10 WWE executive officers, including Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, sold thousands of WWE shares at $21.29 each, just days before WWE announces its Q2 2017 financial report.
All 10 combined sold a total of 301,102 shares according to the latest United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The transactions were all done on July 24. The total payout was $6,410,461.
Stephanie McMahon, Chief Brand Officer, sold 10,417 shares; Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, sold 10,417 shares; Michelle Wilson, Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer sold 81,951 shares; Michael Luisi, President of WWE Studios sold 13,601 shares; Mark Kowal, Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer sold 3,561 shares; Kevin Dunn, Executive Producer sold 83,737 shares; Basil DeVito Jr, Sr. Advisor of Business Strategies sold 4,513 shares; Casey Collins, Executive Vice President of Consumer Products sold 9,321 shares; Timothy Blake Bilstad, Senior Vice President and General Counsel sold 1,728 shares; and George Barrios, Chief Strategy & Financial Officer sold 81,856 shares.
Chris Jericho returned on Smackdown last night during the opening segment, interrupting both Kevin Owens and AJ Styles who were arguing over a rematch for the United States title.
Jericho was last seen on WWE television the night after Payback back in early May and was stretchered out of Smackdown after Owens beat him up pretty bad and took the United States title away from him. Jericho resumed his work with the band Fozzy after that, touring the United States and doing some international destinations.
In late June, he joined the Raw brand for the Far East tour, participating in non-televised live event matches in Singapore and Japan.
On Smackdown last night, Jericho wrestled both Owens and Styles in a triple threat match for the United States title and was pinned by AJ Styles, causing Owens to lose his United States title that he had just won at Battleground.
Battleground is over and we are now on the road to SummerSlam! At the Pay-Per-View, we saw new champions, old champions, and a *big* return. As always, I won’t spoil for those who are reading this and wanting to find out through my report, but I am happy with the return, which could make the storyline better.
In other Battleground fallout, I am not pleased with as much, particularly in the women’s division and the tag division. Again, no spoilers, but hopefully they’ll improve on those situations tonight and through the next weeks.
Tuesday Night Smackdown! Live Television Report for July 25, 2017 – “More Opportunities”
Introduction Segment: Arena Promo
United States Champion Kevin Owens is greeted by the ring announcer. Owens is decked-out in a suit and stands in the ring with a microphone. “This, this just feels right, doesn’t it? I am once again your United States Champion.” Kevin says everything is right again and announces that he will bring back the “Kevin Owens United States Championship Challenge,” but not tonight; he says he will have it next week.
The former champion – A.J. Styles – walks out and demands his contractually-obligated rematch, tonight, but so does another man – Chris Jericho!
“Y2J” surprisingly (genuinely) appears and orders Owens to be “quiet.” He wants his rematch from May when Kevin defeated him on Smackdown! Live and put him out-of-action until now. While Styles disputes with Chris on which one of them is due the title shot, Owens walks towards the ramp, but is cut off.
Commissioner Shane McMahon stands beside Kevin on the stage and sees a match-in-the-making. He books a Triple Threat for the United States Championship – TONIGHT! Jericho and A.J. look on as Owens yells about his new challenge.
Commercials.
Match #1: Single – Shinsuke Nakamura VS. Baron Corbin
Shinsuke delivers strikes with his hands and feet, and then slides under the ropes and runs at Baron with a knee. He leaps off of the apron with another knee that lands on Corbin’s head. Nakamura runs again but is met with a clothesline, and “The Lone Wolf” rolls Shinsuke into the ring but only gets a two-count!
Commercials.
“Mr. Money In The Bank” now has “The Artist” locked in a half-nelson-chinlock in the middle of the ring. Barons slides in and out of the ring, but is it with a running shot from Nakamura, who then kicks and knees Corbin some more. He dives off of the middle turnbuckle with a side kick, and measures for the Kinsasha. Baron moves and plants Shinsuke with a one-armed backbreaker. He knees Nakamura too, and then catches Shinsuke off of a run with his Deep Six spinning-backdrop. 1 – 2 – Nakamura kicks out!
“The Lone Wolf” goes for his End of Days finisher, but Shinsuke flips out of it and manages to hit is Kinsasha running-knee! Nakamura covers to receive the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Shinsuke Nakamura
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Dasha is with Women’s champion Naomi, asking her about her next opponent for the title, Natalya. The Champion starts to talk about Nattie not shaking her hand at Battleground, but Natalya walks up and dismisses Dasha. “The Queen of Harts” is not pleased with how Naomi has decorated the Championship, calling it a “kid’s toy.” She berates Naomi for “disrespecting” legacies, and says she will return those legacies when she wins the Women’s championship at SummerSlam. Naomi tells Natalya that she needs to get out of “the dirty dungeon of the past,” and see what today is all about, which she will at SummerSlam.
Charlotte makes her entrance and will be in Tag-Team action, next.
Commercials.
Match #2: Tag Team – Charlotte and Becky Lynch VS. Lana and Tamina
Becky and Lana begin, but Lana quickly tags out. Lynch almost takes Tamina down with her Dis-Arm-Her submission a couple of times, and delivers a couple of kicks, but is caught in the corner and slammed to the mat! Lana is back in and works over Becky for a bit, and then trades again with Tamina. She controls for a little until Lynch counters with an enziguri and makes the hot-tag!
“The Queen” dominates Tamina and struts like her father! She tries to pickup Tamina but can’t and Lana tags in. Charlotte dumps Tamina to the floor and then boots Lana in the face to finish this!
Winners via Pinfall: Charlotte and Becky Lynch
Post-match, Tamina is furious with Lana for the loss and Lana looks upset.
Up next, WWE Champion Jinder Mahal wants to know who is going to wrestle him at SummerSlam for the WWE Championship!
Commercials.
Video Promo
Still pictures recap the Punjabi Prison Match from Battleground.
Arena Promo
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal – minus The Great Khali and The Singh Brothers – proudly walks to the ring in a suit and holds the title high in the aisle. “This past Sunday at Battleground, I crushed ‘the legacy’ of Randy Orton, and ‘the legend’ of the ‘Modern Day Maharaja’ was born.” He declares that Orton “underestimated” him and that he “will stay WWE champion as long as I desire.”
Jinder wants his challenger at SummerSlam revealed, and begins to talk in Punjabi. The man who won the Flag Match at Battleground answers. John Cena makes his grand entrance and meets Mahal in the ring. The fans are chanting for Cena, but Jinder goes on to predict what John will say. However, he is wrong. The former “Dr. Of Thuganomics” actually gives Mahal his props for doing what he had to retain the WWE championship at Battleground, and respects Jinder for his regard for the title. Nevertheless, Cena introduces himself as the new #1 Contender and says he will be taking on Mahal at SummerSlam, with or without the Singh Brothers and Khali.
On the other hand, General Manager Daniel Bryan has another idea. He does tell Cena that “opportunities are earned,” no matter what your name is. So, he books a match for next week between two who have already won to determine Mahal’s opponent at SummerSlam – John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura!
Commercials.
Office Promo
United States Champion Kevin Owens is still complaining to Commissioner Shane McMahon about having to put his title on the line against Jericho and Styles later tonight. McMahon says A.J. and Chris deserve it, and basically tells Owens to tough it out.
Match #3: Tag Team – Aiden English and Mike Kannelis (with Maria Kannelis) VS. Sami Zayn and Tye Dillinger
Tye and Aiden begin with Tye governing for the first bit.
Commercials.
Aiden is now in control of Zayn with a grounding rear chinlock, and he and Mike take over in the corner. Kannelis clotheslines Sami in the corner, and English is back in. He is tossed over, and Zayn tags in Dillinger. He cleans house on both Aiden and Mike, and then Sami hits the Helluva Kick on Kannelis, completing this!
Winners via Pinfall: Sami Zayn and Tye Dillinger
Commercials.
Arena Promo
Tag-Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E., and Xavier Woods) begin their usual entrance, but suddenly go silent. Former champions – The Usos – have attacked them in the entrance! They completely demolish the trio, leaving them laying on the stage.
Backstage Promo
Rene Young is with Shinsuke Nakamura, asking about his #1 Contender Match with John Cena next week. Shinsuke says, “next week, John Cena, you can’t see me, which means, I’ll see Jinder at SummerSlam.”
Chris Jericho and A.J. styles make their entrances for the main event triple threat match!
Commercials.
Match #4: Triple threat for the United States championship – Chris Jericho (Challenger) VS. A.J. Styles (Challenger) VS. Kevin Owens (Champion)
Chris and A.J. dispose of Owens and then trade pin combos. Kevin gets back in and rid of Styles, and then he and Jericho slug it out. A.J. is back in, and he and the U.S. Champ go at it. Owens takes complete control over both for a while. He almost gets this after a senton splash on A.J. He runs to A.J. but Styles reveres into his Calf-Crusher, but Chris stops it with his Lionsault! (springboard-moonsault).
Commercials.
All three are trading hits with each other and battle on the top turnbuckle. A.J. is dumped to the apron and Kevin right-hands Jericho. Styles comes back with a springboard-450 Splash on Chris, but Owens moves him and covers; 1 – 2 – Jericho raises his shoulder! “Y2J” tries his Walls of Jericho submission on both, and manages to lock it on Kevin, but Styles soars, but is also caught with a Codebreaker! Chris coves A.J for a very near-fall!
Kevin regains momentum with a couple of Cannonball Splashes on both, and then they all end up on the mat after a forearm (Styles-Owens), enziguri (Jericho-Styles), superkick (Owens-Jericho), and Pele Kick (Styles-Owens!)
The United States Champion frosplashes Jericho from the top turnbuckle and the referee counts, but A.J. tosses him out and covers Jericho for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall and NEW United States Champion: A.J. Styles
Post-match, Kevin looks on shocked as Styles holds up the title, nods at Owens, and kisses the championship. Kevin now tears equipment off of the announce table as A.J. backs up the entrance with the Championship.
Owens complains that this wasn’t fair and orders a rematch next week on Smackdown! Live. “I am taking my United States Championship back!”
Replays of the match ending are shown, as A.J. stands in the aisle way while Owens is still furious to close the show.
Monday Night Raw did a total of 3,067,000 viewers, down 86,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast.
Hour one did 3,156,000 viewers, followed by 3,129,000 viewers in the second hour, and then 2,917,000 viewers in the third and final hour.
The show was #2, #3, and #5 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic. Raw was the most-watched show on cable last night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Former 5-time TNA World Tag Team title holder Davey Richards announced on Twitter that he asked for and got his release from Global Force Wrestling to concentrate on becoming a doctor.
“I have nothing but good memories and great things to say about my time there,” Richards wrote. “Truth is, I love wrestling. But my goal is to be a doctor,” he continued, adding that he has managed his time doing both school, his job as a paramedic, being a dad, and a professional wrestler as long as he could.
Richards said that the demands of the last couple of years of medical school has pretty much brought him to today, where he has to choose either becoming a doctor or continuing as a professional wrestler.
“So with GFW’s blessing, I have chosen medical school. Thank you to everyone at GFW and its great fans for an awesome journey.”
Alexa Bliss will meet Bayley at SummerSlam next month after the former NXT Women’s champion defeated her friend Sasha Banks in a number one contenders match.
It looked like Sasha Banks was going to be the one going to Brooklyn as the challenger after a frog splash in honor of Eddie Guerrero, but Bayley reversed the pin attempt and held on for the three count.
Alexa Bliss was the one who defeated Bayley for the title at Payback back in April. Last year, Bayley also rolled into Brooklyn as the challenger for the NXT Women’s title, losing to Asuka. The Barclays Center is also the place where she won the NXT Women’s title from Sasha Banks at the first NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event, a match which gained highly positive reviews from the majority of wrestling fans.
WWE Shop is running a sale of up to 50% off on replica title belts, with all available titles on sale.
The Universal, Intercontinental, Blue Winged Eagle, Million Dollar, Raw and Smackdown Women’s and Tag Teams, World Heavyweight, NXT, and WWE Championship titles all have different sales, along with side plates, finger rings, and mini replica titles.
Most of the belts have $100 off from their regular price. If you were interested in purchasing a replica title, now is a good time to take advantage of the cheaper price. You can shop at http://w-o.it/wweshopcom.
A massive SummerSlam main event was announced on last night’s Raw by General Manager Kurt Angle.
Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns all pleaded their case on why they should be the one to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam for the WWE Universal title. Angle said that all of them had a point and he’s changing his mind once again.
The Olympic gold medalist then revealed that Brock Lesnar will take on Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns in a fatal 4-way match for the title. After the announcement all three Superstars went nuts on each other as security and other WWE Superstars from the back tried to separate all three unsuccessfully for an explosive start to the show.
Hello everyone! I’m @TheMagnumDA with your Raw report. Before I go any further, I’d just like to say what an honor it was to be at the Tragos/Thesz Hall of Fame this weekend. It was a pleasure to talk to this year’s inductee Paul Orndorff for nearly two hours after the show, and it was a real treat to be on Bruce Hart’s HartBeat Radio Podcast on Facebook. I was able to be on the same broadcast as Jim Ross, Gerry Brisco, Stan Hansen, Barbara Goodish (the wife of Bruiser Brody), JJ Dillon, Bruce Hart, and many others. It’s a weekend I’ll never forget.
We are LIVE from the Verizon Center in Washington DC. We start tonight with Kurt Angle, the Raw General Manager. He starts to talk about last week’s finish, and he informs the crowd that he has come up with a new #1 Contender. BRAUN STROWMAN interrupts and tells Kurt that the next words out of his mouth better be “Braun Strowman”. He tells everyone that he does not fear Brock Lesnar, and that he will become the next WWE Universal Champion. Samoa Joe comes in to make his case as the #1 Contender, while telling Braun Strowman that he will kick his teeth down his throat. Joe tells Kurt, “You need to give The Beast to me.”
This brings out Roman Reigns. I’m laying down odds he’s going to call himself the “Big Dog.” Of course, Corey says it before Roman gets the chance. Roman accurately lays out his stats, but gets a chorus of boos for saying that he ended The Undertaker. Angle declares that Brock Lesnar will fight all three men in a Fatal 4 Way at SummerSlam for the Universal Championship. After this announcement, Braun goozles both Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns! They reverse the choke slam attempt, and then double team him all the way over the barricade. After this, Joe and Roman start fighting each other! Strowman comes back in the ring and lays out both men! Security tries to intervene, but they get destroyed! THREE MEN are thrown out of the ring! One guy gets thrown 20 feet from the ring to the outside! The locker room tries to separate the three men, each of them hitting their signature moves onto one another.
Match #1 – No DQ – Finn Balor vs. Elias Samson
Balor throws his coat on Samson, and then lands some forearms in the corner. He hits a knee into Samson’s ribs, and then takes him outside. Balor hits a dropkick, followed by a running forearm as we go to break. I’m surprised that the only weapon used so far was a leather coat. After the break, Balor throws The Drifter into the barricade, and then throws him back in. Balor throws Samson into the ropes, but Elias completely drills Balor with a lariat. The announcers recap last week’s match, as Samson works on Balor’s shoulder. He throws the arm into the apron multiple times, and then grabs an armbar. Balor fights up, but Samson hits Finn with a knee. Balor props the left shoulder and throws it into the corner post. Balor fights off, but Samson re-enters the ring with a chair. Balor cuts him off and pounds him in the corner. Balor hits a crisp dropkick after a nice counter exchange. Balor gets thrown in the corner, and then Samson stands over the injured arm and wrenches it. Balor fights out of the armbar, and hits forearms. Balor starts to hit his forearms, followed by rights to the ribs. Balor stomps down Samson’s midsection, and then he grabs the chair that was knocked away from Elias. Samson counters with a kick to the gut, which allows him to pick up the chair and SMASH Balor over the back. We go to another break!
After the second break, The Drifter takes advantage by hitting a HUGE Shoulderbreaker. Samson grabs the chair and props it into the middle rope. Unfortunately, Samson ends up eating it after Balor reverses the whip. They trade blows, and Balor takes advantage with the Overhead Kick. Balor hits the running chops in the corner, but Samson. Balor brings Samson between the ring and the apron! Samson is trapped! Balor continues to strike Elias until he goes under the ring. When he comes out, Balor is ready for another kick. This is followed by a running dropkick into the barricade! Back inside, Balor returns the favor with multiple chair shots to the back of Elias! Balor hits a running dropkick into the turnbuckle! Balor climbs up for the COUP DE GRACE! The lights go out, and Bray Wyatt NAILS Balor with Sister Abigail. Samson drapes an arm over Balor for the one, two, three!
Winner: Elias Samson (**3/4)
The Kurt Angle/Jason Jordan storyline is recapped, and then Renee Young interviews Kurt Angle. He talks about how proud he is, as a father. Emma (?) interrupts, and Angle puts her in her place by booking her against Nia Jax. After this, Enzo is stopped by Big Show on his way to the ring. Show asks Enzo if he has a plan for his match against Cass, and Enzo recklessly says he doesn’t need a plan.
Match #2 – Enzo vs. Big Cass
Rematch from “Great Balls of Fire”. Enzo with a dropkick to the knees, but Cass swats him away after a sleeper attempt. Clubbing shot to the back, followed by a huge toss across the ring. Enzo goes for another sleeper, and Cass sends him backwards into the ring. Big slam by Cass, followed by a huge set of elbows. Boot to the ribs by Cass, who oddly starts singing Dean Martin. Cass props Enzo over the corner ropes, and then clubs him some more. Cass continues to beat him down, but Enzo fights up. Cass overpowers him, as Enzo is thrown into the corner repeatedly, and then the BIG BOOT finishes this. Wow.
Winner: Big Cass (*)
Enzo is pounded in the corner, but Big Show comes down to make things right. Cass threatens to break Enzo’s neck if Big Show comes in! Enzo gets thrown into Big Show, which is enough for Cass to hit a HUGE boot. Cass hits FOUR Empire Elbows, and then beats down Show some more. Show takes some kicks to the ribs by Cass, as well. Now THAT’S how you put Cass over.
Alexa Bliss is interviewed. She ponders what both women in the #1 Contender’s Match will do if they don’t make it to SummerSlam. Bayley crying in her pillow while eating twinkies is a pretty funny sight. Alexa confidently says it doesn’t matter who wins, because she’s going to stay champion after SummerSlam.
Match #3 – Nia Jax vs. Emma
Emma gets one shot, and then Nia Jax mows her down. Emma tries a dropkick to the knee, and one to the face. Emma gets a few shots in the corner, but Nia plows through her again. Emma gets tossed a few times, and Jax hits a huge elbow. Awesome somersault senton by Nia Jax! One, two, three!
Winner: Nia Jax (*)
Charly is with Akira Tozawa. Last Monday is recapped, followed by 205 Live the following night. Titus interrupts the interview, and tells Akira that this week’s match is cancelled. Akira disregards him, and heads towards the ring. Titus follows him, and tries to talk sense. Akira slaps him away. The crowd oooh’ed that one. Tension in the Titus camp!
Match #4 – Akira Tozawa vs. Ariya Daivari
Before the match gets underway, the Cruiserweight Champion Neville interrupts! Man, this entire roster is rude. Neville calls Tozawa a “shell of his former self”, but Akira starts to attack him! Akira hits the HUGE Senton, but Daivari catches Akira off-guard with a devastating attack! Daivari stands tall with Neville and Tozawa laying on the mat.
Winner: No Match
After this match, Sasha starts to talk about her ambitions for SummerSlam. Bayley tells her to focus on tonight. Sasha asks, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Well, I guess we know who is working heel tonight. After this, Jason Jordan is given an interview with Renee Young. He talks about how he emulated Kurt Angle as a young man, which makes this situation all the more real. Finally, Seth and Dean are backstage talking about the upcoming tag match. Rollins tells Dean to focus on Axel and Dallas as much as The Miz. Dean says, “Well, while you’re worried about two guys…I’m worried about four.” Wow. More tension! Good stuff.
Match #5 – #1 Contender’s Match – WWE Women’s Championship (Raw)
Bayley vs. Sasha Banks
MORE interruptions, as Alexa Bliss makes her way to the announce table. They lock up and Sasha pushes her back. They lock up again, and Sasha hits a shoulder block for two. Bayley hits a rollup for two, followed by a clothesline and a front face lock. Sasha reverses a whip, but misses a dropkick. Bayley rolls her up twice for two, but Sasha stops things with a SLAP. Sasha with the Steamboat armdrag, but Bayley turns the tables with a clothesline for two. Bayley with another front face lock, but Banks fights out of it and hits a kick. She charges the ropes, and Bayley catches her with a back body drop for two. Bayley hits a European uppercut and climbs the ropes. Sasha knocks her off the ropes to the outside as we go to break!
After the break, Sasha turns a surfboard into the double arm over Bayley’s throat. Bayley charges back into the corner, but Sasha throws her into the corner. Bayley hits the Stunner from the middle rope for the one, two, no! Bayley tries a backslide, and Sasha hits a MASSIVE knee to the face of Bayley. Sasha throws Bayley into the corner using her legs, and then hits the NASTY dropkick in the corner. Bank Statement is locked in, but Bayley rolls on her back for the one, two, no! Sasha still has a variation of the move in a Camel Clutch position, but Bayley fights up and tries her finisher! They trade slaps, and IT’S ON! Banks throws Bayley into the corner, and hits her with the double knee to the spine! Told you Sasha was the heel. 🙂 Sasha misses the double knees, allowing Bayley to hit the running knee! Bayley gets caught with a Shining Wizard by Banks, though! Both women are down! They get up before the count of ten, and then trade forearms once more in the middle of the ring! What a war! Right hand by Bayley, followed by an elbow by Bayley! Bayley tries another Stunner, but Sasha counters with knees to the face! Banks climbs up and Bayley knocks her to a seated position. Bayley with a Superplex attempt, but Banks drops her face-first and follows it up with the Frog Splash! One, two, BAYLEY REVERSES! One, two, three!
Winner: Bayley (***1/2)
Alexa Bliss comes into the ring to pose with the belt afterwards. Curt Hawkins is interviewed. He promises to ruin Jason Jordan’s debut on Raw. After this, another Special Olympics tribute is given to Cornell Grey of Washington, DC.
Match #6 – Jason Jordan vs. Curt Hawkins
Curt Hawkins SLAPS him, but Jason just completely overpowers Hawkins and drills him with forearms. Awesome suplex gets two for Jason. He continues to beat down Hawkins, causing Curt to go outside. Curt catches another slap to the face, but Jason HULKS UP once more, brother! Charge into the corner, followed by an INCREDIBLE belly-to-belly, and the straps are down! Neckbreaker variation for the one, two, three! Booker says, “Kid’s got a mean streak, I like it.” Already foreshadowing the heel turn, Book? This was dominant.
Winner: Jason Jordan (*1/2)
Match #7 – The Revival vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
Somehow, miraculously…a “NERDS!” chant breaks out. Dawson and Anderson lockup all around the ring. Dawson pushes Anderson, and gets slapped for it. Wilder tags in and both men pound Anderson in the corner. Wilder hits a forearm and tags in Dawson. Fists to the ribs of Anderson! Anderson catches a back elbow on Dawson, and tags in Gallows. Dawson causes a distraction, and Gallows is prey! He fights off both men, followed by a double clothesline by Gallows and Anderson to both men! We go to break.
After the break, Anderson fights up from an armbar, but gets drilled with a European Uppercut. Wilder tags in again, and gets a spinning back kick for his troubles. Gallows tags in and the gaijin are working as babyfaces! Gallows with a huge boot to Dawson! Big splash to Dawson! Dawson gets a running start, but gets hit with another boot! Boot of Doom is thwarted, and a chop block by Dash to Gallows! The Hardy Boyz interrupt! This is truly the Night of Interruptions. Meanwhile, in the ring, SHATTER MACHINE! One, two, three!
Winners: The Revival (**3/4)
The Hardy Boyz brawl with The Revival after the match, with Matt and Jeff hitting Poetry in Motion, and a Twist of Fate on Dawson. Jeff tries to hit the Swanton Bomb, but Dawson removes Dash from the ring! After this, the Miz gives his entourage a pep talk. They face Rollins and Ambrose next!
Match #8 – The Miztourage vs. Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose
Miz, like a true coward, tags Axel in to face Ambrose. Ambrose completely destroys him, but Axel gets a knee in the ribs to Ambrose. Seth hits a body slam and a knee drop for two. Sheamus and Cesaro look on. Rollins throws Axel to the outside, and beats down Dallas. Chop, followed by a running kick to the shoulder of Bo. Somehow, Bo gets up and drives Rollins to the mat. Miz tags in and hits the knees and elbows to Rolllins’ spine and head. Sleeperhold by Miz, which Rollins fights out of with fists. Miz knees him, but misses a clothesline that’s turned into a Sling Blade. Dean tags in and Miz escapes the ring. They chase around the ring, allowing Axel to sneak up on Ambrose. Dean and Seth take out the entire Miztourage! They regroup as we go to break!
After the break, Rollins lays out the Miztourage, but Dallas is able to take him down. Bo tags Miz, and Miz cuts off the ring. Miz hits some kicks to a fallen Rollins, and then presses down on the lower back of Seth Rollins. Front face lock by Miz, but Rollins fights up. Miz catches Rollins with the neckbreaker combo for two! Miz sets up Axel for a PERFECT snapmare. Axel continues to beat down on Rollins with knees and a facerake, followed by an amazing dropkick! Bo Dallas tags in and hits multiple knees on Seth Rollins for two. He continues the beatdown, and the tag to Miz. Booker is talking about “everyone getting the rub”, which must infuriate Vince.
Miz continues to pummel Seth in the corner, and after a brief comeback, Rollins falls victim to a DDT by Miz. Miz hits the Daniel Bryan kicks, but Rollins almost gets a rollup while Miz was distracted! Rollins knocks Axel down, allowing the HOT TAG to Ambrose! Lariats to Dallas and Axel! Neckbreaker to Axel! Flying body press to Miz outside the ring! Rollup on Dallas! One, two, no! Clothesline by Ambrose! Dean hits the top rope elbow on Dallas! One, two, Miz interrupts! Axel throws Seth into the barricade! Axel and Dallas try the spike piledriver! Axel avoids Dirty Deeds, but Miz catches Dean with the Skull Crushing Finale! One, two, Rollins interrupts! Rollins gets up after being knocked cold, and the former Shield members hit the suicide dive! Ambrose comes back into the ring, where Miz is waiting for a DDT! Rollins interrupts that with a flying knee from the top rope! Dirty Deeds hits! One, two, three!
Winners: Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (***)
After the match, Rollins was looking for the Shield fist-pump in the ring, and Ambrose leaves him in the ring to think about it. I like that ending! Booker thinks Dean “is not there yet.” He may be right. We go to credits!
Final Thoughts: Solid, focused Raw. They’ve established the SummerSlam card, and they left a few possibilities out there for other matches to represent Raw. See you next week for the Raw report!
Along with the announcement of season two of Total Bellas, E! also revealed that season seven of Total Divas returns in the Fall with three new cast members: Carmella, Nia Jax, and Alexa Bliss.
The three will join The Bella Twins, Natalya, Naomi, Lana, and Maryse as the new cast. Paige, Renee Young, and Eva Marie are no longer part of the series.
There’s still no actual premiere date for Total Divas although it’s most likely going to start as soon as Total Bellas finishes.
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon will be appearing at a special meet and greet session during SummerSlam weekend with proceeds benefitting Connor’s Cure.
The meet and greet with fans will take place on Friday, August 18 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM EST at the 40/40 Club at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Tickets will go on sale on Saturday, July 29 at 10AM EST on Ticketmaster.com for $200 each. Each ticket holder will receive an autograph from Triple H and Stephanie, a picture taken by a professional photographer, and an 8×10 glossy photo.
WWE is the primary donor for Connor’s Cure, a fund set up in honor of Connor Michalek who passed away in 2014 from pediatric cancer.
The old adage of ‘age versus experience’ extends into all facets of life. It is also a perpetual consideration for anyone placing a bet on such an unpredictable event as the Royal Rumble. Year on year, January’s flagship pay-per-view event has provoked rampant and febrile debate amongst wrestling fans as to just who will triumph.
As of July 2017, John Cena and Roman Reigns are joint-favorites to triumph in the 2018 Royal Rumble. The smart money would currently be with two-time winner Cena, especially combined with a free bet, such as a “bet £10, get £60” offer, via tipping and comparison site Oddschecker.
Victory in the next Royal Rumble would also draw the 16-time world champion level with the current leader Stone Cold Steve Austin. Famously, the Rattlesnake himself was victorious in consecutive years (1997 and 1998), defying the odds on the former occasion by winning after being just the fifth entrant of 30 on the night.
Nobody had a prayer against Stone Cold Steve Austin in the early stages of the 2002 event.
With the long list containing the names of fighters that debuted before the turn of the millennium, the imagination of older wrestling fans is once more being captured. There is, ever-present and undying, the hope that some products of the oft-exalted ‘Attitude Era’ can shine once again, in what will always be a proud fixture of the WWE.
With the swagger of real Americans, and the athleticism of Mexican luchadores, Jeff and Matt Hardy still (surprisingly) have a similar price to some younger stars, of +2000. Both appeared in a Royal Rumble for the first time back in 2001, after featuring on the undercard at the corresponding event in the previous two years.
Famously, Jeff and Matt were drawn to enter first and third respectively. Once they had successfully conspired to eliminate Steve Richards (the second entrant) the tag team partners fist-bumped and duly fought for the cameras. That was the case until entrant number four, Farooq, entered the fray seconds later, but soon after, the Hardy Boyz eliminated each other, getting nowhere near the end of the bout.
The Hardy Boyz have made a recent comeback.
A year later, the duo fared little better. Although entering later, they amassed a total of just 5 minutes and 46 seconds of ring time before being eliminated by The Undertaker. It would not be until 2003 that either of the Hardy Boyz attained a respectable amount of time, with Matt Hardy racking up just over 27 minutes in the ring. However, one troubling record remains unchanged: neither has ever managed to eliminate a Royal Rumble opponent single-handedly.
Time marches on, but the 2018 Royal Rumble could be the time to break this particular curse. With such short odds on either of the Hardy Boyz to win, bookmakers seem relatively confident that 2018 could be the year that said curse is finally broken.
E! today announced that Total Bellas will return for season two on Wednesday, September 6 at 9PM EST.
There will be eight, one-hour episodes focusing on the lives of Nikki, Brie, John Cena, and Daniel Bryan along with their family. In the first season, it was Brie and Bryan who moved to Florida to help out Nikki and John with their surgeries. This time it’s the other way round as Nikki and John move to Phoenix to help Brie and Daniel Bryan through their first pregnancy.
Season two will kick-off with Nikki and John’s in-ring return to WWE, while Brie and Daniel are in need of extra support as they enter the final weeks leading up to the arrival of baby Birdie. This season also follows Nikki on her road to WrestleMania as she prepares for her dream tag-team match alongside John.
“With Daniel back on the road with WWE as the General Manager of SmackDown Live and John’s career in Hollywood rising, The Bellas’ bond is put to the test, but they grow stronger than ever. The sisters go head-to-head with an exhilarating pregnancy and an emotional road to a long-awaited proposal as they step into the next chapter of their ever-changing lives,” the synopsis reads.
Apple has tapped Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for a cool – and long – three and a half minute commercial promoting Siri, Apple’s own voice assistant service which is available for iOS devices.
“I partnered with #Apple to make the BIGGEST, COOLEST, CRAZIEST, DOPEST, MOST OVER THE TOP, FUNNEST (is that even a word?) movie ever. And I have the greatest co-star of all time – #SIRI,” The Rock tweeted. “I make movies for the world to enjoy and we also made this one to motivate you to get out there and get the job done. I want you to watch it, have fun with it and then go LIVE IT.”
Titled The Rock x Siri, the commercial – or movie as they’re calling it – features The Rock challenging a television news report where the newscaster wonders if The Rock can take on any more stuff. “That sounds like a challenge,” The Rock says as he grabs his iPhone and starts doing a million things together thanks to the assistance of Siri.
During the whole three and a half minute video, The Rock goes everywhere including a trip to outer space where he asks Siri to take a selfie while he flexes his muscles in the astronaut outfit. “I hope that does not cause an eclipse,” Johnson quips.
The video is splashed on the front page of Apple.com and you can see it as well below.
The Great Khali made a surprise return last night at Battleground to help Jinder Mahal retain the WWE title during the Punjabi prison match.
The former World Heavyweight champion came out towards the end of the match and prevented Randy Orton from escaping the outer structure. First, Khali shook the whole cage as Orton hung on not to fall down. Then, Khali grabbed Orton by the neck and held him, allowing enough time for Mahal to climb out and win the match.
Khali was last seen in WWE at the end of 2014 with his contract expiring in November of that year. WWE chose not to extend his deal. The 7’1″ monster was described by Mahal as one of his heroes before announcing the return of the Punjabi prison gimmick match a few weeks back on Smackdown.
During his time in WWE, Khali won the World Heavyweight title once, winning a 20-man battle royal on Smackdown in July 2007 for the vacant title.
Here are the results from last night’s Battleground pay-per-view which took place from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Aiden English defeated Tye Dillinger in the Kickoff match; The New Day defeated The Usos to become the new WWE Smackdown Tag Team champions; Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Baron Corbin via disqualification; Natalya defeated Lana, Tamina, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte in a fatal 5-way match to become the number one contender for the WWE Smackdown Women’s title; Kevin Owens defeated AJ Styles to become the new WWE United States champion; John Cena defeated Rusev in a flag match; Sami Zayn defeated Mike Kanellis; Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton to retain the WWE title with the help of the returning Great Khali.
There have been only two Punjabi prison matches in WWE history, one featuring The Undertaker vs The Big Show and one with Batista vs The Great Khali. There are no pinfalls or submissions in the Punjabi prison match, so how does one win?
The gimmick match has two bamboo structures surrounding the ring. The interior structure contains four doors, each of them manned by a different referee. The doors only open when one of the Superstars in the match instructs the referee to open it. Once the call is made, there is only one minute to walk through the door and into the outer structure.
If the minute expires and there’s no successful escape to the outer cage, the door is locked and cannot be reopened. The same rules apply for the other three doors as well. If all doors are locked for good, the only way out is to climb the inner structure.
What happens when you’re out of the inner structure? Well, to win the match you have to climb the second outer structure and just like a regular cage match, both feet must touch the ground to win.
Yesterday we published the odds for the WWE title match which will be contested inside the Punjabi prison gimmick match and the current champion, Jinder Mahal, was the favorite. The odds did not shift much today and Mahal is still the favorite with odds at 2/5 in his favor while Randy Orton, the challenger, is at 7/4.
The United States champion AJ Styles is also favorite to retain his title at 4/9, while Kevin Owens is at 13/8 to regain the title he lost at Madison Square Garden earlier this month. The same odds are given to The Usos to retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles at 4/9 and The New Day are as well at 13/8 for the upset.
As you might have guessed, John Cena is the overwhelming favorite to win the flag match, with odds at 1/8 in his favor. Rusev is a distant 9/2 to grab the Bulgarian flag before Cena grabs the U.S. one. The Queen of Harts, Natalya, is the odds-on-favorite to become the new number one contender for the Smackdown Women’s title with odds at 4/9. Charlotte is at 2/1, Becky at 16/1, Lana at 25/1, ad Tamina at 33/1.
Mike Kanellis looks like he will pick up his first WWE PPV win with 4/7 odds against Sami Zayn, who is at 5/4. Mr Money In The Bank Baron Corbin doesn’t seem to be that lucky though as he is the underdog at 7/4, while Shinsuke Nakamura is at 2/5. And in the Kickoff match, Tye Dillinger is 2/9 to win against Aiden English who is at 3/1.
Live tonight from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, WWE presents Battleground 2017 on pay-per-view and the WWE Network. The full card is as follows:
Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton in a Punjabi prison match for the WWE title; AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens for the WWE United States title; The Usos vs The New Day for the WWE Smackdown Tag Team titles; John Cena vs Rusev in a flag match; Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch vs Natalya vs Tamina vs Lana in fatal 5-way elimination match to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Smackdown Women’s title; Sami Zayn vs Mike Kanellis; Shinsuke Nakamura vs Baron Corbin; and Tye Dillinger vs Aiden English in the Kickoff match.
Battleground is free for first-time subscribers on the WWE Network. You can subscribe by going to http://w-o.it/wwentwrk to start your 30-day free trial.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be back on television every week starting tonight as his series Ballers on HBO returns with season 3 starting at 10PM EST.
The comedy series features Johnson as Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL player turned financial manager along with the cast of Rob Corddry as Joe Krutel, John David Washington as Ricky Jerret, Omar Miller as Charles Greane, Donovan W. Carter as Vernon Littlefield, Troy Garity as Jason, London Brown as Reggie, Jazmyn Simon as Julie Greane, and Arielle Kebbel.
Season two averaged 1.17 million viewers over 10 episodes. Ballers, which filmed seasons one and two in Miami, based its production for season three in California to benefit from tax incentives.
