.S. pin combo for two,, before Cesaro grabs the ropes for a break. Kingston manages to nail the Trouble In Paradise spin kick but Cesaro rolls out of the ring. Kofi puts him back in but only gets a two count because of the delay.
Kofi flies off the top rope with a crossbody, but Cesaro catches him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker! 1 – 2 – Kingston kicks out! Kofi sunset flips Cesaro for two, but eventually rolls Antonio into a standing position, then dropping him with the Trouble In Paradise spin kick again, this time for the hard-fought victory!
Winner via Pinfall and NEW United States Champion: Kofi Kingston
Post-match, Kofi says that he has brought the U.S. Title home!
Later tonight, Ryback will explain his actions from taking out WWE Champion John Cena last week
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Segment #3: Raw Recap
The entire magnificent match and moment of Dolph Ziggler winning the World Heavyweight Championship last week on Raw is replayed.
Up next, the NEW World Heavyweight Champion will be out with Big E. and A.J. to talk.
Commercials.
Segment #4: Arena Promo
World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler, Big E. Langston, and A.J. walk to the squared circle. The Champ has a new vest with the words “Show Stolen” on the back, then tells us that his World Title win is the single greatest moment of Monday Night Raw.
“And it was all because of me, because of me.” Dolph puts himself over as the most charismatic, athletic, and flamboyant champion ever. “I do it better than everybody else! I am just too good. Some of you may boo and that’s fine. I don’t care. Listen to me as loud as you possible can, I DON’T CARE!”
Ziggler informs us that “showing off” is what you do when you are better than everyone else. “And I back it up every single night!” He claims that no one will ever be as good as him or take the title, but the former champion may have something to say about that.
Alberto Del Rio, with Ricardo Rodriguez, limps out and meets the trio in the ring. He demands his rematch right now! Dolph tries to deny him, but gets interrupted by the Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero. She conquers, and declares this match official!
Match #4: Single for the World Heavyweight Championship – Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) (Challenger) VS. Dolph Ziggler (with Big E. Langston and A.J.) (Champion)
Prior to the bout, the “Real American” Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter interject, saying that neither deserve to be a champion or challenger, as Jack Swagger should be after taking out Del Rio last week. Alberto quickly attacks Swagger instead, but the “Real American” clutches on the “Patriot” Ankle Lock and demolishes Del Rio’s ankle. Ziggler just stands in the ring with Langston and A.J.
Winner: No Contest due to Interference
Up next, Tag-Team Champions “Team Hell No!”
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Match #5: Tag-Team – “The Primetime Players” (Darren Young and Titus O’Neil) VS. Tag-Team Champions “Team Hell No” (Kane and Daniel Bryan) (Non-Title)
Bryan and O’Neil start off, with Bryan kicking away at Titus. Young is quickly brought in and takes control with a clothesline for two. Daniel fights out of grounding rear chinlock and jumps for Kane’s hand to get the tag. He is all over Darren, flying off the top rope with a clothesline.
Kane chokeslams Young and Bryan follows it with a diving headbutt from the top to get the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winners via Pinfall: Tag-Team Champions “Team Hell No” (Kane and Daniel Bryan)
Next, Ryback will attempt to explain himself.
Commercials.
Segment #5: Video Promo
Ryback is breathing heavily, then talks about WrestleMania. He says that it was John Cena’s greatest night, beating The Rock and winning the WWE Championship. This is in contrast to Ryback, who had the worst night of his life when he lost to “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry.
Ryback said there were only two ways to go: him up and Cena down. He goes through how Cena built up Ryback, then left him to be attacked by “The Shield,” both in November 2012 and January of this year, respectively. Footage is also shown of Cena not saving the pin on Ryback at Elimination Chamber against the trio.
Ryback says that Cena was only focused on the “golden prize,” and tried to keep him in his shadow. However, Ryback has come out of the shadow now and become “the biggest threat to your WWE Title reign, ever. Ryback rules!”
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Match #6: Single – R-Truth VS. Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett (Non-Title)
They lock up and Wade punches and knees his way out to start. Truth hangs on to the ropes and ducks a clothesline, then hits a jumping calf kick. After some domination by Barrett, Truth counters a “Winds Of Change” slam into a crucifix pin for two! He fires up with clotheslines and a suplex flapjack faceplant. Barrett moves from a scissors kick but gets a surprise jumping flatliner for the quick W by Truth!
Winner via Pinfall: R-Truth
Segment #6: Office Promo
Managers Brad Maddox and Vickie Guerrero are discussing Alberto Del Rio’s serious injury, preventing him from challenging Ziggler for the World Title. Smackdown Assistant Teddy Long walks in and provides a replacement: Jack Swagger. The managers agree and Maddox goes to inform Booker T.
Later tonight, the sensational Fandango!
Commercials.
Match #7: Tag-Team – The Great Khali and Santino Marella (with Hornswaggle and Natalya) VS. “Team Rhodes Scholars” (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow)
In short, “Team Rhodes Scholars” take this bout with a roll up from Sandow. (Sorry, I really didn’t care about this match and “Rhodes Scholars” are way above these guys!)
Winners via Pinfall: “Team Rhodes Scholars” (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes)
Up next, Fandango!
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Segment #7: Arena Promo
Jerry “The King” Lawler introduces the newest dance craze, “Fandagoing!” He shows clips of fans and groups alike around the world performing the moves. He then brings out the man himself, and Fandango asks the crowd who wants to go “Fandangoing” with him.
He also inquires the fans to pronounce his name the right way. He leads the crowd in the proper pronunciation. He is not happy with the result though, and tells the fans they can go “Fandango” themselves.
Segment #8: Backstage Promo
Matt Striker interviews WWE Champion John Cena regarding Ryback’s comments. Cena challenges him to a face-to-face confrontation.
Commercials.
Match #8: Single – “The Real American” Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter) VS. World Heavyweight Champion “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler (with Big E. Langston and A.J.) (Non-Title)
Swagger and Colter made their entrance prior toe the commercials. Live, they measure each other out and as Ziggler grabs Jack’s ankle, he is shoved into the corner by Swagger. Dolph slaps Swagger and runs around the ring to gain an advantage by hammering away on him, but Swagger takes quick control.
He levels Dolph with a clothesline, but gets nailed with an elbow himself after whipping Ziggler into the corner. Dolph brings Jack down with a neckbreaker, but almost gets caught in the Ankle Lock. He jawbreaks Swagger on the ropes, but Jack returns the favour and places Dolph crotch-first on the top rope.
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Back live, Dolph moves out of the way from Swagger’s running shoulder-tackle into the ring post. Dolph small packages Swagger for two, then almost gets pinned himself following a belly-to-belly suplex! Swagger knees Dolph in the stomach, but gets met by two boots from Ziggler out of the corner splash.
Dolph fights back with a high dropkick and high jumping DDT. 1 – 2 – Swagger kicks out! He tries for a Fameasser but ends up getting flapjacked across the ropes and rolled up for the sudden 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: “The Real American” Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter)
Post-match, Alberto Del Rio returns and assaults Swagger on the stage. He kicks him off the ramp and locks in the Cross Armbreaker submission against the steel structure, until referees break them up. He and Ricardo also point at World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler, who is back up and standing with Big E. and A.J. in the ring.
Commercials.
Segment #9: Backstage Promo
Matt Striker attempts to interview Sheamus, but before he gets a sentence out, Mark Henry spears Sheamus through the interview set. Referees check on Sheamus and tell the “world’s Strongest Man” to back off.
Segment #10: Arena Promo
C.M. Punk and Paul Heyman walk to the squared circle amid chants of his name. Punk says that during his 434-day WWE Championship reign, “I couldn’t enjoy the ride because I was always looking around the corner at what was next. The WWE Championship meant the world to me, it everything I dedicated my life to attaining. But I wanted that next challenge.”
The “Straight-Edge Superstar” talks about wanting more, from battling “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment” The Rock. He then looked at “the one thing that could possibly be bigger than the championship” – the streak, beating The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Punk declares that he pushed The Undertaker to the limit, and pauses. The fans cheer “respect,” “Undertaker,” and “C.M. Punk.”
Punk hugs Heyman and walks off, looking unsure. He walks to the side of the Raw set instead of through the main entrance on the stage.
Ads.
Segment #11: Backstage Promo
Smackdown General Manager Booker T. is reprimanding Teddy Long for his earlier decisions. Booker then books (no pun intended) a World Heavyweight Championship Triple-Threat match, with Dolph Ziggler defending against Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger.
Match #9: Single – Nikki Bella (with Brie Bella) VS. Divas Champion Kaitlyn (Non-Title)
Kaitlyn shoves Nikki down to the mat and then out of the ring. The Twins chat up, as Kaitlyn delivers a double-baseball slide to both. Back in the ring, Nikki uses the ropes to lock on a Camel Clutch. Nikki then stands on Kaitlyn’ hair and pulls her arms up and pulls back on her chin.
Kaitlyn battles back and drops Nikki with the fireman’s carry knee-to-the-gut. Before she can cover, the Twins pull of a little “magic” and switch around. Nikki/Brie yanks Kaitlyn onto the middle rope and covers her for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Nikki/Brie Bella
Up next, Ryback!
Commercials.
Segment #12: Arena Promo
WWE Champion John Cena arrives to the ring and holds out the microphone to enlist the cheers and boos. He wastes no more time in calling out Ryback. The man walks out (to absolutely no reaction, meaning they fed in silent noise for TV!) Now the fans are chanting “feed me more.”
Cena says that Ryback is 290 pounds that has hurt everything in his sight and he should be shaking in his “khakis.” (Note: a shot backstage of Seth Rollins bending over quickly came up, which was obviously a huge mistake!)
Cena reminds Ryback that he had the chance to face him up front last week, when John called anyone out to challenge him for the WWE Title. Cena puts himself over as someone not to be messed with, and that he doesn’t like the way Ryback did it last week. Cena says that Ryback lacks the two things to be champion: “a space between your ears and a piece between your legs!”
He then orders Ryback to make a move and earn a championship. The two stare intensely, then Ryback walks off. Before he gets to the ramp, “The Shield” appears in the aisle way and make their way down. The trio slowly surround the ring, looking at both Ryback and Cena. John instigates the brawl and is taken apart three to one. Ryback just stands in the aisle and glares. He then walks off to the top of the stage.
Ambrose, Reigns, and Rollins give the WWE Champion the triple-powerbomb and stand in the ring over a downed Cena to close the show.
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp
This was a great show to follow up to an amazing last week (one which will not be topped for a long time!) There was some continuity in storylines and a couple good matches too! Onto the analysis:
Excellence: The clean win for Randy Orton and Sheamus. I hope this is now the end of that storyline with The Big Show and all three can move on in their separate ways. Lesnar dismantling “3.M.B.” With them getting decimated two shows in a row, hopefully they will break up too. They are an epic fail for their angle. Also, of course, the promo by Heyman to challenge HHH to a third match. Was well done, as he put over both Lesnar and Triple H to build them more for the Steel Cage match.
The U.S. Championship bout flowed nicely and, as soon as they showed the clip of Kofi beating Cesaro in a non-title match, I knew that he was going to win the championship tonight. We shall see where is reign goes – hopefully stronger than Antonio’s. (good length, but no meaning behind it.) World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler’s promo – awesome! Enough said. Same for Ryback’s promo – well-told and actually made sense as to why he’d be ticked off at Cena! Fandango – really won over everyone last week, but is great at playing the arrogance role too. I liked C.M. Punk’s promo and it really leaves me wondering (for at least a week) what is happening with him, and will he return as a face or heel? What challenge is now big enough for Punk to accomplish?
Bogus: While a great match with World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger, do not like the fact that Ziggler lost in his second match as champion. I would’ve liked Alberto to cost Jack that bout, instead of a decisive win. I thought that the loss hurt Dolph a bit, especially since it ended up being a triple threat for down the road anyway. This was definitely senseless. Do not care/one-off file – “Primetime Players”/”Team Hell No” match, “Team Rhodes Scholars” VS. Great Khali and Santino Marella, and the Divas match. Again, Wade Barrett wins back the I.C. Title but loses a non-title bout to R-Truth. Unless this leads to a feud, I saw it as pointless and hurting Barrett/the Intercontinental Championship.
On the most serious side, again due to the tragedy in Boston yesterday (it is Tuesday when I completed this report), I did not give a preview or title for Raw out of respect. I felt ok reviewing the show, because there was nothing that was “crossing the line” this week and it was pretty average/safe.
However, as mentioned earlier, I am definitely surprised that WWE did not pay respects with a moment of silents or bell salute, like they usually do in circumstances like these. In all honestly, while I am disappointed they didn’t, they have their reasons and I will leave it at that.
To conclude, I reiterate my thoughts, condolences, and prayers to all affected by the incident yesterday and may God take care of them all.
