Former Impact champion EC3 returned to NXT television during last night’s episode which was taped a few weeks ago. His return was held off until his Feast or Fired episode on Impact Wrestling aired on television, which eventually did last week.
EC3 walked out to the ring after William Regal announced that a new title will be introduced at NXT Takeover: New Orleans – the North American title.
The former champion thought that it was nice for William Regal to give him a big contract, new theme, and all that but didn’t think that he’d go out of the way to give him a new title belt as well. Regal was not impressed with EC3’s arrogance and then informed him he won’t be getting the title because he would have to earn it.
Regal then made a six-man ladder match for the show to determine the inaugural champion with EC3, Ricochet, Killian Dain, Velveteen Dream, Lars Sullivan, and Adam Cole.
You can see EC3’s return and North American title announcement below.
As expected, NXT Takeover: New Orleans will feature an “unsanctioned” match between former tag team partners Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano.
There is a stipulation though, that if Gargano wins his match, he will return to NXT while if Ciampa wins, Gargano is gone from NXT for good.
The popular tag team broke up at NXT Takeover: Chicago after they failed to win the NXT Tag Team titles and Ciampa turned on Johnny Wrestling. Unfortunately Ciampa was injured and was out for almost a year but the feud between the two resumed at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia in January when Ciampa returned and attacked Gargano with a crutch after the match was over.
Gargano eventually lost a title vs career match against Andrade “Cien” Almas on NXT TV last month which also involved a run-in from Ciampa.
WWE Intercontinental champion The Miz and his wife Maryse welcomed their first baby on March 27, a daughter named Monroe Sky.
The baby girl arrived early as the original due date was just a day or two before WrestleMania. The Miz had said that he wouldn’t be missing his daughter’s birth and was ready to fly out immediately from wherever he was.
“Of course our little girl arrived early. Welcome to the world Monroe Sky Mizanin 3/27/18 11:40pm,” the new parents tweeted, along with a cute picture of baby Monroe holding her mother’s finger while The Miz held Maryse’s hand.
Smackdown last night with the fallout from last week’s return of Daniel Bryan fell to 2,576,000 viewers, down 312,000 viewers. This was the least-watched Smackdown in around six weeks. Smackdown was #1 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #4 in overall viewership. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
After Smackdown/205 Live went off the air last night, a six-man tag team match between AJ Styles and The Usos versus Baron Corbin, Rusev, and Aiden English took place.
However it’s not the match that got a pop from the crowd, but rather the unusual sight of a WWE referee superkicking a WWE Superstar! Towards the end of the match, referee Danilo Anfibio took off his shirt after an altercation with English. Styles took possession of the shirt and stayed on the apron as Anfibio and The Usos lined up in front of their opponents.
And then…boom! Triple superkick in sync as the referee decked Rusev. One of The Usos went for the pin, and so did the referee as AJ Styles hit the three count. Rusev, who was getting pinned by the ref, kicked out at two! The ring announcer then declared the winners as AJ Styles, The Usos, and “the referee!”
Stephanie McMahon has been pretty much part of every WrestleMania since her on-screen debut but believe it not, she has never wrestled in a match on the biggest wrestling show of the year.
That is going to change this year as she teams up with her husband Triple H to take on Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey, and McMahon is feeling the pressure.
“It’s quite a tall order but I’m very excited, I can’t wait,” McMahon told UK’s Sky Sports. “I am training harder than I have ever trained in my life and dieting harder than I have in my entire life.
Considering that the 41-year-old has to juggle her WWE corporate job, being a mom of three, and train for this match, McMahon said that she certainly has the work cut out for her.
“But, as McMahon, I do love a big challenge. It’s a privilege to be in that ring at WrestleMania and I just hope I can do my part,” Stephanie added.
And as for Ronda Rousey, the WWE Chief Brand Officer hailed her as one of the world’s greatest athletes, calling her “one of a kind.” McMahon said she can’t wait to see what the addition of the former UFC Bantamweight champion brings to continue to elevate the WWE women’s division.
Shortly after Daniel Bryan challenged Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to a match at WrestleMania, Sami Zayn accepted in a message on Twitter.
“Daniel Bryan wants payback?? WE GLADLY ACCEPT. He just made the biggest mistake of his life,” Zayn tweeted. “If he thought what we did to him last week was bad, just wait & see what we will do to him after publicly firing us. #Wrestlemania will be the worst night of Shane & Daniel’s lives.”
Owens has not yet written anything about the match on his social media accounts.
Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair – temporarily replaced by Becky Lynch yesterday – advanced to the finals of the Mixed Match Challenge after defeating second chance vote winners Finn Balor and Sasha Banks in the second semi final match of the tournament.
Next week after Smackdown Live, Roode and Flair will be taking on the Intercontinental champion The Miz and Asuka in the finals. The Robe Warriors are playing for the Girl Up charity while Miz and Asuka will fight for the Rescue Dogs Rock charity, and the winning team will be giving their respective charity a $100,000 donation.
Flair is expected to be cleared in time for the final match on Tuesday and will be okay for her WrestleMania match against Asuka.
The Smackdown Tag Team titles will be on the line at WrestleMania after the match was made official on Smackdown Live.
The titles will be up for grabs in a triple threat match between the champions The Usos, The New Day, and The Bludgeon Brothers, making it the 13th match on the card.
With the addition of this match, all the WWE titles will be on the line on the show and apart from the two battle royals, there’s only one non-title match on the show, which is the mixed tag team match between Angle and Rousey vs Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
The Usos have not been part of the WrestleMania 34 main card ever since they made their debut in 2010 so if this match does not get relegated to the Kickoff show, it will be their first WrestleMania PPV match in eight years.
The United States title match at WrestleMania has changed from a triple threat match to a fatal 4-way match.
During a tag team match on Smackdown between Rusev and Jinder Mahal versus Randy Orton and Bobby Roode, Rusev pinned the United States champion and in a backstage segment that followed, Mahal offered to give Rusev a “front row seat” at WrestleMania to see him winning the United States title.
Rusev was not impressed by Mahal’s offer though and told Mahal that he just pinned the United States champion and he was going to the GM’s office and demand that he is added to the title match.
The addition of Rusev was later confirmed during the broadcast and Rusev proclaimed on Twitter that it will be #RusevMania.
Daniel Bryan has laid out a challenge to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn and offered them a way to get back on the Smackdown Live roster.
During Smackdown tonight, Daniel Bryan challenged Owens and Zayn in a tag team match at WrestleMania, where his partner will be the hospitalized Shane McMahon. Bryan said that the word he got is that Shane will be “ready to go” by the time WrestleMania comes around.
The stipulation is that if Shane and Daniel Bryan win, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn remain fired. But if Owens and Zayn win, they will be reinstated on Smackdown Live.
“Daniel Bryan is back and Daniel Bryan will fight at WrestleMania,” a fired-up Bryan said as the fans chanted “Yes!”
Daniel Bryan last wrestled in a WWE ring in April 2015.
Dental surgery will keep Charlotte Flair off Smackdown and the Mixed Match Challenge tonight as the Smackdown Women’s champion was not cleared to compete.
WWE.COM reported that Charlotte had mouth infection and needed to undergo dental surgery at Newport Smiles last Wednesday. Dental surgery involves аnу type оf surgery dealing wіth thе teeth аnd gums-it саn include extraction (pulling teeth,) gum procedures, root canals аnd cosmetic surgery. In order tо bе qualified аnd trained tо perform thіѕ type оf surgery a dentist muѕt gо bеуоnd thе accredited dental school training аnd state licensing tо gеt mоrе specialized coursework аnd thеn bе certified bу a professional board іn thеіr particular specialty-like dental surgery оr orthodontics. If уоu аrе considering thіѕ type оf surgery, whеthеr fоr cosmetic оr health reasons, уоu ѕhоuld hаvе a basic understanding оf thе procedures аnd whаt іѕ involved.
Thіѕ type оf surgery involves removing оnе оr mоrе teeth root аnd аll. Thіѕ surgery usually саn bе performed bу a general practice dentist. It іѕ usually dоnе whеn a tooth іѕ dead оr rotten-but іt саn аlѕо bе dоnе whеn a person hаѕ “extra” оr supernumerary teeth, оr tо remove baby teeth ѕо thаt permanent teeth саn соmе іn. Anоthеr common reason fоr thіѕ type оf dental surgery іѕ fоr wisdom teeth extraction. Whеn thе wisdom teeth аrе showing thrоugh thе gums іt іѕ usually a simpler procedure thаn іf thеу аrе ѕtіll undеr thе gums аnd pushing іntо оthеr teeth. Sоmеtіmеѕ thе gums bесоmе infected wіth a disease ѕuсh gingivitis аnd muѕt bе cleaned аnd repaired wіth dental surgery. At tіmеѕ thе gums еvеn grow оvеr thе teeth аnd muѕt bе cut bасk. Whеn a tooth іѕ knocked оut іn аn injury оr accident, іt іѕ ѕоmеtіmеѕ possible tо replace thе tooth. If уоu experience thіѕ type оf accident, quickly рut thе tooth оn ice оr іn a glass оf cold milk аnd tаkе іt tо уоur dentist оr dental surgeon. If thе root іѕ ѕtіll alive, уоu mау bе able tо save уоur tooth wіth dental surgery. Anу tіmе уоu hіt a tooth аnd іt іѕ loose, уоu ѕhоuld hаvе іt looked аt bу a dentist tо make sure thаt thеrе іѕ nо root damage. Many people also prefer to have cosmetic surgery.Thіѕ type оf dental surgery саn bе performed tо remove gaps іn teeth оr tо change thе gum line. Yоur dentist саn tell уоu іf surgery оr orthodontics wоuld bе a better option.
On the other hand, Charlotte is teamed up with Bobby Roode for the Mixed Match Challenge and they have a match tonight against Finn Balor and Sasha Banks. The match will still go on though as a fan vote on the site will decide who replaces her, with the options being Becky Lynch, Carmella, and Lana.
Despite being off the weekend live events, Charlotte is still scheduled to take on Asuka at WrestleMania 34 next week.
In his first public comments since the news broke of his hospitalization, Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon thanked the fans for their well wishes.
“It truly helps. I’m healing up, and I have the best medicine in the world with me,” Shane wrote. He also attached a photo hooked up with a couple of IVs standing with his three sons.
Barring a highly unlikely and miraculous recovery, Shane’s involvement at WrestleMania will be zero and his rumored tag team match with Daniel Bryan will have to wait. Where this untimely hospitalization throws the whole angle remains to be seen but with WrestleMania quickly approaching, a decision will most likely be announced tonight on Smackdown.
Monday Night Raw drew an average of 3,366,000 viewers yesterday, up 40,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast.
The show started with 3,403,000 viewers in the first hour, then moved up to 3,547,000 viewers for the second hour, before dropping to 3,150,000 in the third and final hour.
Raw was #1, #2, and #3 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #1 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
16-time world champion John Cena has landed another non-WWE gig and will be voicing a character in the upcoming movie The Voyage of Dr. Dolittle.
Cena, who will voice a polar bear named Yoshi, will join the stellar voice cast of Robert Downey Jr., Selena Gomez, Emma Thompson, Octavia Spencer, Craig Robinson, Rami Malek, and others.
Cena’s involvement was revealed when Robert Downey Jr., posted a photo on Instagram of the whole cast. The movie currently has an April 2019 release date.
WWE’s NXT brand will be returning to the Download Festival in the United Kingdom from June 8 to 10 at the Donington Park in Derby.
NXT has been an attraction at the Download Festival over the past couple of years and this year, the likes of Aleister Black, Kairi Sane, The Undisputed Era, Velveteen Dream, Shayna Baszler, Richocet, and the new crop of NXT stars will be in action.
But that is not all! After the Download Festival is over, the NXT stars will travel to Paris, France for a show on Monday, June 11 at the Cirque d’Hiver and then the following day to Antwerp, Belgium, for another live event at the Stadsschouwburg. This will be NXT’s first time in France and Belgium.
Tickets for the Download Festival are available at downloadfestival.co.uk and for the other two shows will be out tomorrow.
WWE today announced that former WWE Tag Team champion Road Dogg Jesse James will be the one inducting Jeff Jarrett into the WWE Hall of Fame next week.
The move comes to no surprise as the two share a long friendship and James was Jarrett’s sidekick when he arrived in WWE. Billed as The Roadie, James was attached to Jarrett’s hip for most of the times and he provided the vocals for Jarrett’s WWE song “With My Baby Tonight” in 1995.
When Jarrett’s personal issues came up in the media and he was admitted to a rehab center towards the end of last year, his wife Karen thanked James for always being there for her husband.
The Road Dogg joins Paul Heyman, Molly Holly, and Edge and Christian doing speeches at the Hall of Fame.
The announced names so far for the two battle royals that will take place at WrestleMania have remained scarce, with only six men and eight women confirmed so far.
In the men’s Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Dash Wilder, Scott Dawson, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, Tye Dillinger, and Matt Hardy are the ones who threw in their name for the match. Corbin already won the event once. Hardy declared his intentions to be part of the match last night on Raw.
In the Women’s WrestleMania Battle Royal, there’s Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Natalya, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, and the latest entrant, Bayley. Bayley and Sasha Banks broke off their friendship last night on Raw.
It is believed that one of the two battle royals will be part of the WrestleMania Kickoff show and not on the main PPV card although which one gets relegated to that spot remains to be seen.
The Superstars For Hope campaign returns for another year as WWE looks to raise thousands of dollars for the Boys & Girls Club of America.
So far there are 31 auctions listed on CharityBuzz.com, ranging from lunch with Ric and Charlotte Flair, a meet and greet with Vince, Stephanie, and Triple H, music session with Elias, behind-the-scenes tour of WWE Headquarters, appearance in an episode of WWE Game Night, backstage photo shoot with WWE Superstars, a suite for 10 for WrestleMania 35, and much more.
WWE.COM is reporting that Shane McMahon is in a New York-area hospital suffering from acute diverticulitis and an umbilical hernia.
After he filmed his angle with Zayn and Owens on Smackdown, McMahon flew to the Caribbean with his family. While on vacation, he developed a big infection due to the diverticulitis and was hospitalized for several days in Antigua. He was then flown to New York where he is currently being treated with heavy doses of antibiotics.
Shane will need to undergo surgery for the umbilical hernia problem but cannot go under the knife until his infection is cleared.
This is a legit injury and not part of the angle even though WWE.COM played the hernia injury as the after effect from the beating he got from Owens and Zayn.
This latest development puts the proposed tag match at WrestleMania between Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon versus Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in jeopardy and most likely it will now not happen. The situation will get more clear tomorrow night on Smackdown as the company will have to go to their contingency plan for this angle.
