Something else that WWE fans noticed at the Greatest Royal Rumble yesterday was that Finn Balor did not have his rainbow gear with him.
Finn Balor used Twitter to explain the reasoning behind this and said that his rainbow gear was a statement at WrestleMania weekend. “Although the gear has not been worn since in 6 appearances, my support continues despite any color choice, change or laundry schedule,” Balor added, noting that he did not wear the rainbow gear in Hartford, the South Africa tour, or St. Louis.
Being gay, lesbian, bi, or trans in Saudi Arabia is not permitted and the country has one of the worst LGBT rights records in the world. If you are caught engaging in such acts, punishment can be from a fine, to flogging, life in prison, torture, and even death.
It’s not only Daniel Bryan who broke a Royal Rumble record in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but the winner also is going in the history books. Braun Strowman eliminated a total of 13 WWE Superstars, one more than the record which was held by Roman Reigns in 2014.
The individuals who “got those hands” were Big E, Heath Slater, Babatunde, Titus O’Neil, Dan Matha, Tye Dillinger, Curt Hawkins, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, Shane McMahon, Big Cass, Chris Jericho, and Shelton Benjamin. Perhaps it was Shane McMahon’s elimination which was the most impressive as he was about to go “coast to coast,” Braun grabbed him by the neck and threw him from the top rope crashing into the broadcast table.
Strowman entered the competition at #41 and eliminated Big Cass to win the Greatest Royal Rumble. After the match was over, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon along with Turki al Sheikh, the head of the Saudi General Sports Authority, presented Strowman with the Greatest Royal Rumble trophy and a custom-made title. Turki al Sheikh joked that he was going to keep the title for himself but eventually handed it over to Strowman who posed in the ring as tons of fireworks lit up the dark Jeddah skies.
After three years away from the ring, Daniel Bryan pulled a superstar performance at the Greatest Royal Rumble, lasting a total of 1:16:05 in the ring, smashing the previous record held for the longest run in a Rumble match.
Bryan entered #1 and eliminated three people – Mark Henry (with Dolph Ziggler), Viktor, and Dash Wilder (with Hornswoggle) – before being eliminated by his Backlash opponent Big Cass. Bryan found himself in the ring with Big Cass, Kevin Owens, and eventual winner Braun Strowman in the final four.
The previous record was held by Rey Mysterio at the 2006 Royal Rumble where he went on for 1:02:12. Currently in #3 is Chris Benoit with a total of 1:01:31 at the 2004 Rumble.
Titus O’Neil will forever be remembered having the most impressive entrance at a wrestling event. Yes, he even beats the Shockmaster’s WCW debut!
During the Greatest Royal Rumble, O’Neil entered in the 39th place but as he was running down to the ring, his right leg got caught between where the entrance ramp finished and the floor mat started, sending him sliding face-first all the way through the apron and under the ring!
The commentary team of Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, and Corey Graves absolutely lost it, laughing so hard that they were unable to call the action in the ring.
“Let’s just move on and forget about this,” Graves said. But as soon as he finished the sentence, the first of five – yes, five – replays of O’Neil crashing down was shown on the screen. “That is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen,” Graves added, as Cole and Saxton could not contain their laughter.
Forget about all your top wrestling moments, this must be the greatest thing ever in the history of professional wrestling!
Here are the results from the Greatest Royal Rumble WWE Network event which took place from the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
John Cena defeated Triple H; Cedric Alexander defeated Kalisto to retain the Cruiserweight title; Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt defeated Sheamus and Cesaro to become the new Raw Tag Team champions; Jeff Hardy defeated Jinder Mahal to retain the United States title; The Bludgeon Brothers defeated The Usos to retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles; Seth Rollins defeated Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and The Miz in a ladder match to retain the Intercontinental title; AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE title ended in a double count-out with AJ Styles retaining the title; The Undertaker defeated Rusev in a casket match; Brock Lesnar defeated Roman Reigns in a cage match to retain the WWE title; Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble elimination match.
Order of entry in the Royal Rumble was: 1. Daniel Bryan; 2. Dolph Ziggler; 3. Sin Cara; 4. Curtis Axel; 5. Mark Henry; 6. Mike Kanellis; 7. Hiroki Sumi; 8. Viktor; 9. Kofi Kingston; 10. Tony Nese; 11. Dash Wilder; 12. Hornswoggle; 13. Primo; 14. Xavier Woods; 15. Bo Dallas; 16. Kurt Angle; 17. Scott Dawson; 18. Goldust; 19. Konnor ; 20. Elias; 21. Luke Gallows; 22. Rhyno; 23. Drew Gulak; 24. Tucker Knight; 25. Bobby Roode; 26. Fandango; 27. Chad Gable; 28. Rey Mysterio; 29. Mojo Rawley; 30. Tyler Breeze; 31. Big E; 32. Karl Anderson; 33. Apollo Crews; 34. Roderick Strong; 35. Randy Orton; 36. Heath Slater; 37. Babatunde; 38. Baron Corbin; 39. Titus O’Neil; 40. Dan Matha; 41. Braun Strowman; 42. Tye Dillinger; 43. Curt Hawkins; 44. Bobby Lashley; 45. The Great Khali; 46. Kevin Owens; 47. Shane McMahon; 48. Shelton Benjamin; 49. Big Cass; 50. Chris Jericho.
The WWE women will not be part of the Greatest Royal Rumble today but that does not mean that they’re not getting their share of the money.
During the latest episode of Dinner With The King podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler said that the women are being compensated handsomely even though they are not allowed to perform on this show. Strict laws in the country does not allow women to do most things although WWE hopes to change that idea down the road for their future shows in Saudi Arabia.
At this point it’s not known how much the Kingdom paid WWE to perform at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium although rumors are that the sum is in the high eight-figures. WWE signed a 10-year deal with Saudi Arabia and will be hosting more shows there in the years to come.
WWE has been harshly criticized for doing the show considering the many issues with human rights in the country but Triple H has defended the move saying this is just the first step towards change in Saudi Arabia.
Impact Wrestling star Braxton Sutter announced on his Twitter that he has now departed the company.
“My time at @IMPACTWRESTLING is up and I would to extend a HUGE thank you to them. They gave me my first official contract/job as a wrestler at 35yrs old and hired my wife at the same time. I’ll never forget that. It was a great chapter in my life, now onto the next one,” he wrote on Twitter.
The 37-year-old appeared on TNA television for the first time in 2015 during a One Night Only pay-per-view under the Pepper Parks name. It was only in June of 2016 that he signed a deal and used the name Braxton Sutter. Perhaps his most famous angle in Impact Wrestling was the wedding episode with Laurel Van Ness, Maria Kanellis, and Mike Bennett where he ended up dumping Van Ness and going back to Allie. Allie, real name Laura Dennis, is his real-life wife and still works for Impact Wrestling.
Hey fans! It’s @TheMagnumDA with another installment of the PPV Pick’em report. This time, we’re going to make our picks for the GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE, which will take place in just a few hours LIVE on the WWE Network from Saudi Arabia. The stadium and the set look absolutely incredible. I can’t wait for this show.
I’ll be honest: Our WrestleMania picks were pretty disastrous. Then again, I think a lot of people incorrectly predicted how things were going to go. Still, it was a great time and it was a pleasure to make new friends from multiple continents. Cheers to new friends Mike and Joe from North England, and to White Sox Jim from Australia! Thanks for the drinks, and thanks for partying with us! You guys rule.
Wait a minute! How could this be?! I’ve been told that Tricky Don and Heel Turn Tom are going to consolidate their picks, just as they did with the Royal Rumble! Nefarious!
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Kalisto
Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: We feel like this will be a wild night of matches. This will be fun and high-flying. Many titles will change tonight, but Cedric Alexander will win and defend successfully.
Magnum: What a fantastic opponent for Cedric. Kalisto is the man. I had the pleasure of meeting him in New Orleans during WrestleMania Axxess. He’s a really good dude with a big heart. Unfortunately, this won’t be his night. Cedric retains.
Colin: Having just won the title at WrestleMania…and after a tournament, I don’t see this title changing hands so quickly. Cedric for the win.
John Cena vs. Triple H
Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: No story lines? No problem. Two of the best workers who could have been used just in the Rumble. Cena must pose and sell shirts. Cena wins in a mat classic.
Magnum: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but my heart goes out to John Cena. He’s gotta be going through a tough time right now. I hope he’s able to focus on the match, because he’s going in there with a killer. I’m pulling for Big Match John…he needs this one. Give me John Cena to win.
Colin: I kinda wish that Cena would go on a long losing streak and then it’s built for his 17th title win. But probably it won’t happen (the losing streak that is). Cena just jobbed at WrestleMania, and Cena is the bigger star here, and I don’t think Triple H will have a problem doing the job at this stage of his career.
Casket Match: The Undertaker vs. Rusev
Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: It may be “Rusev Day”, but this will be a quick match and Undertaker will bury Rusev.
Magnum: The controversy behind this match was so silly. That said, Rusev’s tweet was pretty hilarious. I don’t believe Vince found it too funny, though. Undertaker is coming to lay down a path of destruction. My question is…whoever loses this match, how are they going to come back for the Rumble?
What would be amazing…is if Rusev upsets The Undertaker, and then during the Rumble…the casket is brought out to the stage and a lightning bolt hits it, causing the door to fly open and The Undertaker to make his entrance into the Royal Rumble. But yeah, that won’t happen. Undertaker wins.
Colin: He will bury him softly, brother. I’ll be surprised if this goes longer than 5 minutes. Taker wins, no questions asked.
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship:
Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy vs. The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus)
Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: This is a no-brainer. With The Bar going to Smackdown Live, the shake-up took away any doubt. Wyatt and Hardy will procure gold and become the new Raw Tag Team Champions.
Magnum: This is the first of three title matches with unique implications. The Bar said on Smackdown Live that if they won the titles back, they’d return to Raw. Does the same hold true for Jinder Mahal and the US Title? What about The Miz or Samoa Joe with the IC Title? The very thought makes my brain hurt…which is exactly how I feel after watching Matt Hardy’s promos. I’ll give the duke to Wyatt & Hardy.
Colin: With Sheamus and Cesaro off to Smackdown, it would be kinda stupid to have them win the Raw Tag Team titles, no? Or so logic would dictate, at least. Hardy and Wyatt are my pick to win the belts of gold. Or whatever that title is made of.
WWE Smackdown Live Tag Team Championship:
Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The Usos
Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: This will be another Bludgeon Brothers beat-down. There will be no Naomi for the save in Jeddah. The Bludgeon Brothers will also be one of the few champions to win and defend their titles.
Magnum: As I said on my Smackdown Live TV report, I thought that Harper and Rowan looked like total geeks this week. I hope they are given a strong, definitive win without any distractions or run-ins. They need it to solidify themselves as champions. Give me the Bludgeon Brothers to retain, BROTHER. 😀
Colin: Cute trick on Smackdown this week with Naomi. I guess they did it now because they can’t do it Friday, right? LOL! Bludgeon Brothers retain.
WWE United States Championship: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Jinder Mahal
Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: We think 50/50 booking will happen, meaning this will be a short title run for Hardy. Jinder Mahal will get the pinfall and take the US Title back to Raw.
Magnum: Again, the title/show situation is so confusing to me that I can’t pick against the champion here. Jeff Hardy has something going on with Randy Orton and Shelton Benjamin, and I’m not sure how that continues without the championship in the picture…and since I think the IC title will stay on Raw, I think the US title will stay on Smackdown Live. Hardy wins.
Colin: The same thinking of the Raw Tag Team titles match applies for this one too. Jeff moving to Smackdown will help the brand and giving him the title was smart. No way Jinder will win. Right? …..Right?
WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match:
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor vs. Samoa Joe vs. The Miz
Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: The shake-up of titles will continue in this match. It will be hard to top the Triple Threat IC Title match at WrestleMania. Seth and Finn will have the most impressive ladder moves, but the match will end with The Miz climbing the ladder and bringing the IC title back to Smackdown, where he will feud with Daniel Bryan.
Magnum: Joe’s got Reigns on his radar. Miz has Bryan on his radar. Rollins and Balor are about to be on each other’s radar. I think that Rollins will retain, and move onto a one-on-one feud with Finn later this Spring.
Colin: This will be interesting. Miz reclaiming the title and going to Smackdown sounds interesting. For this to happen, Hardy has to lose the US Title to Mahal though. I’m thinking Rollins will retain in this one and then get into a decent program against Balor.
WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: I am seeing a lot of 50/50 booking on this PPV. Heel Nakamura will be more aggressive. I am curious what AJ will do to counter all the nut-shots. After the match of the night, Shinsuke will be the new WWE Champion.
Magnum: “KICK HIS DAMN HEAD IN!” was my battle cry to Shinsuke at WrestleMania (at which point, Heel Turn Tom turned babyface and had to restrain me). I was crestfallen when *both* Asuka and Nakamura lost their title matches. My feelings are…since both of them couldn’t win the big one, they probably won’t win the next one. AJ Styles to retain. Don’t be surprised if Styles wins by DQ after a ballshot…but also, don’t be surprised if he’s *prepared* for it this time around.
Colin: I’m actually liking heel Nakamura. He’s being such a dick! I hope their match is better than the one at Mania. I’m undecided on this one, as it can go either way. I don’t know if Nakamura will lose clean twice in a row. That sorta kills the feud, no? And then what happens at Backlash? Nakamura/AJ III in a span of a month? And AJ is the face here so he won’t lose via DQ. Aargh. Somehow, someway, AJ retains.
WWE Universal Championship Steel Cage Match:
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns
Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: This time, it’s in a steel cage. The title change that should have happened in New Orleans *will* happen tonight. Roman walks out as WWE Universal Champion, but still to a chorus of boo’s.
Magnum: Yeah, I am quite sure that this could be it for Brock Lesnar. I think Vince wanted to swerve the fans at WrestleMania, knowing that he could get his big title switch on this show. It’s going to be interesting if Reigns defends the Universal Championship against a Smackdown Live guy at the first co-branded PPV Backlash. I think that Roman’s time has finally come. He CAN’T lose another big match, can he? He’d be sunk, otherwise.
Colin: This is a tough one. Brock wants UFC fights…which are in a cage…but book him to lose in a WWE cage match against Reigns? I don’t know. Yeah, it’s different, but you get my point. On the other hand, if Reigns loses again, then he will come out looking weaker than ever. He got beat up for 3 straight weeks (or was that 4?) leading up to Mania…AND at Mania. Now he loses in a rematch he wasn’t entitled to in the first place? Very difficult to predict. What is interesting is that WWE never said how long Lesnar signed for as in previous years. It could be just a trick and maybe he signed for one deal only which in this case he would lose the title. If Roman wins, then he faces a Smackdown Superstar at Backlash for the Universal title. I know, I’m overthinking this. If Brock is leaving, there’s nothing better for WWE to make him job in a cage of all places. And I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the whole thinking behind this. Screw it, THE BIG DOG wins. Roman Reigns becomes the new Universal Champion.
The Greatest Royal Rumble Match THIS PICK IS WORTH 3 POINTS (!!!)
Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: I’m going to be curious who will be surprise entrances. If this match had any title shot at the end, my pick may be different. The final four will be Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Big Cass. Corbin and Big Cass will take out Lashley, and then they will GET THESE HANDS as Strowman eliminates Cass and then Corbin to win it all. Rawr!
Magnum: I keep thinking back to previous Royal Rumble events, and how fans were clamoring for Daniel Bryan to come in and kick some ass. They were let down in 2014, 2015, and 2016. I think that if Bryan’s going to be in this match, he’s going to be the man. Looking ahead, Bryan needs to find a way to put himself in the title picture. What better way to do this than to win the Rumble. Similar to past years, if he’s eliminated early…it’s going to take the wind out of everyone’s sails. Strowman’s going to break the all-time record for eliminations, but Bryan will be the last man standing. YES!
Colin: I think the obvious winners here for me would be either Daniel Bryan or Braun Strowman. Maybe too quick for Daniel Bryan….and Strowman has good momentum. So I’m picking Braun to send everybody home happy.
All right guys, that’s going to do it for tonight’s GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE Pick’em! Enjoy the show, and feel free to live tweet with me (@TheMagnumDA) during today’s broadcast! MagnumDA, signing off.
Live from the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, WWE presents the Greatest Royal Rumble on the WWE Network. The show starts at Noon EST with the Kickoff show starting at 11AM EST. The full card is as follows:
Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal title in a steel cage match; AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE title; Seth Rollins vs The Miz vs Samoa Joe vs Finn Balor in a ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental title; Jeff Hardy vs Jinder Mahal for the WWE United States title; Cedric Alexander vs Kalisto for the WWE Cruiserweight title; Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy vs Sheamus and Cesaro for the WWE Raw Tag Team titles; The Bludgeon Brothers vs The Usos for the WWE Smackdown Tag Team titles; John Cena vs Triple H; The Undertaker vs Rusev in a casket match; and a 50-man over-the-top Royal Rumble match.
The Greatest Royal Rumble is free for first-time subscribers to the WWE Network. To start your free 30-day trial go to http://w-o.it/wwentwrk.
You know a WWE event is important when bookmakers open the show up for online betting and the Greatest Royal Rumble in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is the first non pay-per-view event to be given the betting treatment.
With 10 matches on the card there are a lot of ways and combinations you can use to win but if you’re not a betting type of guy and you prefer casino games, maybe you can take a look at the offers at Virgin casino.
The main event will be the 50-man Rumble match and there is quite an interesting mix of potential winners for bookmakers. Landing in #1 and the favorite to take it all is Braun Strowman, with odds of 5/4. Strowman has been on some good momentum for a few months and winning the biggest Rumble ever would give him an extra push. Coming in second is Daniel Bryan, whose odds are at 13/8. Baron Corbin is surprisingly third at 11/2, the recently-returned Lashley is in fourth with odds of 9/1 and then Chris Jericho with 11/1 odds.
Just like at WrestleMania, Roman Reigns is the favorite to win the Universal title inside the steel cage at the Greatest Royal Rumble. His odds are 4/7 while a Lesnar surprise is set at 5/4.
The same odds are being presented for the WWE title match although AJ Styles is now the favorite to retain the title with 4/7 odds and Nakamura at 5/4.
The four-way Intercontinental title ladder match has Seth Rollins the favorite to keep the title with odds at 4/6. The Miz is second with 2/1, Finn Balor next with 6/1, and Samoa Joe is far away with 16/1 odds.
The United States title also looks in favor of staying with Jeff Hardy and the Smackdown brand with Hardy having 4/9 odds while his challenger Jinder Mahal is at 13/8.
Cedric Alexander is at 1/5 odds to retain the Cruiserweight title while Kalisto is a big outsider with 10/3 odds.
Things will get “woken” when Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt battle Sheamus and Cesaro for the Raw Tag Team titles. Hardy and Wyatt are overwhelming favorites at 1/10 to win the titles while the former Raw Tag Team champions are at 11/2 for the upset.
The Bludgeon Brothers are at 2/7 to retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles against The Usos who are at 5/2 to regain the straps.
In the other two non-title matches of the card, John Cena is at 2/5 to defeat Triple H who is at 7/4 while to no surprise to anyone, The Undertaker is the overwhelming favorite to win the casket match against Rusev with odds of 1/10 versus 11/2.
Several WWE Superstars attended a lavish dinner hosted by Turki Alsheikh, the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Sports Authority on the eve of the Greatest Royal Rumble.
Those in attendance were Rusev, Randy Orton, Mark Henry, The Great Khali, Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Triple H were also in attendance.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia went all out in accommodating the WWE Superstars and crew and splashed millions and millions of dollars for WWE to come to town. Everyone who is participating in the show will depart Saudi Arabia immediately following the end of the Greatest Royal Rumble.
The Twitter account of the Riyadh Report posted two videos from the dinner which shows everyone sitting down interacting with each other in front of an unlimited amount of food being presented to them. You can see the two videos below.
The breakup of John Cena and Nikki Bella was filmed for an upcoming episode of Total Bellas.
Nikki, John, Brie and Bryan are constantly followed by cameras for both Total Divas and Total Bellas, but this particular chapter will be part of the Total Bellas series. The duo broke up just weeks before their planned May 5 wedding in Mexico and it was Nikki who called it off after Cena got “cold feet” about having children despite having changed his mind on the subject last year.
“You’ll see a lot of very intimate conversations and a lot of where my sister is at today and the decision she made. I just applaud John and Nicole for that because it takes a lot of courage,” Brie Bella said in comments that aired on E!
Brie added that despite their breakup, she wants to be there for Cena as much as she’s there for her sister because it was like losing a family member. “It’s really hard. John has been part of our lives for six years,” she said.
The stage for the Greatest Royal Rumble event is pretty much complete and you can say that it resembles another WrestleMania production.
The four large video screens are now in place at the top of the canopy which will give fans sitting anywhere in the stadium a good look at the action beneath them. All four steel pillars that support the canopy have video screens installed as well. The stage has several large LED screens which will make a nice visual for entrances. The steel structures that support the partial roof of the stadium have been wired for lights that will look pretty impressive considering their shape.
One thing is for sure…WWE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia spared no expenses when it comes to construction of this stage! Construction workers began assembling the stage last week starting with the massive arches that are so big they go over the second tier seating of the stadium.
A video on Snapchat was posted showing the final look at the stadium which you can see below.
Zack Ryder got some much-needed good news this week as his knee injury will not require any surgery.
“MCL/ACL/Calf muscle strains…nothing completely torn…no surgery will be needed. Thanks to everyone who reached out,” Ryder wrote on Twitter.
The former IC champion got injured during the Main Event tapings on Monday in a match against Mike Kanellis. Ryder spent half of 2017 out with a knee injury which required surgery.
Hello everybody! It’s @TheMagnumDA with another edition of the Smackdown Live! TV report for April, 24th, 2018. It’s going to be very interesting to watch this program, now that the roster has shaken out. There’s still a few days left before the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, but let’s not waste another second. On with the report!
The Results:
MizTV w/Daniel Bryan: Miz announced Bryan’s introduction, but Bryan never showed up. Instead, Big Cass interrupts the proceedings to challenge Daniel Bryan at Backlash. Cass wore a suit with a sport jacket. The jacket looked about four sizes too small in the arms. After commercial, we learn that Daniel Bryan was attacked backstage, presumably by Cass.
The IIconics defeated Asuka & Becky Lynch (**1/2)
Jimmy Uso (w/Jey Uso) defeated Rowan (w/Harper) (*)
Contract Signing for Carmella vs. Charlotte: Carmella was introduced first. She threw shade at Renee, and then asked her why she was being introduced first when she’s the champion. From there, Carmella played THREE (!!!) repeat viewings of her “ascent to the top” video from last week. Each time, she asked the crowd to stand up and cheer for her. Instead, their boo’s got louder. Finally, Charlotte came to the ring. After some trash talk from Carmella, Charlotte quickly dumped Carmella head-first into the table, and then proceeded to dump the entire table onto her. This got a massively positive reaction from the crowd.
Shelton Benjamin defeated Randy Orton (**)
Shinsuke Nakamura, Rusev & Aiden English defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (***1/4)
The Good:
Continuity for Cass is King: Last Spring, a very slow heel turn developed for Big Cass. It started with the destruction of his old tag team partner, Enzo Amore. Enzo would be found backstage, lifeless. Subsequently, Cass found himself on the end of a backstage beat-down. Questions were raised about *who* was doing this, and why? While The Big Show was originally accused by Cass, we later found that Cass was faking his own beat-down on film, while continually attacking guys from behind elsewhere. This trend continued on Smackdown Live, and it won me over. That’s right, I’m doing a 180 from last week!
To set this up: When Miz announced Bryan’s name to come join him on MizTV, there was no response. The crowd grew restless, but eventually Big Cass showed up. After MizTV, we see the carnage Cass has already laid down. Bryan is beaten and helpless, as trainers and agents are tending to him. Just as he did on Raw, he continues to wreak havoc backstage on Smackdown Live. Plus, it shows Cass to be an insecure coward who isn’t sure if he could beat Bryan at 100%. They’re doing a very good job sowing the seeds for this match; I’m looking forward to it.
The Char-Mella Contract Signing: Charlotte and Carmella signed a contract for their title match at Backlash, and I thought this promo was great. Carmella wouldn’t stop talking, and then Charlotte shut her up in one fell swoop. The crowd loved it, and I dug it too. Reminded me of that scene in Indiana Jones! 😀
The Bad:
Asuka loses Match #1 on Smackdown: So much for mystique. In one match, Asuka is already 0-1 on Smackdown. I know that she didn’t take the fall in the loss to the IIconics, but I still fear that she’s going to become another run-of-the-mill lady wrestler. She’s far more special than that, but her talents aren’t being harnessed in the right way like they were in NXT. It’s a real shame, because I think she should still be the undefeated champion of Smackdown Live.
Bludgeon Brothers, Pigeon Brains: There’s something startling about the way Rowan lost on Smackdown Live. You’re trying to tell me that this guy was so captivated by Naomi that he lost focus of the match? These guys have been booked as focused, ruthless killers for months…and suddenly they’re in a trance over this girl’s entrance? I didn’t buy it. It just felt like they were the same clueless geeks that used to follow Bray Wyatt around.
The Ugly:
Nothing too ugly! Entertaining show.
All right! That about does it for this week’s Smackdown Live! TV report. See you this Friday for the Greatest Royal Rumble Pick’em!!! @TheMagnumDA, signing off.
Smackdown drew a total of 2,549,000 viewers, down 247,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. Just like yesterday, the NBA Playoffs on TNT took the night in the ratings battle. Smackdown was #3 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #6 in overall viewership. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
WWE won a couple of awards during the 22nd annual Webby Awards although their tally was less than what they usually got in previous years.
The Webby Award and People’s Voice Webby Award in the Events category were awarded to WWE for its comprehensive WrestleMania 33 coverage. The People’s Voice Award is chosen by the voting public in each Webby Awards category. In the Social Events category, WrestleMania beat out MTV’s 2017 EMA coverage, the World Series, the iHeartRadio Music Awards and Pokémon GO Travel’s Global Catch Challenge.
WWE was also an Honoree in three other categories: WrestleMania 33 Kickoff in Film & Video: Events and Live streams; WWE Now in Film & Video: Sports; and WWE Social Media in Social: Entertainment.
When Shinsuke Nakamura turned heel it presented a tiny problem in terms of music as his theme song was wildly popular with the fans for the sing-along.
But the Royal Rumble winner has got himself a new song, performed by Shadows of The Sun, which incorporates some attributes from his original CFO$ theme song as well as new Japanese lyrics. The violin is still a big part of the song but it makes it more difficult for everyone to sing along with the theme now especially the rap in Japanese!
The original Nakamura song titled The Rising Sun shot up to the #1 spot on iTunes in the United States after it was released for purchase. It’s the only one of two WWE theme songs that has reached that spot, with the other being Glorious Domination of Bobby Roode. Both themes were produced and performed by CFO$.
Two new Smackdown matches have been added to the Backlash 2018 pay-per-view which now has a total of five matches on the card so far.
On Smackdown last night, Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass and Carmella vs Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown Women’s title were announced for the first post-WrestleMania pay-per-vew. These two matches join Seth Rollins vs The Miz for the Intercontinental title, Roman Reigns vs Samoa Joe, and Nia Jax vs Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s title.
While the Rollins/Miz and Reigns/Joe matches feature individuals from opposing brands, this is a one-time and will not be the norm going forward. These matches were set-up before the Superstar Shake-Up episodes aired which saw The Miz and Samoa Joe moving to Smackdown.
WWE has decided to stop doing split-brand pay-per-views and will now present only one pay-per-view per month featuring the Superstars from both brands.
