Against virtually every repeat program on television going head to head, Smackdown drew its lowest rating since the November 8, 2016 broadcast which happened to be Election Day. Smackdown drew 2,072,000 viewers, down 277,000 viewers from last week.
Taking out shows that fell on holidays or important dates, this week’s Smackdown was the lowest-rated since December 3, 2015. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Vic Joseph, the NXT host and announcer, is the new commentator for 205 Live and will be replacing Tom Phillips.
The change was done yesterday and it looks like it’s a permanent one according to Phillips. “Very excited for @VicJosephWWE to join #205Live! Be sure to check him out every Tuesday night,” he said in a tweet.
Phillips has been doing commentary for 205 Live ever since Mauro Ranallo left back in March. Joseph now tag teams with Raw commentator Corey Graves for 205 Live, the only original commentator left since the show’s inception in November 2016.
Vic Joseph, real name Vic Travagliante, is an Independence, Ohio native who was the voice of Tommy Dreamer’s promotion House of Hardcore. He made his NXT debut on the January 12 NXT live event in Tampa, Florida.
WWE today announced that it will bring a live event to Shenzhen for the first time, as WWE Live China comes to the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Arena on Sunday, September 17. The event marks WWE’s return to China following last year’s successful show at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai. The event is being held in association with Live Nation.
Tickets for the show go on sale this Friday, June 16 at 10AM local time at www.damai.cn.
“WWE’s return to China demonstrates our continued commitment to the market,” said Jay Li, Vice President & General Manager, WWE Greater China. “Our WWE Superstars will deliver an action-packed night of family-friendly entertainment that is certain to create memories that will last a lifetime.”
The Smackdown brand will be doing this show with John Cena, AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kevin Owens, The New Day, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Sami Zayn and others advertised to appear.
“Live Nation is proud to extend our relationship with WWE, a renowned global entertainment brand,” said Dennis Argenzia, Vice President, Asia Touring, Live Nation. “We are excited to bring this action-packed and family-friendly WWE live show to Shenzhen, China this September.”
WWE also announced Mission Hills China as official partner of the show. “Mission Hills, the largest golf club in the world, is excited and proud to partner with WWE, a global entertainment company, to bring WWE Live to China,” said Tenniel Chu, Vice Chairman of Mission Hills Group. “Together we are bringing the excitement and family-friendly entertainment of WWE LIVE to fans here in Shenzhen for the very first time.”
After two weeks away – both for good/fun reasons – I am back writing about Smackdown! Live. This Sunday is Money In The Bank, which is looking like a good card. Following the show report, I will give my predictions.
For tonight, we have a Six-Man Tag-Team lined up featuring all of the male wrestlers in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match; who will have the momentum going into the Pay-Per-View? What else will happen on the “go home” show? Read on to find out!
Tuesday Night Smackdown! Live Television Report for June 13, 2017 – “Money Hits”
Introduction: Video Promo and Welcoming
The regular Smackdown! Live opener starts and then we go live to New Orleans. Tom Phillips, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, and Byron Saxton greet us and run down the matches for tonight, which includes the aforementioned Six-Man and an Eight-Man Tag-Team! Also, WWE Champion Jinder Mahal will go face-to-face with his Money In The Bank opponent and challenger for the WWE Championship, Randy Orton.
Arena Promo
The New Day – Kofi Kingston, Big E., and Xavier Woods – make a grand entrance with a band call The Soul Rebels. They put over New Orleans as the host of Wrestlemania 34 next year (2018) and then themselves as becoming the next Tag-Team Champions.
The current Tag-Team Champions, The Usos – Jimmy and Jey – walk out and denounce New Day’s claims until Breezeango – Tyler Breeze and Fandango – do the same. The Colons join and take sides with The Usos while Breezeango teams up with The New Day!
Commercials.
Match #1: Eight-Man Tag-Team – The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) (with New Day member Big E.) and Breezeango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) VS. Tag-Team Champions The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) and The Colons (Primo and Epico)
Fandango and Jimmy begin, but Jimmy wants one of the New Day members. Fandango switches with Kofi, but Jimmy teases and tags in Epico, who is quickly put to the mat with a dropkick. Kofi and Xavier double-team for a near-fall, and then Fandango is back in. he leaps over Epico out of the corner and then twists him with a tilt-a-whirl running headscissors! Epico tries a sunset-flip but Fandango drops a leg on him for two!
Breeze comes in but is put into The Usos and Colons’ corner. Jey works over Tyler as does his brother, quickly switches with Primo. New Day and Fashion Police govern Primo for a bit and they clear the ring!
Commercials.
Primo is now dominating Breeze with a surfboard stretch and then drop-toeholds him into the middle rope. The Usos double-team with a backbreaker/legdrop combo to get two. Jey measures Tyler in the corner and runs at him with a rear-bump! Epico is back in and stall-suplexes Breeze and wears him down with a grounding-rear-chinlock. Tyler makes a comeback with a clothesline on both Primo and Epico and then makes the hot-tag to Xavier! He is whipped in the ring but flips over the top rope with a sunset into both Colons; Kofi hits his Trouble-In-Paradise spin-kick but Jimmy breaks the count. New Day are back in and plant Primo with their double-team finish, and Woods covers for the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: The New Day and Breezango
Later tonight, Charlotte will wrestle Natalya.
Commercials.
Video Promo
John Cena is returning on July 4th to Smackdown! Live, however he is listed as a “free agent.”
Backstage Promo
A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura are chatting when Sami Zayn walks up. Zayn wants to strategize about their Six-Man Tag-Team, and vows they will be victorious. He decides to go stretch while Shinsuke says “I like him.”
Backstage Promo
Dasha is with Mojo Rawley, who thanks Commissioner Shane McMahon for his opportunity at WWE Champion Jinder Mahal from last week’s Smackdown! Live. He says that his career is really just beginning but then gets a hand on his shoulder. That is of his tag-team partner, Zack Ryder, who is back. “Long Island Iced-Z” tells Mojo they have more work do in the Tag Team Division and then they both hug.
Women’s Champion Naomi makes her entrance.
Commercials.
Match #2: Single – Women’s Champion Naomi VS. Tamina (Non-Title)
Just before this commences, Lana dances out and watches from ringside. Naomi starts with furious forearms until Tamina headbutts her out of the corner. Tamina controls the Women’s Champion for most of this bout until Naomi trips her up off of the top turnbuckle. She ascends it and flips off with a split-legged moonsault for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Women’s Champion Naomi
Post-match, Lana enters and hits Naomi with a forearm, and then slams her to the mat with an exploder-sit-down-powerbomb! She holds up the Women’s Title and then places over the stomach of Naomi.
Up next, WWE Champion Jinder Mahal meets Randy Orton!
Commercials.
Arena Promo
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, with The Singh Brothers, enter the arena and ring lavishly! Jinder demands the people to “rise and show some respect.” He calls Randy Orton a “coward” and tells us that Orton’s father – “Cowboy” Bob Orton – and some of his friends, will be sitting ringside in Randy’s place of St. Louis, where the Pay-Per-View is held. He says that Orton has been “hiding” since he was “embarrassed” at Backlash when Jinder defeated him for the WWE Championship, last month.
“The Modern-Day Maharaja” then speaks to “his people” in “his language” of Punjabi. He gets a few words in among the “U.S.A.” chants and then Randy Orton’s music plays. Jinder sends the Brothers to intercept in the aisle, but Orton slides in the ring from the back and R.K.O.’s Mahal! He goes into the crowd and poses.
Commercials.
Locker Room Promo
Baron Corbin, United States Champion Kevin Owens, and Dolph Ziggler converse about the Six-Man Tag-Team match. They agree they don’t like each other, but can’t decide on what to do tonight. Kevin plans for them to take out Shinsuke, A.J., and Sami so they have a better chance at Money In The Bank.
Backstage Promo
Randy vows to get back the WWE Championship this Sunday at Money In The Bank.
Match #3: Single – Natalya VS. Charlotte Flair
They are even for a bit, trading holds and technical wrestling. Becky Lynch – who is also in the Women’s MITB Match – is shown watching in her locker room.
Commercials.
Natalya has a surfboard-stretch, which Charlotte gets out of and then they both slug away. Charlotte tries a backslide and then hits a few clotheslines. She chucks Natalya with an exploder/northern-lights suplex and then moonsaults off of the top turnbuckle for two! She goes again, but Natalya catches her with a sit-down powerbomb for a very-near-fall! (Note: Carmella and James Ellsworth are also shown scouting, as Carmella is in the Women’s MITB)
Natalya tries The Sharpshooter but Charlotte works her way out of it and soon drives Nattie to the mat with her Natural Selection (snapmare-facebuster) finisher to take this!
Winner via Pinfall: Charlotte Flair
Video Promo
We get another edition of The Fashion Files titled “Unsweet Victory.” Fandango is admiring himself in a mirror and goes to look for Tyler Breeze. He finds him in their office, which is messed up, and Breeze laid out. Fandango asks Tyler to describe who it was, and Breeze insinuates it was monsters. Fandango draws stickmen, which Breeze confirms are the culprits, and then Fandango helps him up and they walk away.
Commercials.
Video Promo
A montage of WWE’s humanitarian deeds in New Orleans for next year’s WrestleMania airs.
The competitors in the six-man enter the ring.
Commercials.
Match #4: Six-Man Tag-Team – United States Champion Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin, and Dolph Ziggler VS. Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, and A.J. Styles
Dolph and Shinsuke are wrestling and then the heels soon take over on Nakamura for a while. Shinsuke fends off Dolph and hot-tags Styles, who cleans house on Ziggler, Corbin, and Owens. Sami comes in and punches it out with Kevin, and then soars over the ropes with a swanton onto the United States Champion! In the ring, A.J. attempts his Styles Clash, but Dolph reverses into a DDT! Baron runs at Zayn in the corner, but Sami kicks him away. Corbin catches him into his Deep-Six spinning-backdrop, but Shinsuke breaks up the pin.
Commercials.
The bad guys are back dominating Zayn until Sami reverses Owens into a Blue Thunder Bomb! He almost gets to his corner, but Baron just hammers him to stop the tag. Sami manages to get rid of Corbin, Dolph, and Kevin, but just as he leaps for the hot-tag, Ziggler and Owens pull Shinsuke and Styles to the floor. Baron ends up in the corner and eats a Helluva Kick! Sami covers for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, and A.J. Styles
Post-match, they all brawl with a ladder and Shinsuke is the last one standing, on the ladder holding the briefcase to close the show!
End of Smackdown! Live
Reporter’s Rumblings
Money In The Bank Predictions: Charlotte to continue her legacy and win the Women’s M.I.T.B.; Usos cheat-to-win to retain the Tag-Team Championships; Lana becomes new Women’s Champion and engages in a good feud with Charlotte; WWE Champion Jinder Mahal keeps his title; Sami Zayn wins men’s M.I.T.B. and proceeds to a Summerslam rivalry with Jinder for the WWE Championship in a new and great feud!
Enjoy Money In The Bank if you’re watching it and I will be writing again next week! Until then, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online and Wrestling Fans!
As expected, Monday Night Raw drew the worst number in two decades with 2,542,000 viewers going against the NBA finals which did over 24 million viewers. The show did 451,000 viewers less than last week’s broadcast.
Hour one with the return of Brock Lesnar drew 2,769,000 viewers, followed by 2,522,000 viewers in the second hour, and 2,335,000 viewers in the third and final hour. The third hour was the least watched Raw portion in nearly the broadcast’s history.
In the top 50 cable chart, Raw was #2, #3, and #5 among the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
PWInsider.com is reporting that Braun Strowman has been cleared to return to the ring, several weeks before his target date.
Strowman underwent elbow surgery on May 11 at Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama under the care of Dr. Jeff Dugas. He was initially thought to be out for eight weeks but was actually cleared last week, completing his recovery in less than a month.
The former Wyatt Family member flew back home from the European tour after Monday Night Raw in London to do surgery. He was attacked by Roman Reigns to explain his absence from television.
PWInsider adds that WWE most likely gave false information regarding his comeback time to make him look “superhuman” by returning much earlier than expected.
Former Smackdown lead commentator Mauro Ranallo has joined Bellator MMA and will make his debut for the promotion on the June 24 show which airs live from Madison Square Garden.
Ranallo, who is technically still under a WWE deal till August, last appeared on Smackdown in March and then departed under a lot of questionable circumstances. Ranallo was given a leave of absence by WWE due to his battle with depression and then rumors starting popping up that bullying from John “Bradshaw” Layfield was one of the main reasons that Ranallo decided to quit the company just a year after he got his dream job.
Joining Ranallo is Mike Goldberg, the former UFC commentator who worked for Dana White for nearly two decades and then left when the new UFC owners did not offer him a new deal. Goldberg was once rumored to be joining WWE as the lead commentator for Monday Night Raw several years ago but then opted to remain with the UFC.
“Mike Goldberg and Mauro Ranallo are two of the best in our business and I couldn’t be happier about them joining the Bellator family,” said Bellator CEO Scott Coker in a statement. “In addition to June 24, we look forward to working together to make future Spike broadcasts even more exciting for our fans as we add further depth to an already-exceptional broadcast team.”
Former WWE champion John Cena is being marketed as a “free agent” as he returns to WWE television on the July 4 broadcast of Smackdown Live.
Cena, drafted to Smackdown during the WWE Draft last year, was not part of the Superstar Shake-up of this past April so everyone assumed that he remains part of the Smackdown roster. That assumption is now seemingly wrong as unlike everybody else, it looks like that Cena is free to show up on both Raw and Smackdown, at least for now.
John Cena has been off WWE television since WrestleMania 33 where he and his now-fiancee Nikki Bella defeated The Miz and Maryse. He then proposed to Nikki in front of 70,000+ fans at the Camping World Stadium.
Cena hosted the season premiere of American Grit last Sunday night on FOX, an episode which drew only 1.1 million viewers.
WWE Shop is currently running a promotion where shoppers can enjoy up to 40% off replica titles.
Titles on sale include the WWE Spinner title which is at $339.99, down from $419.99, the Universal title which is at $329.99, slashed by $100, the WWE title, also at $329.99, the Million Dollar title, the Intercontinental title, the WCW Heavyweight title, the blue Winged Eagle WWE title made famous by the Ultimate Warrior which is at $299.99, and many more.
The title side plates as well as other memorabilia are also on sale. The promotion runs through June 13 at 11:59AM PT. You can shop now at http://w-o.it/wweshopcom.
Welcome to Raw, everybody! I’m @TheMagnumDA and we are LIVE at the Cajundome in Louisiana. Some of my fondest memories come from that state. I spent my 30th Birthday down there, where I happened to see one of the most memorable WrestleManias of all time (XXX). In fact, I’ll be there next year for WrestleMania at the Silv..SUPERDOME! I have friends down there, so unfortunately I won’t be booking at the Ritz Carlton. But that shouldn’t stop YOU from making reservations! Check out http://w-o.it/wm34hotel for more details. Don’t forget: the reservation discount code is UWUUWUA. I’ll see you there, BROTHER!
We open tonight with Paul Heyman and BRRROCK LESNAR! Heyman says that Samoa Joe’s actions last week have consequences, and that Brock Lesnar now has a problem with Samoa Joe. Heyman calls Lesnar “the greatest problem solver in WWE history.” Uh oh, Lanny Poffo. You’re on notice. Heyman says that other Samoans are not proud of Joe or his actions, with Paul E. going so far as to call him a dog and a punk. Heyman said the first thing he thought about, after regaining consciousness last week, was Joe putting the Clutch on Lesnar. But then again, Heyman says, “Joe isn’t man enough to get the Coquina Clutch on Brock Lesnar.”
This comment prompts Joe to come out and face Lesnar. Heyman runs away like a coward, as Joe enters the ring. The tension is PALPABLE. Samoa Joe catches Lesnar totally off-guard with a shoulderbutt to the face. Lesnar is stunned! Security would try to intervene, but they get clobbered! All the backstage geeks try to break these two men apart, and this allows Samoa Joe to SMACK Lesnar in the mouth with a back leg round kick. THIS IS F*CKING INTENSE. The roster separates the two men as we go to break. Awesome segment. Great selling from Brock. I have a feeling that nothing will top this segment for the rest of the evening. (Magnum’s Note: I had no idea how right I was).
Match #1 – Elias Samson vs. Dean Ambrose
The Drifter croons to the thousands in attendance, who love his performance so much that they chant “YOU CAN’T SING!” Yeesh. Tough crowd. Ambrose catches Samson with a tope, and then climbs to the top rope. Samson catches him with a fist to the gut, and then attempts a Superplex. Dean knocks him off the top with a series of vicious headbutts! Uh oh, Miz is here. Dean sees him, and Elias tries a roll-up for two! Ambrose catches Elias with the rebound clothesline, but Miz pulls Ambrose outside and throws him into the barricade. Maryse argues with Miz as the ref continues to count! Dean gets in RIGHT before the ten-count, but The Drifter was waiting for him with two knees to the spine. Samson finishes Ambrose with the Encore for the one, two, three!
Winner: Elias Samson (*3/4)
Goldust promo is played. He quotes Godfather II (the best of the three, in my opinion) so this gets two thumbs up from me. After this, GM Kurt Angle is backstage with Miz and Maryse. Miz blames Angle for leaving the building last week, which opened up the door for Ambrose to strike! Miz said that this is because of Angle’s personal ordeal, which gets Kurt’s ire. This must be about that text or whatever. Miz says that Ambrose should be fined or suspended, and Kurt said he’s not going to do either. I know they’re trying to weave these stories, but it’s just convoluted.
Noam Dar is backstage talking to Alicia Foxxxxxx on FaceTime. Cedric Alexander interrupts and says that after last week’s match, he considers Dar yesterday’s news. Cedric said he’s also finished with Alicia, which gets a reaction out of her. Cedric vows that after tonight, he’ll be done with Dar once and for all. I thought Cedric has been done with Alicia for months?
Match #2 – Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar
Dar is still talking to Alicia on the phone during his entrance, complete with her FaceTime window getting put on the TitanTron. Good Lord. Dar is so distracted that he gets drilled with the Lumbar Check in less than 10 seconds. What a complete waste of time and purple tape.
Winner: Cedric Alexander (-*** for the match and for Alicia’s voice)
There’s a video for Roman Reigns, followed by an announcement FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT! Only in WWE. Next week on Raw, Reigns is going to make an announcement regarding SummerSlam.
Spoiler: Reigns wants a title shot against the WWE Universal Champion at SummerSlam.
Next, we are treated to a delightful promo featuring Bray Wyatt. By “delightful”, I mean “laced with psilocybin.” Wyatt laments, “Humanity is guilty of mistaking intelligence for knowledge.” Isn’t it the other way around? He rambles on: “The world is collapsing under the weight of its own sin.” Speak for yourself, Mr. Rotunda. “IT’S HOT IN THE STREETS, BUT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ANGER OF THE SUN.” What does this even mean? He goes on to say that anyone who slanders his name will be punished, just like Seth Rollins. Bray says that Rollins’ glass house came crashing down last week after taking a dose of the truth. Again, I have no idea what this means. Wyatt warns that if anyone takes his name in vain, they will fall.
Well, that and don’t mention Jojo. Yep, I went there!
Seth Rollins appears, and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see him. Bray’s rambling needed a mercy killing. Rollins says that he meant what he said when he called Wyatt a “False Prophet”, because it’s the truth. Seth says that Wyatt operates in the shadows, and when he has to step out into the light, he doesn’t fare as well. So WYATT IS A VAMPIRE! I think. Maybe. Wyatt says that Rollins is oozing arrogance. Who says stuff like that? Didn’t oozing die out with “Machismo”…?
Wyatt says that when he sees Rollins, he is looking at a man that is beneath him. Bray then says, “You found a way to slay the King…” and then the lights go out. Funny moment, as the fans ringside obviously saw Wyatt slither his bulbous carcass under their side of the ring. They try pointing him out to Seth, but then Wyatt appears on the Titantron to finish his thought. He calls himself God, and tells Seth to “Face your fears…and run.”
Here’s a question…Wyatt tells everyone to “Run.” When is the last time HE ran? Guy looks like he’s put on half a stone every week since the beginning of the year. Eater of worlds, indeed.
Charly is with the Hardy Boyz. Matt and Jeff definitely seem more like their 2007 personalities than 2016-2017. Teasing the “Broken” characters for a few months was pretty cool, but I can imagine that Vince wants nothing to do with it. Matt says Sheamus and Cesaro are two of the most physical men they’ve ever faced, but they’ll go to any length to prove that they’re the rightful tag team champions. Jeff says that tonight, they’re going to break the bar. The Xanax bar?
Match #3- Kalisto vs. Apollo Crews
Kalisto hits a headscissors, but Crews dropkicks him in the ribs for two. Snap suplex by Crews gets two, as Titus jaws with Akira Tozawa who is ringside. Why did he need a Front Row ticket? Give it to a Make A Wish Kid, for crying out loud. Kalisto fights out of Crews’ front face lock, but Apollo rips Kalisto down HARD. Kalisto recovers and hits the headscissors DDT for two. Somersault springboard into the ropes by Kalisto is countered into the Spin Out Power Bomb by Crews! One, two, three!
Winner: Apollo Crews (*)
Miz is backstage offering Heath Slater and Rhyno a chance to be part of his entourage. Slater says that he’d like to be Intercontinental Champion instead. Miz says that if they join forces, he’ll make sure Heath gets a shot at the gold. Rhyno says that Heath already has a partner, so Miz should go get one because a tag match is about to be booked. Rhyno destroys a plate of cheezy crackers as everyone looks on. Gross.
Alexa Bliss comes out and brags about her victory over Nia Jax last week. Before she gets much further, Nia Jax arrives to set things straight. Nia says that she was granted this title shot, but the match was ruined when the ref called for the DQ. Alexa tries to throw Dana Brooke and Mickie James under the bus, but they come out to have their say. Emma returns from an injury to stake her claim, but Sasha Banks interrupts her. This turns into a wild brawl as we go to commercial. I’m not really sure what the point of ANY of this was. Probably an excuse to have a six-woman tag team match.
Match #4 – Sasha Banks, Mickie James, and Dana Brooke vs. Nia Jax, Emma, and WWE Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss
Well, there’s your answer. Match is joined in progress with Brooke fighting out of a sleeperhold by Alexa. Twice! Dana gets choked out in the ropes, as Emma is tagged in. Emma stomps on Dana, and follows this with an awesome running dropkick that gets two. Emma punches Dana, and then puts her in a chinlock. Dana fights out and catches Emma with a kick in the corner. Emma knocks Mickie James off the apron, but Dana gets the hot tag to Sasha. Nice dropkick by Sasha, followed by a front kick. Sasha throws Emma into her teammates, but Emma catches Sasha with a quick elbow. Alexa suddenly abandons her teammates as Nia Jax comes into the ring to clear house. Nia misses a charge and flies out of the ring. Mickie goes to the top and drills Nia outside with a Bombs Away! Back inside, Emma tries to roll up Banks, but Sasha turns it into the Bank $tatement! Emma taps!
Winners: Sasha Banks, Mickie James, and Dana Brooke (**)
Finn Balor promo video is played. Following this, Corey Graves interviews Bayley. She says that she’s not here to hurt people. She would rather put smiles on the fans’ faces. She says she’s not going to change who she is, and she will continue to be the best version of herself. Bayley says that she wants to prove she is the best, and she wants to recapture the Women’s Championship. Afterwards, she asks for a hug. Graves obliges. Corey’s reaction and facial expression during the hug is priceless. You know, if she turned into a psycho hose beast who desperately wants to be loved, then she might have something to work with. She could be like Mickie James, circa 2006.
Match #5 – Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. WWE IC Champion The Miz & ???
The mystery partner is the DANCING BEAR from last week’s IC Title Celebration! What in the hell is happening right now? Was the Bear THAT memorable? Really? Really? Crowd chants, “WE WANT BEAR!” That’s surreal on multiple levels. Slater drops some rights on The Miz, followed by a clothesline. Slater gets the armbar, and wrenches it. Rhyno makes the tag and drills Miz with a shoulder tackle. Slater tags back in and hits Miz with an axehandle from the top. Miz finally tags in the Bear! More jokes from the commentators. A BEARHUG ON SLATER! I’d pop if that was the finish.
Miz tags himself back into the match, and then he attacks the Bear outside the ring! Miz pulls the Bear’s head off to reveal just another kid. Rhyno throws Miz back in, but Heath ends up confronting the Bear, who apparently has come back into the ring. Slater gets dropped by the Bear with Dirty Deeds. Miz turns around to find out that Dean Ambrose switched places with the kid. Who goes to the trouble to get two Dancing Bear outfits? Miz is so stunned by Dean’s TOTALLY ZANY prank that he knocks Maryse off the apron, and then he gets popped with Dirty Deeds. Ambrose puts Slater on Miz for the one, two, three. This reminded me of 2000-era WCW. Insanely stupid, and the fans’ reaction to this whole thing was tepid, at best.
Winners: Slater and Rhyno (-**** for the match and the unbearable jokes)
Recap video of the WrestleMania return for the Hardy Boyz, followed by clips of Sheamus and Cesaro getting the best of Matt and Jeff. 2 out of 3 falls for the tag titles later tonight!
Match #6 – WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville vs. Rich Swann
Neville destroys Swann before the bell sounds. Neville takes him outside and throws him into the barricade. Neville applies the Rings of Saturn as the ref tries to pull him off. Two Cruiserweight matches totaling 11 seconds, plus ANOTHER waste of purple tape. I think it’s safe to say that Vince is done with this experiment.
Winner: No Match
Afterwards, Neville proclaims, “IT FEELS GOOD TO BE KING!” He calls out Akira Tozawa, and says that Tozawa will kneel on one knee to the King of the Cruiserweights. Backstage, Charly is with Sheamus and Cesaro. They said that the Hardyz used to inspire people, but these days people are inspired by Cesaro and Sheamus. They look to retire the Hardy Boyz once and for all.
Match #7 – Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Enzo & Big Cass
We get yet ANOTHER backstage beatdown, where Cass is once again the victim. He tells refs he got drilled in the back of his head. You know what? When you get into the fourth week of these backstage beatdowns, it just gets stupid. The fans jeer as Gallows calls his opponents “NERDS!” Clever. Enzo and Cass suck it up and come down to the ring. Cass starts to club Anderson in the corner, but he is quickly disoriented after throwing Anderson into the opposite corner. Empire Elbow to Anderson, followed by a tag to Enzo. The tag was anything but hot. Anderson SMOKES Enzo with a running kick. Enzo kicks Karl out of the corner, but Gallows gets the tag into the match. Enzo sidesteps Luke and catches him with an elbow. Enzo misses off the middle rope, leading to Anderson and Gallows destroying Enzo with the Magic Killer. One, two, three!
Winners: Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (*)
After the match, the Big Show arrives! Anderson and Gallows scurry away, as Show looks after Enzo. Cass climbs on the apron to see that Show saved the day. Again. Slow burn for a Cass turn? Maybe.
R-Truth promo. He quotes Cool Hand Luke. Man, it’s been 20 years since the last Cool Hand Luke reference on Raw. Who made it? Stone Cold Steve Austin…right before stunning Vince McMahon for the very first time. After this, Big Show calls Cass “SAWFT” to Enzo’s face. Ouch. They recap the opening segment, and Samoa Joe says that actions have always spoken louder than words. He promises to put Lesnar to sleep in the Coquina Clutch.
Main Event: WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Cesaro and Sheamus (c) vs. The Hardy Boyz – 2 out of 3 Falls
Matt nails Sheamus with a clothesline, and a bulldog for two. Poetry in Motion, followed by a splash gets two! Cesaro interrupted that count. Jeff tries to springboard out of the corner after a whip to Sheamus, but Hardy gets hit with a weak Brogue Kick to the chest whilst upside-down. One, two, three! LAME does not begin to describe this first fall. The fans LOUDLY groan for that one. Come on, when you rush to a finish like that, the fans fully catch on to your bullshit.
After the break, we are joined in progress on the second fall. Jeff fights out of a Sheamus chinlock, but gets nailed with the Irish Cross for two. Sheamus stomps on Jeff, and tries to apply the Cloverleaf. Jeff is able to fight out and send Sheamus to the outside. HOT TAG to Matt, who is a house of fiyah! Cesaro tags too, and gets nailed with headbutts and forearms. Cesaro gets sent to all three corner turnbuckles! Running clothesline in the corner by Matt! Tornado DDT out of the corner to Cesaro! Sheamus gets hit with a Side Effect on the apron! Twist of Fate to Cesaro! One, two, three! That was a hell of a series of moves by Matt. We’re tied at one fall apiece!
Matt tries another quick cover on Cesaro, but it only gets two. Matt charges, but Cesaro catches him with a European Uppercut. Sheamus tags in, and he knocks Jeff off the apron. Sheamus hits a kick and a running knee to Matt for one, two, no! Sheamus tags Cesaro, and they hit the double team White Noise for one, two, no! Cesaro goes for the Neutralizer, but Matt counters! Cesaro is able to counter the roll-up into a Sharpshooter! Matt fights, and finally gets to the ropes. Matt tries a quick roll-up and gets one, two, no! Jeff and Sheamus make their tags, and Jeff takes advantage with clotheslines, an inverted atomic drop, and his signature combination for one, two, no! Cesaro breaks it up. Jeff gets hit from both sides and then rolled up by Sheamus for the one, two, no! Jeff with a jawbreaker, and after a missed charge, hits the Swanton Bomb! One, two, Cesaro breaks it up AGAIN! Jeff splashes both men, who crawled to the outside. There’s a HUGE brawl outside the ring, and this match ends in a…DOUBLE COUNTOUT?!!
Winners: No Contest (**1/2)
After the match, Jeff climbs to the top rope and takes down both champions! The Hardyz stand tall in the ring, but Sheamus and Cesaro survive with the titles! We go to credits!
Final Thoughts: Aside from that first segment, the rest of this show was a smelly, disgusting dumpster fire. Two of the matches produced a -*** and a -****. By my star tally, that could average out to be the worst Raw of the year, in terms of match quality. The sad thing is…the angles weren’t much better. The Dancing Bear? Wyatt on LSD? Holy cow. Joe vs. Lesnar is the only thing holding this show together. Everything else is a trainwreck.
The Daily Mail newspaper based in the United Kingdom is reporting that Bray Wyatt’s wife Samantha Rotunda has filed for divorce in Florida accusing her husband of adultery.
In a counter-petition filed in Hernando County, Wyatt has requested an injunction to force his wife to keep quiet about the split and accused her of making “defamatory statements about the husband to several people in the community in an effort to ruin his reputation.”
Wyatt is being accused of having an affair with 23-year-old Raw ring announcer Jojo Offerman. Wyatt’s affair with Jojo has been kept a secret but his wife’s high-profile Miami attorney Ray Rafool told the Daily Mail that he obtained phone records showing that Wyatt is maintaining “continuous contact” with Jojo. Rafool was the divorce attorney of Linda Hogan in the ugly court battle against her ex-husband Hulk Hogan.
“Samantha is saddened by the divorce as she and the husband have been together since college,” said Rafool. “But she hopes that all may be resolved amicably and as soon as possible so that she and their daughters may move forward with their lives.”
According to Samantha’s divorce petition, she and Wyatt were married in 2012 and separated in March after Wyatt allegedly walked out on her and their two daughters, 6 and 4. She is now asking the judge to award her their marital home as well as child support and alimony. She also wants custody of the girls for a majority of the time. Who is in charge of determining the basic legal rights of women in divorce?
Divorce attorney in Rochester can help you reach the best possible outcome in a divorce trial.
Jim Knox, Bray Wyatt’s attorney, confirmed with the Daily Mail that he is taking care of the dissolution of marriage case on behalf of his client. “As you know, these cases involve the private lives of the participants and sometimes unpleasant disputes. I would ask that you respect the privacy of both litigants in this matter and I have no other comments to make,” he said. Attorney Paul Duron considers it a favorable resolution, too.
Check this link: https://www.thevirgalawfirm.com/pensacola/ to get well-versed counsel for divorce matters.
Impact Wrestling will be honoring those impacted by the Pulse Nightclub tragedy at the next television tapings in Orlando.
On July 3, the next time that Impact will tape at Universal Studios, the company will hold a special ceremony during the show. Today is the one-year anniversary from that horrible tragedy which saw the death of 49 individuals.
Impact, although headquartered in Nashville, has been taping television shows at Universal Studios in Orlando since 2004 and the city is considered “home” by those in the company.
WWE has invested money in the Drone Racing League after the New York startup announced today the close of a Series B investment round of more than $20 million, a sum raised by UK’s Sky, Liberty Media, Lux Capital, Allianz, WWE, and others.
The report, issued by Variety, does not specify how much money WWE dropped on the league. It’s not the first time that WWE has invested money in other projects not related to their business. The 2017 Drone Racing League season starts this month and it will air in 75 different countries on popular channels such as ESPN, Sky Sports, OSN, and ProSiebenSat.1.
The neck injury that Mark Andrews suffered yesterday during the NXT non-televised live event at Download Festival does not seem to be as serious as originally thought.
WWE.COM says that the company’s medical personnel on site quickly evaluated the WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament participant and a CT scan performed afterward came back negative, showing only bruising. “Mark would like to thank all his fans for their concern,” a statement read.
Andrews was part of an 8-man tag team match, tagging with Roderick Strong, Drew McIntyre, and Aleister Black taking on the Authors of Pain, Pete Dunne, and Bobby Roode. According to Twitter user Alan4L, one member of the Authors of Pain hit Andrews and he went down holding his neck and rolled out to the floor.
WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar will return on television tonight on Monday Night Raw for his first appearance since the night after WrestleMania 33.
When Lesnar disappeared from TV, he took away the Universal title with him. Since then, the focus on Raw shifted from that title to different things, however with Samoa Joe the number one contender, business is about to pick up again! Last week, Joe attacked Paul Heyman in the middle of the ring so you can expect a very aggressive champion tonight. “Last week my message was sent, received, & understood completely. Tonight we have ourselves a proper face to face ‘misunderstanding.’” Samoa Joe wrote on Twitter.
Also scheduled for Raw tonight is a rematch for the Raw Tag Team titles with new champions Sheamus and Cesaro taking on the Hardy Boyz.
“In this world, there are good guys, and there are bad guys. And we…are the good guys.” Sounds like a wrestling promo, right? Well, it is not, but that’s how GLOW on Netflix starts.
It’s Alison Brie in her character of Ruth Wilder who delivers the line during an audition as she tries to land a job in a new production. Unfortunately for her, she reads the male line and was sent packing…not before she is offered a role in a porn movie by the casting director.
Ruth refuses the offer and heads home after a sweaty gym session. And then the call comes in. The same casting director tells her that there’s another audition looking for unconventional-looking women.
20 or so ladies are already lined up to audition in front of the foul-mouthed director Sam Sylvia when Ruth arrives. When Sylvia explains what GLOW is, one of the ladies asks, “So, like Hulk Hogan?” The reply was blunt. “If one of you turns out to be like Hulk Hogan, I’ve hit the f*cking jackpot.”
And so the journey of the GLOW ladies begins. I was fortunate enough to be given all 10 episodes of GLOW last week by Netflix prior to the release to write this small review. It’s just an overview and no major storylines are revealed.
RUTH WILDER
Ruth Wilder, played by Alison Brie, is an out-of-work, broke actress who is banking on GLOW to launch her career again. She is disliked by the director, Sam Sylvia, who originally didn’t want her until a personal story between Wilder and her best friend Debbie changes his mind. He sees her as the villain and decides to keep her around because he envisions money in the storyline. Throughout the series, Ruth fights to gain her director’s respect and her spot in the main event as well as mend her relationship with her best friend.
SAM SYLVIA
Sam Sylvia is the man leading the pack as the director. He is a foul-mouthed, coked-up, sexist, asshole “booker” who verbally abuses all the ladies at every opportunity he gets. He also happens to be sleeping with one of the GLOW ladies. He is arrogant and his vision sometimes clashes with that of the producer. But when he threatens to walk out, he is persuaded to stay. Marc Maron is pretty much gold in his portrayal of the character.
DEBBIE EAGAN
Debbie, a married beautiful blond who is also a mother, is Ruth’s best friend until something happens between the two. She did not audition for GLOW but is asked to join as the face of the show by director Sylvia. She’s given the all-American gimmick and acts as a diva, refusing to work with many of the other talent, including her former best friend even though it’s the storyline that makes most sense. Eventually, that all changes… The character is played by Betty Gilpin.
CARMEN WADE
Carmen is a shy individual who had to lie to her family to attend wrestling training with the rest of the GLOW ladies. Her family is wrestling royalty, with her father and brothers already in the wrestling business. Carmen, played by Britney Young, eventually stops talking to her father due to her decision and later enlists the help of her two brothers to help out train her friends. Will her father accept her decision to enter the business? You will find out by the end of the season.
THE GIMMICKS
While the majority of the cast have gimmicks, it’s one thing that Ruth Wilder struggles with the most throughout half of the series. She has no gimmick, and she is simply Ruth, something that obviously bothers her. Every gimmick she presents is shot down until she finally nails one down. It’s a real struggle that even wrestlers today face sometimes. You have the all-American hero, a she-wolf who lives her gimmick 24/7, a “terrorist”, a welfare queen, a nerd, a KKK tag team and other colorful gimmicks.
FAMILIAR FACES
Throughout the series, you will see footage of Hulk Hogan, Harley Race, Ric Flair, and Gorgeous George playing on television for the ladies. Even The Iron Sheik gets a mention. Other wrestling personalities who have a role in GLOW are Johnny Mundo, Alex Riley, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Tyrus, and Brooke Hogan.
A WHOLE LOT OF 80s!
Since this is based in the 80s, there are a lot of perms, a lot of makeup and sometimes questionable wrestling attire. Music from that era also acts as the soundtrack of the whole series. Butts are in abundance and there’s even some nudity and sex scenes. If you loved the 80s, you will love this show.
THE REMAINING CAST
Joining the rest of the cast are Sydelle Noel as Cherry Bang, Britt Baron as Justine, Kia Stevens as Tammé, Jackie Tohn as Melrose, Kimmy Gatewood as Stacey, Rebekka Johnson as Dawn, Kate Nash as Rhonda, Sunita Mani as Arthie, Gayle Rankin as Sheila the She Wolf, Ellen Wong as Jenny, Chris Lowell as Sebastian “Bash” Howard, and Alex Rich as Florian.
Jenji Kohan (Orange is the New Black) and Tara Herrmann (Orange is the New Black) are executive producers, and the series was co-created by Liz Flahive (Homeland) and Carly Mensch (Orange is the New Black), who will serve as showrunners. Shauna Duggins serves as the stunt coordinator while Chavo Guerrero Jr is the fight coordinator.
I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Since it’s roughly only 30 minutes each, episodes flew by. Wrestling fans will certainly dig the several “smart” references as well as seeing some of their favorite stars in roles you thought you’d never see them in.
You will not see a Flair/Steamboat classic in GLOW, but considering none of the ladies, except Kia Stevens, are actually wrestlers, they do pretty good. From learning the ropes, to a simple collar-and-elbow tie-up, the GLOW ladies will take you on a short journey on what it takes to become a professional wrestler. Besides, the series has a few good different storylines which I did not mention in this review not to spoil the whole thing. Apart from all this, GLOW is a story of how a bunch of different women from different backgrounds band together when tough times come around to do everything they can in their power to save the project they all believe in. Here’s hoping for a second season!
All 10 half-hour episodes of the comedy series will become available to Netflix members worldwide on Friday, June 23, 2017 at 12:01 a.m. PT. The show is also available in Ultra HD 4K and HDR.
Mark Andrews, one of the stars of the WWE UK Championship tournament who is now under a WWE deal, was injured at the last NXT show at the Download Festival today according to an eye witness report.
Andrews was part of an 8-man tag team match, tagging with Roderick Strong, Drew McIntyre, and Aleister Black taking on the Authors of Pain, Pete Dunne, and Bobby Roode. According to Twitter user Alan4L, one member of the Authors of Pain hit Andrews and he went down holding his neck and rolled out to the floor.
“Seems Andrews legit just got hurt. EMTs are out. People seem worried,” he wrote, adding that he was then stretchered out and moved to an ambulance. “Regal seems very concerned. Trent and Brookside the same. Mark’s eyes were open.”
NXT wrapped up its week long tour of the United Kingdom today with the last three shows taking place at the popular Download Festival in Derby.
Renee Young has announced on Twitter that she will not be part of the main cast of Total Divas season seven, set to start airing on E! this Fall.
When asked if she was still part of the show, Young replied, “Nope I am not, but the new cast will crush it!” The new cast so far includes Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax.
Young joined the cast at the beginning of season six along with two other popular stars, Lana and Maryse. Renee’s addition also meant that her now-husband Dean Ambrose also got a role similar to that of John Cena, The Miz, Daniel Bryan, and other husbands/boyfriends of the cast members.
John Cena returns on FOX tonight as the host of American Grit, the reality television series pitting 16 competitors divided into four groups, each led by a military vet to compete in a series of challenges with a chance to win a $250,000 prize.
Season 2 will have four different military vets than the previous season, including: John Burk, a US Army Infantry Drill Sergeant, Riki Long, a US Marine, Chloe Mondesir, a US Marine Ammunition Technician, and Grady Powell, a US Army Green Beret.
The whole season was filmed last fall starting in October. Season one did not do so well in ratings and often ended last among broadcast networks in its time slot. It starts at 9PM ET.
WWE Superstar Emma returned to the ring last night at a Raw non-televised live event, participating in a six-woman tag team match.
Emma has been out of action for just over a month after she suffered a shoulder injury during a live event in Liverpool, England. She was sent home following the show to start the rehab process on her shoulder.
The Australian-born Superstar had quite a rocky year, first taking a long time to come back from a back injury, then WWE scrapping the whole Emmalina character after weeks of teases on television.
