16-time World heavyweight champion John Cena made his return to Smackdown Live last night, opening the show with an Independence Day-themed promo. It was his first time in a WWE ring since WrestleMania 33.
He touched on the rumors that he’s going Hollywood, and that he sold out. “They say I’m nothing more than a part-time mascot,” Cena said. “Well, allow me to retort. I’m not a part-timer, I am an all-timer and that means Monday Night Raw, that means Smackdown Live,” because if his time in WWE is limited, he’s going down in a blaze of glory.
He then started mentioning Superstars such as Brock Lesnar, Jinder Mahal, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins and others. “You line them up, I will knock everyone down.”
A new-look Rusev came out to interrupt him, his first televised appearance since the Fastlane pay-per-view back in February. Rusev told Cena that while he was in Hollywood, he was rehabbing his shoulder and complained that while Cena had commercials plugging his return, he had nothing. He mentioned the video message he sent to Shane and Daniel Bryan around two months ago but no one replied, and he’s tired of waiting.
Cena eventually challenged him to a match but Rusev backed out, ending the segment. It was then announced that the two will meet at Battleground in a flag match.
Another return is upon us, as well as potential for further controversy, and another scenario for the WWE Championship. I am not going to spoil, so just read on to find out!
And of course, I wish all Americans a blessed Independence Day!
Introduction Segment: Video Promo
A combination of Smackdown! wrestlers and American Patriotism footage is mixed together to commemorate America’s Day.
Arena Promo
We go live to the arena in Phoenix, Arizona, where the host asks us to welcome back John Cena! (Note: as a tribute for America’s Independence Day, the ring ropes are red, white, and blue.)
John plays to the fans first and talks about what America means, and what America’s ideologies, as well as WWE’s, are. Cena says that people have been talking about him “selling out” to Hollywood, and not being committed to WWE. He fires back that he has not lost the passion, and is a “free agent” because he will “knock them all down” on both Monday Night Raw and Smackdown! Live.
Rusev – who also has been out of action lately – interjects. He berates America and Cena, and is upset that he wasn’t getting promo videos on his return from injury. John jousts back and challenges Rusev to a Flag Match for tonight, but “The Bulgarian Brute” denies him.
Office Promo
General Manager Daniel Bryan is on his cell phone when Chad Gable walks in. He is waiting for A.J. Styles who quickly joins. Bryan says that United States Champion Kevin Owens has been messaging him about excluding Styles and Gable since Owens as defeated them twice. Daniel decides to put A.J. and Chad in a match together that will determine who moves on to the Battle Royal..
Commercials.
Match #1: Single – A.J. Styles VS. Chad Gable
(Stipulation: Winner goes to the Independence Day Battle Royal)
They measure each other out to begin and then Gable waistlock-slams A.J. a few times. They go back-and-forth until Styles hits a dropkick as Chad ran at him.
Commercials.
Both are battling on the turnbuckle, with Gable attempting to overhead-suplex Styles, but A.J. slides under. “The Phenomenal One’ goes for his Phenomenal Forearm, but Chad trips him up. Gable moonsaults from the top turnbuckle, but A.J. ducks and Chad lands on his feet. Styles goes for his Styles Clash, but Gable rolls under and clasps on an Ankle Lock! A.J. reverses that into his Calf Crusher, but Chad manages to struggle out of it!
Gable shoves A.J. into the corner and rolls back, but A.J. rolls through into a Victory Roll for a near-fall! He hits his Pele Kick and then the Phenomenal Forearm and covers for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall and ADVANCING to the Independence Day Battle Royal: A.J. Styles
Post-match, Styles helps Chad up and nods in approval of Gable’s efforts.
Locker Room Promo
Mojo Rawley looks contemplative when his partner Zack Ryder walks in. Zack says they should forget about their loss to Tag Team champions The Usos from last week’s Smackdown! Live; Mojo agrees, but then Ryder tells him that he got them places in the Independence Day Battle Royal. Rawley thanks him.
Commercials.
Arena Promo
The first-ever “two-time” “Miss Money In The Bank” Carmella, along with James Ellsworth, struts out to the ring. She throws her win(s) in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match(es) in the fans’ faces and then goes after Women’s champion Naomi verbally.
Naomi responds and also takes a verbal shot a James, and then brings out GM Bryan. He bans Ellsworth from the building, fines him ten grand, and suspends him for a month for his interference in the last two Money In The Bank Matches. He warns Ellsworth that if he doesn’t comply, then Carmella will be dethroned of the Money In The Bank Contract. She drags James away, not wanting to lose her Women’s championship opportunity.
Up next, Naomi defends against Lana.
Commercials.
Match #2: Single for the Women’s Championship – Lana (Challenger) VS. Naomi (Champion)
Naomi sunset-flip right over and into her submission, forcing Lana to immediately give-in!
Winner via Submission and STILL Women’s Champion: Naomi
Post-match, Tamina appears and orders Lana to walk away with her. Lana slowly obliges.
Backstage Promo
Shinsuke Nakamura is asked about Money In The Bank winner Baron Corbin being afraid of him; suddenly Corbin hits Nakamura from behind with the briefcase and yells at him about being scared. Shinsuke gets back up and hits him with a couple of hard shots until many separate them.
Commercials.
Arena Promo
A “Rap Battle” takes place between The New Day (with people dressed like historical American people) and Tag Team champions The Usos (with an entourage of their own). The host is Wale, and he declares New Day the winners after The Usos get physical. In my opinion, Usos really won with their words.
Commercials.
Match #3: Single – Aiden English VS. Randy Orton
English begins with a song in Opera tone, but Randy interrupts with his entrance. Aiden doesn’t take kindly and hits Orton with the microphone and throws him into the steel steps. He goes back to the ring ton continue his song.
Commercials.
The bout has actually begun, but Orton goes aggressive, and hits English with the steel steps to cause a dq.
Winner via Disqualification: Aiden English
Post-match, Randy RKO’s Aiden, but is interrupted by WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, who walks out to the stage with The Singh Brothers. He rants about the people still not liking him because of his Indian heritage and threatens to put all of them in the Punjabi Prison. Orton demands him to stop talking and the real reason people don’t like Jinder is because he’s “a jackass.”
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Tye Dillinger is walking the halls when Tyler Breeze – dressed as a woman – inquires about Tye’s strategy for the Battle Royal. Tyler calls himself “Tene Young,” and Dillinger drops hints about Breeze and Fandango maybe having to fight each other in the Battle Royal. Fandango is behind Tye, dressed as a construction worker. Tye walks away, and Fandango and Tyler swear to remain “bros” despite what may happen in the Battle Royal.
Backstage Promo
Rene Young is with Mike and Maria Kannelis, who are interrupted by technical difficulties and then Sami Zayn. He apologies but is happy to hear about their “love” and goes on about it until his music plays and he runs out for the Battle Royal!
Commercials.
Match #4: Independence Battle Royal – Sami Zayn VS. Erick Rowan VS. Luke Harper, VS. Dolph Ziggler VS. Konnor VS. Viktor VS. Sin Cara VS. Primo VS. Epico VS. Fandango VS. Tyler Breeze VS. Mojo Rawley VS. Zack Ryder VS. Tye Dillinger VS. A.J. Styles
(Stipulation: Winner wrestles United States Champion Kevin Owens for the Championship at Battleground)
(Note: United States Champion Kevin Owens is on commentary)
Dolph Ziggler is the first out after a bit of battling between all.
Commercials.
Fandango is dumped, and Tyler as well, but is caught by Fandango who puts his partner back in the ring. Rowan then tosses Tyler again. Mojo and Zack hurl Erick over the ropes, and then Rawley throws Ryder over! “Long Island Iced-Z” is shocked but Mojo mouths “sorry.” Sami boots Rawley to the floor, and we are now down to Sami, Tye, and A.J.
Dillinger gets a lot of momentum, giving both his “Tye-Breaker” finisher (G.T.S.) but Sami soon chucks him out. Styles and Zayn slugs back-and-forth, and end up in a suplex-position on the apron. A.J. gets out of it and Pele Kicks Sami to eliminate him!
Winner via Elimination and NEW #1 Contender for the United States Championship: A.J. Styles
Post-match, Owens sharply attacks Styles, but “The Phenomenal One” gets the better and holds up the U.S. Championship to close the show.
Travel packages for the Royal Rumble next year will be available on July 17 and the Rumble weekend will include NXT Takeover, Raw, and Smackdown as well.
There will be three different packages: Royal, VIP, and Gold, and each come with mostly the same items, but better seating for highest priced packages and some extras as well. Each package includes NXT Takeover: Philadelphia, Royal Rumble, Raw, and Smackdown tickets, Sunday breakfast with WWE Superstars and exclusive autograph sessions, and a 3 or 4 night accommodation at a Philly hotel depending how many shows you want to attend.
The Royal package will also include ringside tickets for all four live events as well as an exclusive reception with WWE Superstars prior to the Royal Rumble.
The lowest-priced package costs $900 in a quad room while the Royal package comes at $2,925 per person in a quad room. Individual Royal Rumble 2018 tickets go on sale to the general public starting Saturday, July 29 at 11AM ET. For more information go to royalrumbletravel.com.
Two more title matches were added to the Great Balls of Fire card, with both the Intercontinental and Raw Tag Team titles on the line.
After going through a few gimmick matches already, the Raw Tag Team titles will now be defended in a 30-minute iron man match. The last time these two teams met, the match ended in a count-out after a 2-out-of-3 falls match on Raw and each tag team won a fall.
The Intercontinental title match will once again be The Miz taking on Dean Ambrose, who have brought over their feud from Smackdown following the Superstar Shake-up.
There will be eight matches in total on the Great Balls of Fire card, including one which will be a Kickoff match and five title defenses.
Tommaso Ciampa, one half of the former DIY tag team in NXT, will be on the shelf until early 2018 according to Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet.
The man known as The Psycho Killer last appeared on NXT television on the May 31 episode and came out on crutches. Ciampa suffered an ankle injury two days before NXT Takeover: Chicago which jeopardized the match however he soldiered on and went on to have a fantastic match along with Johnny Gargano and the Authors of Pain.
Ciampa turned on his partner after the match, a match which headlined the Takeover event, but that was the last time he wrestled due to his injury. He recently underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL and is expected to be out for up to 9 more months.
Since now GFW and Impact Wrestling are one thing, it was just a matter of time before the televised events, titled Amped, that Global Force Wrestling taped last year would see the light of day.
It was announced today that Amped Anthology will air as a 4-part tournament style One Night Only pay-per-view series starting on August 11th.
In ‘Part I’ you will see international stars in action like Sanada, PJ Black, Nick Aldis, Kushida, The Bollywood Boys, and Sonjay Dutt. Superstars on the first card include Mickie James, Bobby Roode, Brian Myers and Chris “The Adonis” Mordetzky.
Calling the action is Bellator MMA and former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen and international ring announcer Cyrus Fees.
Former tag team partners Enzo and Big Cass will get a chance to showcase their one-on-one skills against each other as a match between the two was added to the Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view.
The trigger was pulled two weeks ago on the long-rumored split of the popular NXT and WWE tag team when it was revealed that Big Cass was the one who was attacking Enzo Amore every week on Raw. For the past two weeks it was Cass who had the upper hand, beating on his former partner even when last week Amore wanted to “forgive” him.
On Raw last night however the tables were turned and it was Amore who attacked Cass after delivering one of his best promos in the ring.
Great Balls of Fire takes place this coming Sunday live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on the WWE Network.
WWE Superstar Paige was ringside at the Slammiversary pay-per-view last night in Orlando, Florida to watch her fiancee Alberto El Patron unify the GFW and Impact World titles.
The former NXT and Divas champion was wearing a Dos Caras blue lucha mask as she sat ringside however the pale skin and the reserved seat with her name gave it all away. A fan who was sitting behind Paige captured a shot of the reserved note on her seat, which had the Universal Studios logo along with ‘visitor’ written and her real name Saraya Bevis and the 7/2/2017 date.
Paige is already not on the best terms with WWE and her attending the Slammiversary pay-per-view sure did not get her any brownie points. You can see her photos from the show below.
WWE Hall of Fame red carpet host Maria Menounos revealed with People Magazine that she was diagnosed with brain tumor at the same time her mother was battling stage 4 brain tumor herself.
Menounos said that in February she started having trouble reading the teleprompter, having headaches and getting lightheaded on set as well as slurring her speech. After undergoing an MRI, doctors discovered a golf ball-sized brain tumor that was pushing on her facial nerves.
Thankfully, the tumor was benign and last month she underwent a seven-hour surgery where doctors removed 99.9% of it. “He said there’s a six to seven percent chance that we’ll see it come back,” she says. “But I’ll take those odds any day.”
Menounos is now back at home recovering, where her face is still numb and her balance is still off but she’s getting stronger every day.
The 39-year-old is a yearly fixture at the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony and even inducted her good friend Bob Backlund. She also has a WrestleMania win to her name when she tagged with Kelly Kelly to take on Eve Torres and Beth Phoenix at WrestleMania 28.
Jeff Hardy will be hosting a CD release after party in honor of his band’s latest album, Precession of the Equinoxes, on July 17 after Monday Night Raw.
The event will be hosted at The Valentine, on 312 Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee, and the former champion will be taking the stage at around 11PM. Doors open at 10PM. Event is open to ages 21+ and tickets can be purchased on JeffHardyBrand.com for $15.
Smith Hart, the oldest of 12 siblings of the Hart family, passed away yesterday after a battle with prostate and bone cancers.
Smith announced that he had cancer in January of last year and then a year later posted on Facebook that his cancer is now terminal and given around a year to live. That year was unfortunately cut in half and last month he entered hospice care.
The 68-year-old wrestled for Stampede Wrestling and World Wrestling Council and made a couple of appearances in WWE. In 1994, he appeared at SummerSlam during the cage match between his brothers Owen and Bret and then in 2010 appeared at WrestleMania 26 along with the rest of the Hart family for Bret’s return in his match against Vince McMahon. Smith also was at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony of his father Stu.
July 2, the day of his death, also happened to be Bret Hart’s birthday.
“My uncle Smith Hart will be forever in our hearts as unique, genuine and as real as they come. And we are proud of you for fighting so hard in your battle against cancer. We will miss you so much, Smith,” tweeted Natalya. WWE.COM also posted a short note on the website acknowledging Smith’s passing.
Here are the results from last night’s Slammiversary XV pay-per-view which took place live from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Braxton Sutter, Mahabali Shera and Allie defeated KM, Kongo Kong and Laurel Van Ness in the pre-show match; LAX defeated Naomichi Marufuji & Taiji Ishimori, Drago & El Hijo del Fantasma, and Laredo Kid & Garza Jr. in a fatal 4-way match to unify the Impact and GFW Tag Team titles; DeAngelo Williams and Moose defeated Chris Adonis and Eli Drake; Ethan Carter III defeated James Storm in a strap match; Joseph Park and Jeremy Borash defeated Scott Steiner Josh Mathews in a no DQ match; Eddie Edwards and Alisha defeated Davey Richards and Angelina Love in a full metal mayhem match; Sonjay Dust defeated Low Ki to retain the X Division title in a 2-out-of-3 falls match; Sienna defeated Rosemary to unify the Impact and GFW Women’s titles; Alberto El Patron defeated Lashley to unify the Impact and GFW World titles.
Before we start discussing the top five best matches on the independent wrestling circuit this month, we would like to discuss the absolute worst – the ACW wrestling show. We would like to mention that this show took place the night before the WWE pay-per-view Extreme Rules, and ACW decided to attempt to get their own version of an Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
They failed miserably. The wrestlers used every type of weapon including doors, trash can lids, and large cookie sheets. However, we feel that they relied too much on work outside of the ring, and not enough on the action inside of the ring. We also feel if imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, then the WWE would prefer not to be flattered. But, enough about the matches that we wish we hadn’t seen, and on to the matches that had us screaming for more. We are starting at the bottom with number five and working our way to the top ending with the best independent match this month let begin the Countdown
The number five spot on the countdown goes to a match that took place across the pond in England at the ICW versus PCW Decider pay-per-view. This pay-per-view was incredibly unique because ICW and PCW come from opposite ends of the country, the north and south respectively, while this regional United Kingdom showdown provided many wonderful matches to entertain us, it was the match of Sammy Smooth versus Moose that won the fifth spot on our countdown.
The slow start of the match was the main reason that it scored a low spot. The beginning of the match consisted of mostly chair shots and chops. Very few technical moves were used for about the first 10 minutes of the match. The early parts of the match also consisted of work which took place outside of the ring. However, once Smooth and Moose into the ring the real magic of the match began. Smooth went to work on one of Moose’s legs and continued to contort and place pressure on Moose’s leg until he rendered Moose unable to use that leg. Smooth also showed tremendous stamina and ingenuity by using the ropes to his advantage repeatedly trapping Moose’s leg in between the two ropes. However, in the end, Moose managed to pin Smooth for victory.
The number four spot on our countdown goes to a match between Anthony Henry and Fred Yehi at Style Battle season one episode five. Both competitors showed extreme heart during this match. Yehi and Henry had both wrestled twice already in the tournament, which is the reason this match didn’t make it to a higher place on the countdown. The energy seemed lacking in both competitors towards the end of the match. If we had a category for the wrestler with the most heart, the prize would definitely go to Anthony Henry in this match.
It is worth noting that Henry entered this match as a wild card only gaining entry because he won a battle royal. However, Henry definitely proved his worth to us during this match. He managed to kick out of three pin falls in a row. Also, it is worth acknowledging that Fred Yehi has a very unique way of disabling opponents he uses the technique of stepping on opponents joints. He particularly tends to step on hands and wrists. Stepping on these joints can make it particularly difficult for opponents to secure wrestling holds, however Henry managed to fight his way out of Yehi’s submission hold and pin him for a victory.
Number three goes to the match of Fred Yehi versus Joey Janela at Full Impact Pro Wrestling. Before we go any further, we would like to acknowledge that yes, we realize that we put two of Fred Yehi’s matches on this countdown, and there is a simple reason for that; he is simply that good. While Jenella showed heart while defending himself against Yehi’s vicious stomps this match was a great opportunity for Yehi to showcase his talent without the additional matches and time limits that Style Battle placed on him.
Coming in at number two on our countdown is the match at Evolve 86 to between Zach Sabre Jr and Matt Riddle. These two wrestlers put on a classic match showcasing techinical moves and grapples. It should also be noted that Zach seemed to be a much better wrestler than the one that we saw at WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic this summer. Perhaps he was trying to conform to WWE’s ideas to much.
At number one on our countdown is the match between Jason Kincaid and Timothy Thatcher. This wrestling match had something for everyone. There were technical style grapples, aerial work, and even some Japanese style moves. Kincaid’s character was strange but engaging, and his meditating in the ring in the middle of the match was a hilarious addition. In the end, it was his knowledge of Japanese wrestling maneuvers that secured him the victory.
That’s all for now, see you back here next month for another edition of T and D’s Indy Top Five.
President Donald Trump used a WWE video in his latest attack against CNN in a tweet fired off today.
Trump, who has made it no secret that he does not like CNN and calls it fake news, today tweeted “#FraudNewsCNN #FNN” and then added a video of him from WrestleMania 23 attacking Vince McMahon. The only difference was that Vince McMahon’s face was covered with a CNN logo.
The editorial team of CNN did not appreciate or saw the funny side of the video and said that it is a sad day when the President of the United States encourages violence against reporters, calling the tweet and his actions “juvenile behavior far below the dignity of his office.”
President Trump is a WWE Hall of Famer, a big WWE fan, and a personal friend of the McMahon family. I guess this is a video that WWE won’t oppose to and classify it under “free advertising” since it went to Trump’s 33.1 million followers.
Live from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, Impact Wrestling presents Slammiversary XV on pay-per-view. The card is as follows:
Lashley vs Alberto El Patron in a unification match for the Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight and GFW Global titles; Rosemary vs Sienna in a unification match for the Impact Wrestling Knockouts and GFW Women’s titles; LAX vs Drago and El Hija del Fantasma vs Naomichi Marufuji and Taiji Ishimori vs Laredo Kid and Garza Jr. in a fatal 4-way unification tag team match for the Impact Wrestling World and GFW Tag Team titles; Sonjay Dutt vs Low-Ki in a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the X Division title; Jeremy Borash and Joseph Park vs Josh Mathews and Scott Steiner; Ethan Carter III vs James Storm in a strap match; DeAngelo Williams and Moose vs Chris Adonis and Eli Drake; Eddie Edwards and Alisha Edwards vs Davey Richards and Angelina Love in a full metal mayhem match.
Tammy “Sunny” Sytch was hospitalized last night at the South Side Hospital in New York after she passed out and fell.
In the posted she posted on Facebook, the WWE Hall of Famer was in a neck brace and showed several bruises as well as blood on her hair. She noted that doctors won’t let her shower yet because she’s not steady on her feet.
Sunny has had some pretty bad problems over the past several years, getting arrested multiple times, drug and alcohol abuse, and coming in and out of rehabilitation centers as WWE paid for her stays. Eventually WWE got tired of her antics and stopped paying for her multiple rehab stints although later changed their mind and restarted their payments.
Holidays usually turn viewers away from television and unfortunately for WWE, the live episode of Smackdown next week will drop right on the popular Independence Day holiday in the United States. It’s not the first time that it happened, but with viewership already down overall, WWE is really pushing for a big Smackdown.
The Independence Day Smackdown Live show on Tuesday will see the return of John Cena on WWE television for the first time since WrestleMania 33. The last time Cena was in a WWE ring, he proposed to Nikki Bella in the middle of the squared circle at Camping World Stadium. WWE is promoting Cena as a “free agent” and the former 16-time World champion will be making some appearances on both brands until it’s figured out on which brand he will permanently move…for now.
The Smackdown Women’s title will be on the line with Lana receiving its third title shot following this week’s quick loss to Naomi. Lana posted a photo on her Twitter showing that her shoulder was up when Naomi pinned her and Daniel Bryan granted her another title shot “so that we may have a definitive winner.”
And the challenger for Kevin Owens’ United States title will be decided on Tuesday as well in an
Independence Day battle royal. The only name announced for this over-the-top rope battle royal so far is AJ Styles and we still don’t know how many participants will be in this match.
Hip-hop star and huge wrestling fan Wale will be hosting a rap-off this coming Tuesday on Smackdown Live between The New Day and the Smackdown Tag Team champions The Usos.
“Vince gave me the co-sign. Jay-Z dropped that inspiration. Things are going great. Catch me on Smackdown Live,” Wale wrote, while telling The Usos and Big E to “keep it clean” on Tuesday. The Usos told Wale that as long as he calls it clean, they don’t have to get dirty while Big E posted a photo partying with Wale saying that he couldn’t be more pleased to have the impartial Wale hosting the rap-off on Tuesday!
The 32-year-old American artist hosts the yearly WaleMania event during the WrestleMania weekend where loads of wrestling stars from different promotions join in on the fun.
Global Force Wrestling is planning its own version of the WWE Network according to Ed Nordholm of Anthem Sports & Entertainment as the new brand tries to tap into its thousands of hours of footage.
TNA/Impact Wrestling has footage that dates back to 2002 including that of its weekly show Impact as well as many pay-per-views that have been held since then. Footage includes some of the best matches from the careers of AJ Styles, Matt Hardy, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, and Kurt Angle, all of whom are now part of WWE.
“The objective is to make that our own video on-demand hub,” Nordholm said, adding that their YouTube channel is “highly ranked” in the sports category with just under 1 million subscribers.
The company already has a similar streaming service for those in the United Kingdom for 4.99GBP a month titled Total Access Impact which features Fight Network’s original weekly recap series Inside Impact, classic episodes of Impact, Xplosion episodes, Impact’s Greatest Matches, British Boot Camp, Epics, Unfinished Business, and Legends, as well as the latest live pay-per-view events, classic PPVs, and One Night Only specials.
With the rebrand of the Impact Wrestling name to Global Force Wrestling, one title that includes the now old name has survived.
The weekly television show Impact Wrestling on POP TV will continue to be called that, although it looks like it will be shortened to just Impact according to the Tennessean story which broke the news of the rebranding.
Anthem recently launched a new-look of the show along with a new logo that features the GFW blue and green color scheme.
