Smackdown this week, with the first ever Shinsuke Nakamura vs John Cena match, did a total of 2,569,000 viewers, just 34,000 up from last week’s show. Smackdown was #1 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #3 in overall viewership. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Nakamura apologizes to John Cena for dropping him on his head
There was a scary spot towards the end of the Nakamura/Cena match when the former NXT champion dropped Cena right on his head with an exploder suplex, a move that served as the lead-in to the Kinshasa and the subsequent pinfall.
Cena took a nasty bump but he did not look like he suffered any serious injury. When he delivered the AA to Baron Corbin on the announce table, he took his time to recover and stand up, although that could be just selling the fatigue.
After the match ended, the camera clearly picks up Nakamura saying, “I’m sorry,” before shaking Cena’s hand and Cena told the new number one contender, “Don’t be sorry!”
Austin Aries, who recently departed WWE, tweeted to Cena saying at least Nakamura did not break his eye socket too. Nakamura broke Aries’ orbital bone last year, resulting in Aries being on the sidelines for several months.
Kevin Owens also chimed in and told people to chill, seeing the funny side of the story. “Those freaking out over @JohnCena’s rough landing must have missed the fact that he was revealed to be an actual transformer the day before!”
https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/892566241583517696
Shane McMahon to referee U.S. title match at SummerSlam
Kevin Owens will get another shot at the United States title after losing unfairly to AJ Styles last night on Smackdown.
Styles pinned Owens but Owens’ shoulder was not on the mat, with referee Mike Chioda unable to see it after he was punched in the face by mistake just seconds earlier.
Following the match, Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon told Chioda he made a bad call and granted Owens a rematch at SummerSlam. Owens requested a referee with two good eyes so Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan appointed McMahon as the special guest referee.
The decision, as expected, did not go down well with Owens, who showed his frustration by pushing down things in the backstage area.
Shinsuke Nakamura becomes #1 contender for WWE title
Former NXT champion Shinsuke Nakamura will get his first WWE title shot later this month at SummerSlam after the King of Strong Style defeated John Cena – clean – on Smackdown last night.
This was the first-ever match between Nakamura and Cena, and Nakamura pinned his opponent after delivering his Kinshasa finishing move. After the match, Cena congratulated the new number one contender and raised his hand in the ring.
Nakamura will now take on the current WWE champion, Jinder Mahal, in one of the main events of SummerSlam. Mahal has been champion since Backlash, which took place on May 21. Nakamura spent a total of 147 days as NXT champion over two reigns and won his first NXT title at the Barclays Center last year during NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II.
Bayley suffers shoulder injury, SummerSlam status unknown
Bayley’s participation at SummerSlam is up in the air as the former WWE Raw Women’s champion suffered a shoulder injury during her match against Nia Jax on Raw this week.
Due to the amount of swelling involved, initial diagnosis by WWE medical personnel was inconclusive according to WWE.COM. Bayley has been told to rest the shoulder until next week, at which point doctors are hopeful that the swelling will have gone down so that she can be reevaluated.
Dr. Chris Amann told WWE.COM that further diagnostic testing on her right shoulder is required to determine the extent of the injury and see how long she will be out for.
“Everything just tensed up around it,” Bayley told WWE.com. “I’ve never had an injury like this before, so I can’t really know what it is. I guess we’re gonna see.”
Bayley won a number one contenders match against Sasha Banks last week on Raw to book her place at SummerSlam against Alexa Bliss for the WWE Raw Women’s title.
Raw rating for 07/31/2017
Monday Night Raw this week drew 3,163,000 viewers, up 96,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast.
Hour one started with 3,194,000 viewers, then went up to 3,275,000 for the second hour, before dropping to 3,021,000 viewers for the third and final hour. This was the most-watched Raw since the April 17 edition.
Raw’s numbers were good enough for #2, #3, and #4 on the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic. It was also easily the most watched show on cable last night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Lilian Garcia joins PodcastOne with Chasing Glory podcast
Former Raw ring announcer Lilian Garcia is the latest wrestling personality to join the PodcastOne family with her new podcast titled Chasing Glory.
The podcast debuts with revelations by actor and former professional wrestler Dave Bautista, who talks battles with social anxiety, his estranged relationship from his father, movies, and wrestling. “I’ve gotten to know Lilian over the years and her nurturing ways made me feel comfortable enough to open up about my vulnerabilities in a way I never would’ve done with anyone else. Chasing Glory gave me the opportunity to speak freely, and hopefully make a difference in someone’s life that is facing the same challenges I have faced,” the former champion said.
New episodes of Chasing Glory will hit PodcastOne.com every Monday. Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Jim Ross, and Vince Russo are the other wrestling personalities who have a show on PodcastOne.
You can listen to Lilian’s show and the first interview with Dave Bautista at Podcastone.com.
Pete Dunne to defend the WWE UK title again this month
After successfully defending the WWE United Kingdom title in a fatal 4-way match at the ICW Shug’s Hoose Party 4 event in Glasgow, Scotland, Pete Dunne will be making another title defense in two weeks in New York City.
It will be 205 Live’s Jack Gallagher who will be challenging the Bruiserweight at the upcoming PROGRESS Wrestling event which will be held on Saturday, August 12 at the Elmcor in NYC. Dunne’s other title, the PROGRESS championship, will not be on the line.
Gallagher and Dunne already have a WWE history together as Gallagher defeated Dunne in a qualifying match to enter the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic also held at a PROGRESS event.
Tickets for PROGRESS New York City are available now at Ticketfly.com.
Cost-cutting measures hit the WWE Network
During his latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer stated that due to the disappointing WWE Network numbers, original shows will be cut as the company tries to save money to compensate for the decrease in memberships.
Original programming such as the Edge & Christian hilarious show and the proposed game show with R-Truth have been canned and the WWE UK show is back on hold due to the money it costs the produce. As you may have realized already, WWE has also put a stop to pyrotechnics during shows as another way to save money.
For the second quarter of 2017, WWE had a total of 1.63 million subscribers to the service. Out of that number, 1.56 million were paying subscribers, with the rest on a free trial. In what was a record, the Network also lost a massive 604,000 subscribers during the quarter, although it gained 598,000 new ones.
With virtually no pay-per-view revenue, the Network is a very important stream of revenue for the company and its upward trajectory has cooled down over the past few months.
It’s not excluded that the company will introduce more cost-saving measures in a bid to save money during these challenging times.
Brock Lesnar threatens to quit WWE if he loses at SummerSlam
WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar has threatened to quit WWE if he loses the title at SummerSlam in three weeks.
During the opening segment of Raw last night, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman interrupted Kurt Angle to inform him of the decision and Heyman said that he would leave with him as well. At SummerSlam, Lesnar doesn’t have to be pinned to lose the title under the fatal 4-way rules.
Heyman predicted that at SummerSlam, there will be an announcement at the end of the match which shall sound, “Still the reigning, defending, undisputed Universal champion, Brock Lesnar!”
WWE is certainly playing off the rumors that Lesnar is heading back to the UFC although Lesnar is under contract to WWE till just after WrestleMania 34.
Monday Night Raw TV report for 07/31/2017
Welcome to the Raw Report! I am @TheMagnumDA. We are LIVE from Pittsburgh, PA. The Raw General Manager Kurt Angle joins us first! The hometown boy gets a hell of a reaction. Angle recaps last week’s Raw, and then announces the matches and events for this evening. Before he leaves, BRRRROCK Lesnar and Paul Heyman interrupt! Heyman tells Angle that he sees through the charade. Angle is booking Lesnar in a Fatal 4 Way to give him a 25% chance of winning. Heyman knows that Angle is trying to take the title off of Lesnar because of his ambitions to return to the UFC. Heyman informs Angle that if Brock Lesnar does not walk out with the WWE Universal Championship at the end of Summerslam, then he will leave WWE for good! Wow.
Match #1 – The Hardy Boyz vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
The Revival are on commentary. Matt and Karl Anderson lock up to start. Matt blocks a fist and grabs a headlock. Eventually, Anderson brings Matt down with a back suplex, but Hardy is able to get up and tag his brother Jeff. They trade another tag, followed by a double team move. Matt continues to work the arm while tagging in Brother Nero once more. ROLLING THUNDER for two, but Gallows breaks it up. Luke ends up eating some Poetry in Motion, for his troubles. We go to break.
After the break, Gallows pounds on Jeff, and then takes him in the corner for more pounding. Gallows tries to get a cover, but only gets two. Jeff finally recovers and hits Luke with a Twist of Fate! Jeff tries for the tag, but Gallows gets to Anderson first. Karl misses a charge in the corner and HOT TAG TO MATT! House of fiyah! Side Effect from the middle rope, followed by an elbow from the middle rope. Matt hits a proper Side Effect for one, two, no! Anderson gets an elbow in the eye, and Gallows boots Matt in the back of the head! They try the Magic Killer, but Jeff comes in with a Buzzkiller! Matt finally hits the Twist of Fate, and tags in Jeff for the Swanton Bomb! One, two, three!
Winners: Hardy Boyz (**)
After the match, all three teams brawl on the stage! Double Twist of Fate on Scott Dawson!! POETRY IN MOTION OFF THE STAGE! Insanely delightful! Renee is backstage with Dean Ambrose. They talk about last week’s main event, when Seth Rollins interrupts! Dean says that last week felt good, and it left him thinking about putting a team together again. Seth feels the same way, but Dean cuts him off and tells him that he was burned once, and he refuses to let it happen again. After a break, Seth is despondent backstage. Sheamus and Cesaro stand in his way, and start to talk trash at Seth. Seth challenges them to a fight, and Sheamus gladly accepts for later tonight.
Match #2 – TJP, Tony Nese, and Ariya Daivari vs. Akira Tozawa, Rich Swann, and Cedric Alexander
Cedric and Nese start. They lock up, and Nese stops everything to pose. Nice. Nese definitely has a “Paul Roma” vibe to him. Nese with an armbar, but Cedric leaps up and reverses. Headscissors for Nese! Ariya tags in, but Cedric is ready with an armbar. Swann tags in, and catches a SWEET Frankensteiner for two. Armbar, and a tag to Akira. He keeps the psychology on the left arm, with kicks and attacks from the ropes. Senton splash gets two on Daivari. Ariya grabs Tozawa’s injured shoulder, and WRENCHES IT. Akira falls right to the ground and immediately grabs the left shoulder. Titus tries to talk him out of the match (“Save yourself for tomorrow night’s #1 contendership!”) but Akira refuses to quit as we go to break.
After the break, Ariya has Tozawa in an armbar that focuses on the injured left shoulder. Tozawa fights up, and catches the running knee after an awesome exchange. Tozawa tags in Swanna, and he drills TJP with some clotheslines and a splash for two! Nese breaks it up, but runs right into Cedric’s waiting arms. Swann and Alexander with splashes in stereo! Akira follows up with a suicide dive to Daivari outside! Back in the ring, TJP tries to finish Rich Swann with a rollup, but it’s reversed for two! Swann tags in Akira, and then plants a HUGE kick to TJP’s face. Akira with a Senton Bomb from the top rope onto TJP! One, two, three!
Winners: Akira Tozawa, Rich Swann, and Cedric Alexander (**1/4)
Akira moves on to 205 Live tomorrow night, where he will face Ariya Daivari. The winner moves on to SummerSlam to face Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship! MizTV is next!
The Miztourage is out for MizTV! The fans in Pittsburgh immediately start getting on Miz’s case. Miz, of course, is from the rival city of Cleveland, OH. Miz introduces his guest for tonight…the son of Kurt Angle, Jason Jordan! Jordan’s new music blows goats. I have proof. LISTEN TO IT. Miz wrongly points out that Jason already has some naysayers in the crowd. Jordan starts talking back to Miz, calling him an expert on receiving “boo’s” from the crowd. Miz even offers a spot with The Miztourage to Jason, but he says, “I’m good.” Miz tells Jordan that he’s won the main event of WrestleMania, so he knows what he’s talking about. Jason politely declines once more, so Miz starts insulting Jason by telling him that “Daddy can get him anything he wants, including a title match.” Jason says he’s going to do this the right way, without any help. Miz says that Kurt Angle is pitiful, just like the city of Pittsburgh. Jordan warns him, “You can say whatever you want about me, but don’t say another word about Kurt.” They stand face-to-face, and Jordan lays out Miz with a belly-to-belly suplex right into Axel and Dallas! Jordan leaves the ring as MizTV comes to an abrupt end!
Roman Reigns’ video package is played. Great stuff. Hopefully all of the challengers get one of these.
Match #3 – Sheamus vs. Seth Rollins
They lock up, and Sheamus shoves off Seth with a laugh. Rollins turns a headlock into a wristlock, but Sheamus reverses with a headlock. Sheamus takes him down, and although Rollins gets up, he takes a Shoulder Charge. Seth rebounds with an elbow, a knee, and a dropkick. Sheamus lands an elbow in Rollins’ eye from the ropes, but Rollins reverses with a dropkick. Botched suicide dive by Seth, as Cesaro interrupts! This allows Sheamus to grab Rollins from the ropes and beat him down outside the ring! Sheamus stands tall over Rollins as we go to a break.
After the break, Rollins fights out of a Rolling Senton from the middle rope, but Sheamus overpowers and HITS IT for one, two, no! Rollins fights up and they have a great exchange leading to the Irish Curse Backbreaker for two! Sheamus charges Rollins in the corner, and then misses the clothesline from the top rope! Rollins hits a front DDT onto the middle turnbuckle for two! Seth with chops and kicks, but Sheamus reverses with a MASSIVE right hand! Rollins returns serve with a dropkick and a suicide dive through the middle rope. Back inside, awesome clothesline followed by a Sling Blade! Cesaro tries to interrupt, but Rollins turns it into a rollup opportunity for the one, two, three!
Winner: Seth Rollins (**1/2)
After the match, Sheamus and Cesaro destroy Seth Rollins in the ring! Double team White Noise onto Rollins! The referees tell Sheamus and Cesaro to leave, as the crowd chants “We want Ambrose!” The tag champions return for more, but Dean Ambrose cuts them off at the pass! Eventually, Sheamus and Cesaro turn their 2-on-1 attack to Dean Ambrose. NEUTRALIZER by Cesaro onto Ambrose! Chorus of boo’s from the Pittsburgh crowd. Dean eggs them on, telling the champs, “Come on! Give me some more!” Cesaro instantly clobbers him, leading to a BROGUE KICK by Sheamus! Those Shield boys got crushed this evening.
Samoa Joe video package is played. Just as awesome as Roman Reigns. I really like these. After this, another Special Olympics video tribute is played for Justin “JJ” Jones. That’s J-U…never mind. 🙂
Bray Wyatt is out for a promo! He cuts a rare city-focused heel promo, calling Pittsburgh “pitiful.” Hey, where have I heard that before? Vince must love this city. Wyatt tells the fans that they are fools for believing in someone like Finn Balor. Wyatt goes into hysterics, laughing himself to the mat! Somehow, he was able to get this entire crowd to turn against him. The LIGHTS GO OUT! The first part of Balor’s music plays, but Balor is not on the stage…he’s in the ring! Overhead kick to Bray! Diving dropkick to Bray through the ropes, followed by another running dropkick by Balor that sends Wyatt over the barricade! Looks like we have a SummerSlam program on our hands.
Braun Strowman video package is played. Wow, he can sure read a teleprompter well. Still, another good video package. The Triple Threat is NEXT!
Match #4 – Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman
Braun dominates both men early, standing tall with both men knocked out of the ring. After a break, Joe and Roman team up to take out Strowman. Joe and Roman trade right hands, but Joe secures an armbar that brings Roman down. Strowman gets back up and nails Joe. All three men start fighting outside, and the fight spills out into the crowd! Strowman throws two rights into Reigns, and then tosses him into the barricade. Strowman gets pulled into a Coquina Clutch over the top of the barricade! Joe has it locked in! Reigns interrupts the sleeperhold, but then Joe returns the favor by throwing Reigns into the barricade. Overhead kick by Samoa Joe! Back into the ring, Joe tries a Uranage Slam, but Reigns hits Joe with some back elbows, followed by series of clotheslines in the corner! Another flying clothesline, and Roman Reigns is building momentum!
Joe rolls outside the ring to avoid the Superman Punch, but Roman catches him outside the ring! The Superman Punch off the steps to Joe! Roman goes for the Spear on Strowman, but Braun serves Roman some BOOT for dinner! Strowman sends Reigns spine-first into the corner post, and then he hits Samoa Joe with a pull clothesline! Roman gets sent into the table by Strowman, and then Joe gets dropped AGAIN by Strowman. Reigns is tossed into the ring by Strowman, and then Braun throws the steps into the ring as well! Joe catches Strowman off-guard, and then hits the Senton onto Reigns for one, two, no! Joe props the steps into the corner, and tries to throw Reigns into the steps. They trade reversals, and then Joe hits the Coquina Clutch on Roman! Braun mows down BOTH MEN and then hits the Running Powerslam on Joe! One, two, no! Braun repeatedly throws Reigns into the corner, causing him to fall into a HEAP. Strowman picks up the steps, but Reigns hits him with a Superman Punch! Roman throws the steps at Strowman, knocking him outside the ring! Back inside, SPEAR to Samoa Joe by Reigns! One, two, three!
Winner: Roman Reigns (***1/4)
We get a recap of Cass’ massacre of Enzo last week. Big Show made the save. After this, Enzo is backstage with Big Show. He tells Show how much he appreciates having someone look after him, especially after last week’s beatdown. Show tells him that it’s no problem, and that Cass needs a lesson in respect.
THE DRIFTER IS HERE! He’s going strictly by “ELIAS” now. He talks about being from this area, which gets big cheers! Then he sings a song that completely runs down the city and its people. This gets tremendous “boo’s” from the crowd.
Match #5 – Elias vs. Kalisto
Elias gets caught in a side headlock by Kalisto. Kalisto dances up the ropes and takes Elias down. Elias is nailed by a kick, but when Kalisto tries a headscissors…Elias throws him down and out of the ring! After the break, Elias drops some crushing knees to Kalisto’s kidneys. Kalisto fights out of a chinlock, but immediately gets dropped once more. Elias POUNDS Kalisto in the corner with punches and kicks. Series of hard backbreakers by Elias for two. We get a MINNESOTA BACKBREAKER (!!!) by Elias onto Kalisto. Elias just drops Kalisto to the mat, but Kalisto fights back with a series of kicks! He dodges Elias and hits another kick, followed by a Bombs Away! Face-first headscissors by Kalisto. Elias gets back up, and blasts Kalisto with a huge knee to the face. Elias hits the “Drift Away” for the one, two, three!
Winner: Elias (*3/4)
Backstage, Charly is with Alexa Bliss. Alexa humiliates Sasha and Bayley by talking about the embarrassment Sasha must feel having lost to Bayley last week. Alexa says she’s looking forward to watching Bayley take on Nia Jax later tonight, because tonight…no one has Bayley’s back.
We are then treated to a scene from WWE Studios’ new film, “Pure Country”, featuring Shawn Michaels. It’s so wild to think that Shawn could probably still outwork 75% of the roster, yet he’s relegated to movies. It’s too bad.
Match #6 – Bayley vs. Nia Jax
Bayley catches some strikes on Jax, but Jax grabs Bayley by the hair and throws her out. Bayley comes back in, and Nia immediately brings her to the mat with a headbutt. Bayley gets up and continues the strikes. She tries to whip Jax, but Jax reverses it. Bayley gets on Nia’s shoulders, but Nia throws her right to the mat. Bayley is DROPPED shoulder-first onto the mat, rolling outside the ring. After a break, Nia continues the attack on Bayley with a seated Full Nelson. Bayley fights back with back elbows, and strikes to the corner after a reversal. Eventually, Jax picks up Bayley by her arms, and drops her face-first from the Tiger Suplex position. Bayley rolls outside as Jax mocks Bayley with the side ponytail. This goes over like a fart in church. Back inside, Jax hits a running splash in the corner. Bayley starts to fight back from the apron, but Jax knocks her down again. Jax WHIFFS on the elbow, drawing laughs from the crowd. Bayley hits a running dropkick, followed by the middle rope Stunner and a running knee! From the apron, Bayley hits a splash on Jax! Alexa Bliss tries to interrupt, but Bayley catches her off-guard with a forearm. Jax tries to splash Bayley into the corner post, but Bayley moves out of the way! The ref counts to ten, and it’s a count-out victory for Bayley!
Winner by Count-Out: Bayley (*)
The story here is Bayley’s right shoulder. It looks like she was legitimately injured early in the bout. We’ll have to see what happens. Meanwhile, Charly is backstage with Cass. Cass thinks that Show is nothing more than a “miscreant”. I dare Cass to spell that word.
Match #7 – Big Show vs. Big Cass
Cass has new music. While it’s generic rock, it’s SO much better than that first dubstep theme. Before the bell even sounds, Show starts beating the living crap out of Cass in the corner. The bell rings, and Cass gets two kicks to the gut. Show takes over, and starts chopping Cass. Cass hits some more rights to the gut, but Show returns serve with a headbutt and some chops. Cass hits an elbow, and tries a whip into the ropes. This is reversed by Show, sending Cass all the way to the outside. Cass gets pulled back into the ring by the hair! Cass hangs Show up by the top rope, but Show hits Cass with a Shoulder Tackle when Cass came back into the ring. Cass gets nailed with a powerslam and a big elbow for the one, two, no! Big Show with a crisp suplex. Can’t believe I’m typing that. Show goes for the chokeslam, but Cass kicks Show in the knees, bringing him down. As Show writhes around in pain, Cass continues the attack on Show’s left knee. Show is able to kick Cass in the head to get out of the predicament, but Cass turns around with a SICK Mafia Kick. Cass goes to the top but gets chopped down. Show hits some clotheslines, and a corner splash to build momentum. However, Cass is ready with ANOTHER Mafia Kick to Show’s face. Enzo interrupts for the DQ, and HE gets another Mafia Kick to the mush!
Winner by DQ: Cass (*1/2)
With Cass left standing, Show throws one more KO punch that hits! Both men go down! Eventually, Show stands tall over Cass as he helps Enzo to his feet. Show carries Enzo up the stage as we go to credits!
Final Thoughts: This crowd was pooped by hour #3. I think there’s some hit or miss stuff going on. Is this the end of Brock? Time will tell. He’s definitely in the middle of a contract year. I’ll give WWE credit for this: After tomorrow, most of the SummerSlam card will be shaped out. That is much improved from previous years. As always, let it play out and see where it goes. @TheMagnumDA signing out!
Chris Jericho involved in altercation with fan in New York City
Chris Jericho was involved in a small altercation with a fan in New York City on Friday night after a tribute show for musician David Z outside Irving Plaza according to TMZ.
Unfortunately for Jericho, the whole incident was caught on camera and footage made its way online. After the show was over and Jericho was outside, a bunch of fans mobbed Y2J asking for pics and autographs. He did a few and then began turning people down.
One fan did not appreciate it and the two started a cussing contest with a lot of F-words thrown at each other. Thankfully, no punches were thrown.
TMZ reached out to Jericho, who last week returned to WWE, and he issued the following statement. “David Z was a good friend of mine and I was mentally and emotionally shattered after paying tribute to him and essentially saying goodbye to him Friday night. I was not in a good state of mind at that time and instead of ignoring a pushy (aka rude) fan which is what I would usually do, I snapped. My apologies to all involved and God bless David Z.”
You know what happens when you are rude to Chris Jericho? Yep… You can see the footage of the altercation below.
Big triple threat main event on Raw tonight
Monday Night Raw will be headlined by a huge triple threat main event match tonight featuring Brock Lesnar’s challengers at SummerSlam: Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman.
Speaking of Brock Lesnar, the WWE Universal champion is being advertised locally although there’s no hint of his name on the WWE.COM website. It might mean either a surprise appearance for those watching on TV or else Lesnar will be appearing after the show solely for the crowd in the arena.
Also on tonight’s show will be MizTV with Jason Jordan, the newest member of the Angle family! The Raw General Manager will be having a homecoming tonight as the show will be from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 21 years ago today, Angle won the gold medal at the Olympics.
John Cena joins cast of Transformers spinoff movie Bumblebee
Hollywood came knocking on John Cena’s door once again as the Hollywood Reporter has an exclusive story reporting that the former WWE champion has joined the cast of the Transformers spinoff Bumblebee.
Cena will be in one of the leading roles in the movie, which has Hailee Steinfeld in the main role along with Jorge Lendeborg, Jason Drucker, Abby Quinn, Rachel Crow, Ricardo Hoyos and Gracie Dzienny. The movie is produced by Paramount Pictures and will be released in December 2018. Production started today in the state of California but it’s unclear when Cena will be called into action.
The story is set in the year 1987, where Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie (Steinfeld), on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug.
Travis Knight is directing the movie from a script by Christina Hodson. It is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Michael Bay, along with executive producers Steven Spielberg, Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian. Chris Brigham will also executive produce. The movie is the first spinoff of the widely successful Transformers franchise which generated over $3.7 billion over five different movies all directed by Michael Bay.
Smackdown brand gets the 2017 Hell In A Cell PPV
The Hell In A Cell pay-per-view will be a Smackdown-brand show and will take place on October 8 in Detroit, Michigan at the Little Caesar’s Arena.
Tickets are priced $30, $55, $70, $85, $105, $155, $355 and $505 and go on sale to the general public on August 4 at 10AM. A pre-sale is currently being held using the code WWEPRE on Ticketmaster.com.
Last year, the Raw brand got the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view and the show was part of history as it was the first time that a women’s match was the main event. That night, Charlotte defeated Sasha Banks to regain the Raw Women’s title in the first-ever women’s Hell In A Cell match.
T & D’s Indy Top 5 for July 2017
What a month for the independent wrestling circuit on Floslam! The independents continue to impress with spectacular matches and show performances all around.
With the Mae Young Classic Tournament taking place on the WWE Network beginning August 28th, it seems like the independent wrestling circuit is trying to compete by offering its own tournament in the all-women’s fed, Shine, but more specifics on the tournament later. Suffice to say that the independent wrestling circuit continues to make itself a force to be reckoned with. Now, let’s begin our top five countdown!
5. Jason Kincaid versus Tracer X – PWX
This is how we do it. There was a terrific combination of mat wrestling, acrobatics, and technical wrestling on display between these two competitors. Kincaid’s strange meditative trances only added drama to the match. However, it was Kincaid’s use of the rafters of the building which earns this match the number five spot on our countdown. Not only did Kincaid execute a maneuver which left him hanging from the rafters, but he proceeded to walk the rafters using his hands. Kincaid’s monkey business was certainly impressive to watch, and was not all diminished by his repeating the action the next day during another match. Kincaid’s victory from his leg drop off the rafters added the finishing touch to this absolutely amazing match.
4. Shine Women’s tournament – Shine 43 and 44
The ladies of Shine deserve much praise for completing in this grueling two day tournament. Competitors included all three members of the Cutie Pie Club, Kiera Hogan, Candy Cartwright, and Aria Blake. Another challenger was Jordanne Grace, who with some seasoning could give WWE star Nia Jax a run for her money. However, the ultimate prize, the first-ever Shine Nova Championship, went to Priscilla Kelly, who wrestled an impressive four times in two days in order to claim the title. If WWE isn’t looking to sign Kelly they certainly should be.
3. Allysin Kay versus LuFisto – Shine 44
While this match was not part of the tournament it was still an impressive showing by these two women. The drama actually began Shine 43, when Kay competed as masked superstar, Maria Maria. The winner of the match won the opportunity to compete for the championship the next day. Maria Maria won, and was revealed to be Allysin Kay, who had a long-standing rivalry with LuFisto.
The two women went on to put on a brilliant match. They used every part of the arena. They also brilliantly used foreign objects including beer cans in the match. They also knocked the referee unconscious multiple times during the match. Allysin Kay almost had the match won when another wrestler dressed as Maria Maria interfered causing LuFisto to win the match. The wrestler was unmasked and revealed to be Brandy Lauren, who used to be Allysin Kay’s best friend. This creates a compelling storyline that can be used at the next Shine Event.
2. Zack Sabre Jr versus Timothy Thatcher – Evolve 88
This championship match was extremely slow paced, but it was mainly due to the methodical technical wrestling skills of the two competitors. For those fans who may have expected typical cruiserweight style wrestling from Zack Sabre Jr. because of his participation in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic last year, they would be sorely disappointed. Zack doesn’t use the typical highflying style of WWE’s cruiserweight division which is probably why he didn’t earn a contract with WWE after the Classic was over. However Zack’s technical mat wrestling style certainly appeals to many fans of independent wrestling, and Thatcher matched his opponent hold for hold. However, Zach was ultimately victorious.
1. Zack Sabre Jr versus Fred Yehi – Evolve 89
First off, we would like to acknowledge that Zack Sabre Jr made it into our countdown twice this month because he’s simply that good. It should also come as no surprise that his opponent is Fred Yehi, who was ranked twice in our June countdown. The combination of these two wrestlers made for an incredible match that simply had to take the number one spot on our countdown. Both of these men are exceptional wrestlers, and both have extensive knowledge of technical and mat wrestling.
So, we saw the two continuously placed each other in holds and counter holds such a fast rate that throughout the match we often could never be sure who had the upper hand. It was the fast pace of Yehi which more than likely accelerated pace of the methodical Zack Sabre Jr. Ultimately, after two grueling matches in a row, somehow Zack Sabre Jr was still able to retain his Evolve championship belt.
That’s it for this countdown you next month wrestling fans.
Asuka becomes 8th longest reigning champion
NXT Women’s champion Asuka surpassed The New Day’s title reign this weekend is now at 485 days straight as a champion, becoming the 8th longest champion in WWE history.
Asuka won the NXT title at NXT Takeover: Dallas during the WrestleMania 32 weekend, defeating Bayley. Since that day, no one has managed to defeat the Empress of Tomorrow and Asuka remains undefeated in her NXT career.
She is 17 days away from becoming the 7th longest champion, a spot currently held by Rockin’ Robin who was the WWF Women’s champion for 502 days before the belt was deactivated. There’s a long way to go to claim the sixth place, which is held by Pedro Morales and his WWWF title reign for 1,027 days.
Asuka will be defending the NXT Women’s title against Ember Moon on August 19 at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III.
Dolph Ziggler’s brother Donald to be sentenced on August 28 after pleading guilty
Donald Nemeth, the 30-year-old brother of WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, aggravated robbery and kidnapping charges stemming from a January 2016 incident which claimed the life of Marine Corps veteran Joshua Mascol at the University Hotel and Suites in Cleveland.
Nameth, who is accused with a partner-in-crime, will be sentenced by Judge Shannon Gallagher on August 28 in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Nemeth was ordered to wear an ankle monitor on home detention until his sentencing.
According to Cleveland.com, Cuyahoga County prosecutors had asked the judge to bar Nemeth’s lawyers from mentioning his brother, Nicholas “Dolph Ziggler” Nemeth, during the trial as the relationship was irrelevant to the case, and bringing it up would draw jurors’ focus away from the evidence.
The two accused were set to stand trial Monday and faced possible sentences of life in prison if convicted.
New UFC champ Cris Cyborg continues push for SummerSlam
Jon Jones was not the only UFC fighter to challenge a WWE Superstar following UFC 214 as the new UFC Women’s Featherweight champion Cris Cyborg continued her quest to appear at SummerSlam.
On Twitter after her fight, Cyborg sent a message to Triple H. “I won my #UFC214 fight @TripleH now I want @BeckyLynchWWE in the @WWE at #SummerSlam,” she wrote.
The 32-year-old Cyborg has been calling out Becky for quite a while now and has been pushing for a match against the former Smackdown Women’s champion at SummerSlam. Meanwhile, Lynch taped a short video with UFC 214 playing in the background at a bar telling Cyborg that if she wants to play with fire, she’s going to get burned.
The new champ also posted a backstage photo after her fight with former WWE champion The Rock.
https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/891496595619016704
Brock Lesnar responds to Jon Jones’ challenge
Brock Lesnar did not waste time in responding to Jon Jones after the new UFC Light Heavyweight champion challenged him to a fight.
Jones, who now holds a record of 23-1, has said that he will deal with Lesnar after he deals with Daniel Cormier. Not a lot of minutes passed before Jones threw down the gauntlet. And Lesnar was quick to respond.
“Be careful what you wish for, young man,” Lesnar told the Associated Press when they reached out for comments yesterday night after UFC 214.
In his post-fight press conference, Jones told the media that he’s serious about fighting Lesnar as it would be a great thing for the world of mixed martial arts. “It would bring more of the general public to mixed martial arts, and that’s what we need. We need to expand our sport, so why not be the guy to take part in that?”
Jones said that Lesnar only brings a limited game and that it’s a winnable fight for him. When he was asked if he would fight anyone else in the heavyweight division, Jones said that he’s interested only in Brock Lesnar as that would be the fight that makes more sense and the payday would be huge – for both.
Dana White put some cold water over the prospects of the fight and was cautious about it. “It’s fun to talk about, but the reality of it happening anytime soon, it’s not a reality,” White said.
As reported earlier, Lesnar still has six months to serve from his one year suspension and that six months will commence once he gives a written notice to the UFC and USADA that he’s un-retiring. That will put him back in the USADA drug testing pool and has to be tested with no problems for six months before he can step back inside the Octagon.