The cast of Total Divas will get a pair of new faces when season seven resumes on E! later on this year.
Current Raw Women’s champion Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax have been added to the cast according to Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com. The two will reportedly replace Eva Marie and Paige on the cast, while Renee Young also announced on her Twitter that she will not be a regular cast member.
Eva Marie, who is no longer with WWE, had been a cast member since the show’s inception but she pretty much disappeared ever since she was hit with a Wellness violation back in August of last year.
Paige, who is not on her best terms with the company, is not expected to return on Total Divas and her relationship with Alberto El Patron would make filming more difficult. She has also been absent from WWE television for nearly a year, first due to two Wellness violations and then because of neck surgery.
Season six of Total Divas saw the introduction of Renee Young, Maryse, and Lana.
Impact on POP did a total of 318,000 viewers last night, up 31,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. It’s also the most-viewed show since the April 20 broadcast. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
WWE Hall of Famer Jesse “The Body” Ventura is not new to controversies and his latest move will probably spark some more.
Ventura has joined the RT Network, the Russian television station funded by the Russian government where he will be hosting a new commentary show. The former Minnesota Governor told the Associated Press that he has “personal assurances” from Russian President Vladimir Putin that he won’t be censored on his new show, titled The World According to Jesse.
“The Body” has not been able to find a job in the United States after he sued the estate of American Sniper author Chris Kyle. He was awarded $1.8 million by a federal jury in 2014 after Ventura claimed that Kyle defamed him by alleging he made derogatory remarks about the U.S. special forces. In 2016, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the jury award.
“I can’t get a job in the U.S. No one will touch me,” Ventura told the AP. “My United States union throws me in the dirt and who comes to the rescue? Russia.” Ventura, who is now 65 years of age, also lost his health insurance with the Screen Actors Guild.
Matt Hardy and his wife Reby welcomed their newest addition to the family: a baby boy named Wolfgang Xander Hardy.
The second Hardy baby was born at home yesterday at 11:37PM EST according to Matt. “‘Wolfie’ Wolfgang X Hardy debuted/was born on June 8th at 11:37pm. King Maxel was excited to meet his healthy younger brother. Thanks all,” Matt wrote on Twitter earlier this morning.
Reby also posted a photo on Twitter holding the newborn while in bed along with her other son Maxel.
Matt and Jeff were not at Raw this past Monday and will not be at any live events this weekend as Matt is given some time off to spend time with his son.
Tickets for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III are now on sale through Ticketmaster.com.
Ticket prices are $25.50, $45.50, $65.50, $85.50, and $130.50, with some VIP seats marked as $405.50 as well. Seats which are in the F2 section will be receiving a commemorative chair as well.
NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III takes place on Saturday, August 19 at the Barclays Center on the eve of SummerSlam.
To use the Great Balls of Fire name for its upcoming pay-per-view, WWE paid a price, and probably a hefty one.
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler revealed on his podcast Dinner With The King that the company was contacted by the attorney of Jerry Lee Lewis regarding the use of the name since Lewis owns the trademark of Great Balls of Fire.
Lawler said that he and Jerry Lee Lewis use the same attorney and he got a phone call to ask who can he talk regarding the copyright issue. It turns out that WWE went ahead and used the name without first consulting the owner of the trademark.
Now WWE is not only using the name Great Balls of Fire but also came to an agreement to use the Jerry Lee Lewis song of the same name. The trailer for the PPV which was published on YouTube on June 4 already uses the song which is listed as the official theme song.
WWE Intercontinental champion The Miz and his wife Maryse are selling their 4,532 square foot house in Los Angeles for $3,650,000.
The fully-detached Mediterranean-style house, situated at Hollywood Hills West, has 4 bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, three levels, circular driveway, heated pool, home theater, a spa, and mountain views. It was built in 1923 over 0.47 acres and is secluded behind 8-foot walls.
The house is listed by The Mirisch Team and you can see the photos of the house, and even drop your bid, at http://bit.ly/2sIdjZC.
A lot of people will be surprised at the fact you can place bets on the results of professional wrestling matches. Yes, the outcomes are pre-determined (that sounds so much better than fixed) but it’s the companies promoting the matches that decide who wins and who loses, so if they keep that to themselves, everyone else is none the wiser.
Recent years have seen a growth in the number of UK bookmakers offering odds for WWE’s flagship events such as WrestleMania, SummerSlam, The Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble. They hold an increasing number of events and odds are available of them. The emerging betting markets now cover all the main three-hour spectaculars, with Roman Reigns currently 15/8 to win the 2018 Royal Rumble.
Despite the increase in the numbers of events being held by British companies such as Revolution Pro Wrestling and Insane Championship Wrestling, there aren’t any odds offered on their shows, but perhaps that may change in the years to come.
Who’s Going to Be the Champion?
Some of the first odds offered on professional wrestling was a market on who would be the WWE Champion at the end of the calendar year? That was back in the days when there was just one main champion; it’s not an easy market to bet on, gone are the days when the likes of Bruno Sammartino held the WWF title for eight years in a row.
There are so many factors that fit into a bet of that nature. Injuries, of course, can occur at any time. Finn Balor won the Universal title last year but a shoulder injury caused him to vacate the title the following day. Then there’s the possibility of disputes taking place, causing wrestlers to either leave WWE or be demoted to mid-card matches.
If this year, you’d offered odds on who the WWE Champion would be on June 1, not a soul would have placed a penny on Jinder Mahal holding the title. He’s always been a mid-card performer and never even had a sniff of a major title. However, WWE want to expand in the Indian market so having an Indian champion is one way of achieving that. That shows how you need to take a long look at the company and their future plans to work out who might be the big winners.
Follow the Odds
It’s always interesting to follow the odds that are available on the listed events. Take this year’s Royal Rumble, for example, which was won by Randy Orton. The Royal Rumble has 30 wrestlers battling to win a title match at WrestleMania, the WWE’s largest show of the year. Odds fluctuated wildly in the weeks leading up to the match.
One minute, The Undertaker was favourite, then it was Braun Strowman; it wasn’t until the days before the match took place that Randy Orton became heavily odds-on to win the match, which he did. Odds changes of that nature rarely happen in other sports but are commonplace in pro wrestling so it’s best to place bets as late as you can. Wrestling is like a soap opera, just as the odds kept changing on who pushed Ken Barlow in Coronation Street, it’s the same situation as far as who’s going to win the next big WWE match.
“Randy Orton at Smackdown taping in Londo” (CC BY 2.0) by interbeat
Are there leaks from WWE that influence the betting? There was a Reddit account holder, Dolphins1925 who continually successfully predicted the results. The recent Extreme Rules PPV saw European bookmakers successfully predict the winners of each match, although of course, the odds available wouldn’t have won you a fortune, even in an accumulator. In the past, such occurrences would never have happened when the world of wrestling was a lot more secretive.
Unpredictable Results
Sometimes, we can all be caught out. The return of the Hardy Boyz at WrestleMania 33 was a well-guarded secret. They didn’t just return but won the Raw tag team titles, so anyone betting on that market didn’t stand a chance of being successful – again another potential hazard to look out for.
A lot of the time, the odds are too short to place bets on. Who wants to risk cash on a 1/16 favorite? However, you can get some good wins because of the fact a champion can lose via DQ or count-out but keep their title. A wrestler can lose their bout in that fashion, which might not harm their career and further a feud, but it can also result in a win at decent odds: back against the cheats and it can be profitable.
Betting on a pre-determined result may sound strange but it is emerging as an important market with an increasing number of UK bookmakers offering odds. WWE hold PPVs every couple of weeks now, so there are plenty of opportunities out there. As you’ve read, though, it’s not an easy market to get good wins out of, but as with everything, having a bet on an event does add even more interest to it – but it’s not as easy as it sounds.
The website Wrestling Observer is reporting that the audience which participated during the Impact Wrestling television tapings in Mumbai, India, were paid and directed who to cheer and boo.
Dave Meltzer wrote that the crowd, estimated to be around 500 people inside the Reliance MediaWorks Studios, were paid 250 to 400 rupee each, the equivalent of $3.80 to $7.60 to attend. To distinguish the heels from the babyfaces and help the audience who to cheer or boo, the Impact stars came out from different entrances depending if they are a face or heel.
A host, or master of ceremonies, was in charge of ramping up the crowd and help direct them when to react.
The Impact Wrestling episodes from India will start tonight on POP TV and will run up to the Slammiversary pay-per-view.
Smackdown last night drew 2,349,000 viewers, an identical number of last week’s audience. The show had no sports competition against it but the number still didn’t go up. Smackdown was #1 on the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Streaming giant Netflix will have something for wrestling fans on June 23 when GLOW, an adaptation of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling 80s television show, is released in all Netflix territories.
The comedy-drama television series is created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch and stars Alison Brie in the leading role as Ruth Wilder, an out-of-work, struggling actress in 1980s Los Angeles who finds one last chance for stardom when she’s thrust into the glitter and spandex world of women’s wrestling.
Among the big cast you will meet Britney Young, somewhat of a newcomer who will play the role of Carmen, the daughter of a wrestling dynasty family who wants to be a wrestler but is not yet ready for the Hollywood limelight. “She is very kind, a bit shy and is very excited to be a part of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling,” Young described her character.
Britney was born in Tokyo, Japan, but raised in Eagle River, Alaska, a community within the Municipality of Anchorage situated on the Eagle River between Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Chugach State Park in the Chugach Mountains. She graduated from USC School of Cinematic Arts, a private media School within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and worked in film and TV production for a few years before deciding to jump from behind the scenes to in front of the cameras.
She is a big bookworm, currently on her 29th book this year, and loves to dance and swim as well. Young is a fan of the New York Giants and Los Angeles Lakers but feels that she’s terrible about talking about herself, “which is probably why I had terrible time on all of those dating apps,” she joked.
Young’s career in Hollywood started behind the scenes but she always dreamed of being an actress. “Growing up I wanted to be that Disney channel, Raven Symone triple threat: singer, dancer and actor. So I always had the goal of becoming an actor, but after college I decided to help pay off my student loans I would go into the production side of film and television,” Young said.
Watching a constant stream of actors and actresses coming to audition for shows that she worked for pushed her to start doing what she really wanted to do: jump in front of that camera lens. “So I reached out to friends who were actors and asked for their advice on how to transition into acting, and one of my very dear friends Marquel put me in her web series and from there I met my manager who starting sending me out on auditions.”
One of those auditions was for GLOW. She admitted that she didn’t know about the original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling show back in the 80s when she got the information to go and audition for producers. The casting office sent over a YouTube clip of one of the opening raps on the original show and that was enough for her.
“After watching it for the first time, I said to myself ‘what is this? I have to be a part of it!’ and it sent me down a YouTube rabbit hole where I watched pretty much all of the available clips of the show online,” Britney told us.
She also got her hands on the documentary G.L.O.W.: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling on DVD, the inspiration for the showrunners to remake the series. The documentary has now been added to Netflix and is a good introduction to the show ahead of the June 23 release of the new show.
“It’s such a fantastic documentary and it gives you a lot of background of the original series and introduces to the original badass G.L.O.W. girls,” she said. Most of the characters from the original series are not in the remake as producers opted to create new ones, including that of Carmen, which Britney plays.
Britney described the audition process as great because the appointment e-mail from her agent said not to wear any makeup and come in comfortable clothes! “They were speaking my language. Any audition where I don’t have to wear makeup and gym clothes, I’m in,” she laughed.
Young’s reading was with casting director Jen Euston, a person who worked hard with her to get the scenes down. “I will be totally honest though, even though I had fun I didn’t think I did a great job. I really wanted the role, and I think that made me a bit nervous,” she explained.
Britney said she called her agent after her audition ended to apologize for “failing” during the process. But her disappointment quickly changed when later that night she was informed she will get to perform in front of the show’s creators and executive producers. “I was much more confident this time around and I walked out of that audition and knew it was mine. Because I felt so good coming out of the callback, I was nervous for the next few weeks when I hadn’t heard anything.”
Even though she wasn’t officially part of the cast yet, one day she got a call to go for a stunt audition with stunt coordinator Shauna Duggins and wrestling coordinator Chavo Guerrero Jr. She couldn’t do much since she wasn’t technically yet part of the cast and the show’s insurance didn’t cover her, but she was determined to leave an impression and o something before leaving.
“So I asked Shauna to jump into my arms and she did it, it was easy,” Britney said. “But then Chavo asked me if I could pick him up and I said lets try, and I did!” Britney thinks that is what sealed the deal for her. “That following Monday I got that call that I got the part.”
That call came on the second Monday of August 2016, one month before Netflix officially announced her as the newest member of the GLOW cast. “At the time of the announcement we had already been training for several weeks. We trained the month of August and then started shooting in September,” Britney said, adding that she got to her first training session with the rest of the cast a week after she received the call.
Showing the girls the ropes was the job of Chavo Guerrero Jr., the 23-year wrestling veteran who forms part of the legendary Guerrero family. Having wrestled all over the place including WCW, WWE, TNA, and Lucha Underground, Chavo is one of those who was perfect for that role considering his vast experience.
“Chavo is fantastic,” Britney said. “He was the best coach, so supportive and very informative. And its so great his uncle Mando actually trained the original G.L.O.W girls so its cool to have that connection.”
Wrestling training lasted four weeks before filming commenced and obviously continued as the season went along. Chavo showed the girls the basics: how to get into the ring, proper footwork to move around the ring with your partner, basic wrestling moves which then turn into proper sequences and full choreography.
“What I loved about Chavo was that when the scripts came out he and our stunt coordinator Shauna would go through them and figure out what moves each girl need to do. But instead of just teaching that one girl that move, they would teach all of us. So we were always prepared should we need to do that certain move in another episode,” Britney explained.
Stepping inside a wrestling ring is surely a thrill for any wrestling fan and not many get to do it. But for Britney, she was not a wrestling fan and while wrestling was huge while she was growing up, she never really got into it. But ever since landing a role in GLOW, that has now changed.
“I am now a fan! I have been watching shows like Lucha Underground, which actually a few of us girls went to one of their exhibitions while we were shooting to see our ring technician and Lucha’s senior referee Marty Elias. It was fantastic,” she said.
When training resumed the next week after attending the Lucha Underground tapings, the girls kept asking Chavo how to do certain moves that they saw during the Lucha Underground show. “Now I find that I miss wrestling. It has so many elements to it that as a performer and a former athlete I really appreciate and enjoy.”
Chavo Guerrero and Marty Elias were not the only two names that wrestling fans can recognize from this show. The main cast also included Kia Stevens, better known to fans as Awesome Kong in TNA and Kharma in WWE. But what was it like to work with Stevens, who for the majority of her career she portrayed some pretty intimidating characters on television?
“Alright, I hate to shatter any image of Kia, but she is the sweetest human being I have ever met! It was so inspiring to work with her, especially for me.” Britney said that she was a bit nervous coming into training since as a bigger girl, she wasn’t sure what her body was able to do. Despite always being athletic and playing volleyball and cheerleading while growing up, she never wrestled before.
“But the first time I saw Kia wrestle in training I said to myself, ‘if she can do it, I can do it!’ and after training I even told her that to her face. She just looked at me and was like ‘hell yeah, wrestling isn’t about size’ and from there on I was just in awe of her!” It wasn’t just Britney who was in awe of her, but the rest of the cast as well as Stevens taught them many little tricks that came in handy. “It was so reassuring to have her training with us.”
As you can imagine, filming a movie or a television show is a long and sometimes painful process. After a month of training, all ten episodes were filmed in four months last fall. Those ten episodes included working 12 to 14 hours a day, kicking off the day at 6AM with hair and makeup. Fortunately for Young, the character she plays likes the natural look, “so my hair and makeup really only took about half an hour so I appreciated that extra time to sleep in!”
After hair and makeup, it’s then five or six hours straight of filming. Following a 30-minute break for lunch, it’s back to hair and makeup and an additional five to six hours of filming to wrap up the day. Young was full of praise for the crew behind the scenes, who had their hands full with a large cast and things certainly could have taken a lot longer, “but they handled it like champs.”
The long days on set however did not affect the cast’s morale or spirit as laughing and telling jokes was a good way to make the day go by faster. “We really are one big family. It was really enjoyable on days where we actually had to wrestle. To see the looks on the crew members faces and to hear all of the rest of the girls cheering you on was so exhilarating.”
With the season yet to start and impossible to say if it will be a big hit within the Netflix universe, so far there is nothing official about a second season, although Young hopes that it will continue past this first season. “The storylines are so unique and so funny, and our cast is hilarious! Our writers give us such great material to perform, I really hope that everyone enjoys it and that Netflix brings us back for a second season…and more,” she said with a smile.
The original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling show went on for four seasons with 26 episodes each filmed in Las Vegas. Young hopes that the women who participated in the original series will get the recognition they deserve with this Netflix series. “The original G.L.O.W. girls and the show really did make an impact on the female wrestlers who followed and the wrestling world as a whole,” Young said.
When the new season starts in a few weeks, wrestling fans will surely start Googling the names of the cast to get more familiar with them. Unfortunately for Britney Young, she shares the same name with an adult movie star whose filmography trumps everything else on the first page of Google search!
“Yes, I am very aware of the other Britney Young who currently is blowing up on Google, and good for her I wish her the best and all the success in her line of work,” Britney said.
But this Britney Young is on Twitter and Instagram, and you can follow her @ItsBritneyYoung on Twitter and @BritneyYoung on Instagram. “I promise a lot of pictures of pugs and tweets about my random thoughts on my favorite TV shows,” she said of her social media posts.
All ten episodes of GLOW land on Netflix on June 23 and will be available in all Netflix territories. Go to Netflix.com to start your subscription.
Ariane Andrew, the former WWE Superstar as Cameron, is featured on the cover of issue #35 of Icon Magazine. Dressed in all leather, Andrew is photographed standing in front of a red Mercedes-Benz sports car.
The former member of the Funkadactyls departed WWE in May of last year following a short stint and a return to NXT. She had been featured as part of the Total Divas cast from season one to three and had a recurring spot in season four.
Andrew, who is 29 years old, told Extra last week that she left WWE on good terms as has no ill will towards anybody in the organization. “I appreciate all of the love and the hate I have received over the years from the WWE Universe. No matter what was said about me I appreciate their candor and their passion for the business,” she said. She did not rule out a return to the WWE and said she would definitely love to come back in the future.
Popular WWE Superstar Lana made her first appearance on television since February last night on Smackdown Live and got herself a Smackdown Women’s title shot at Money In The Bank.
Lana, who along with Rusev were switched to Smackdown from Raw during the Superstar Shake-up, cost Naomi the six-woman tag team match after Naomi made fun of Lana for trying to get a place in the first-ever women Money In The Bank ladder match earlier in the previous segment.
Naomi told McMahon that she wants Lana at the upcoming pay-per-view and she would be putting her title on the line.
The post-Extreme Rules edition of Monday Night Raw drew 2,993,000 viewers, up 381,000 viewers from last week’s low of 2.6 million viewers.
Hour one did 3,113,000 viewers, followed by an-almost identical 3,110,000 viewers in the second hour, before dropping to 2,758,000 viewers in the third and final hour. The third hour is what dragged the overall rating down as Raw lost 352,000 viewers going from the second to the third hour.
This was the best Raw audience since the April 24 episode. Raw was #2, #3, and #6 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
NXT champion Bobby Roode was joined by SAnitY member Nikki Cross and UK Championship Live star Mark Andrews as they visited the home of a little WWE fan who was injured during the terrorist attack in Manchester while attending the Ariana Grande concert.
Lily Harrison, who is just 8 years old, was hit by flying shrapnel and fractured her shoulderblade when the suicide bomb went off while her mother, Lauren Thorpe, was hit in the thigh by an inch-long bolt.
Ariana Grande, who put up a free benefit show for Manchester alongside with several stars this past Sunday, also visited Lily in the hospital last weekend.
Roode presented Lily with an NXT championship replica title and then all three stars signed it for her as Extreme Rules played on TV in the background.
The scheduled NXT live event in Manchester for today was canceled but NXT’s stars still made it to Manchester to make home and hospital visits and check on those who were affected by the attack.
Back in 1993, the very first UFC competition somewhat resembled today’s gimmick-laden wrestling culture. Amateurish through it now appears by present-day standards, the eight-man tournament in which each fighter specialised in a single discipline – and wore attire that reflected it – broke new ground in professional combat sport. In realising the importance of groundwork, after BJJ expert Royce Gracie’s effortless outright win, UFC fighters now possess a more rounded set of skills. For that reason, along with the rampant growth of the WWE brand over the past twenty-five years, the present climate offers many opportunities for fighters to cross over between MMA and professional wrestling.
Where a successful transition from UFC to professional wrestling is concerned, Ken Shamrock – who was also a participant in UFC 1 – is a prime example. Though he was already an experienced pro-wrestler, Ken Shamrock would not make his WWE debut until 1997. One year later, he was crowned King of the Ring and soon characterised himself as ‘the most dangerous man in the world’ as he embarked on feuds with the luminaries of the WWE’s fondly-remembered ‘Attitude Era’. To truly become a successful, high-selling wrestler, one must boast an extreme sense of showmanship and, with that taken into account, several UFC fighters stand out as likely candidates to join the WWE in the coming years.
1. Conor McGregor
Lifelong WWE fan McGregor would undoubtedly prove a huge draw for Pay-Per-View (PPV) events such as Wrestlemania and the Royal Rumble. Since his expertise is consigned to the caged octagon he lacks the aerial prowess that would mark him out as a physical entertainer. However, trash talk and plotlines have been valued over action for as long as most wrestling fans can remember. As such, his brash persona would be well-suited to the sport. Additionally, the fact that he is now confirmed to box Floyd Mayweather on 24 September – and finding himself a 6/1 outsider with Paddy Power’s online betting system – is a strong hint of his desire to move on after being stripped of his UFC featherweight belt.
2. Tim Kennedy
Many wrestling fans would assert that the world is getting scarier, and that the perfect tonic would be to once more create an all-American persona who can effectively champion the values of liberty. Hulk Hogan did just that at the height of the first Gulf War during his ongoing feud with the Sergeant Slaughter, whose gimmick was that of an Iraqi ‘defector’. In becoming a WWE superstar, Green Beret Kennedy would be able to channel his real world experience of combat into the ring. Though only a middleweight, Kennedy’s superior military fitness and resilience in the octagon has won him many fans, and his draw potential for PPV events would likely surprise those who consider him too uncharismatic for the WWE.
The ‘Real American’ Hulk Hogan’s famous 1991 match with ‘Iraqi defector’ Sgt Slaughter – albeit in video game form. A similar gimmick could be expected from Tim Kennedy if he ever moved to the WWE.
3. Ronda Rousey
Sceptics would consider Rousey to be yesterday’s fighter, but even when nowhere near the octagon, her presence can be felt. Even cameo ringside appearances, for UFC and WWE, can raise the proverbial temperature of social media users. That can easily translate into bigger PPV sales in due course, and amongst Rousey’s more notorious ‘call-outs’ is her criticism of Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, believing that they prioritise money above a passion for combat. Rousey is suitably opinionated and could be face or heel with equal ease.
So, there you have it; three fighters who have the fighting prowess (or the mouth) for WWE.
ProWrestlingSheet.com is reporting that Thea Trinidad, the former Impact Wrestling Knockout has signed a WWE deal and will soon be reporting to the WWE Performance Center.
The 26-year-old Queens native worked for the then-TNA between 2011 and 2013 and made one appearance during a One Night Only pay-per-view in 2015. Last year in October, she wrestled NXT Women’s champion Asuka on an episode of NXT but that was the one and only NXT appearance.
Trinidad, who is the girlfriend of WWE’s Austin Aries, played the part of AJ Lee in the upcoming Fighting With My Family movie which focuses on Paige and her family.
Welcome to the Raw Report! @TheMagnumDA with you for another installment. Before I get started, I want to send thoughts and prayers to our UK fans in light of another senseless terrorist incident in the UK. To those UK fans and their families, I am sure that pro wrestling is the furthest thing from your mind right now. I just want to send you (and those close to you) positive thoughts and love from America in light of this cowardly attack. Stay strong during these trying times.
It’s going to be hard to transition into Raw, but we’ll do our best. Before that, let’s talk about last night’s EXTREME RULES PPV on the WWE Network. The PPV itself was a solid B, in terms of athleticism and performance. Everyone seemed keyed up and ready to rock in front of a fun Baltimore crowd. However, in terms of booking, I think this show gets an F for a letter grade. Now, you may think that my grading scale is a little EXTREME (see what I did there? :)) but take a moment and think about these finishes:
Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz would have been a fine opener, but the booking of the match killed it. Having the ref play a clueless tattletale (while Dean pleads with him NOT to be DQ’ed) was a joke. This gave Miz the proper distraction to finish Ambrose with the Skull Crushing Finale. So what was the point of that entire build, if you’re going to have Miz win clean? Obviously, they did it to make Dean look dumb. No other justification.
Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley played promo videos that CLEARLY stated, “The first person to get to the Kendo Stick can legally use it.” Fast forward to the match…and BOTH women are using the Kendo Stick! I don’t have a beef with both women using the weapon. That’s perfectly fine. But WHY did you even include that in the video package?! If you’re going to go against your own rules, then don’t even bring them up in the first place.
The Hardy Boyz vs. Cesaro and Sheamus was another example of a good match that was ruined by booking that even confused the announcers! First of all, they removed the pin/submission aspect of the match. This means that both men had to climb out of the cage to win. Apparently, somewhere along the way, Booker T. became certain that the only way that both tag partners could win the match is by leaving the cage at the exact same time. He was SO convinced that he wouldn’t get off the topic, which muddled the commentary, confused the fans, and brought down the quality of the match. Plus, wasn’t Jeff the first one out of the ring? Technically, the Hardys should have won. But whatever.
The one that finally set me over the edge was Neville vs. Austin Aries for the Cruiserweight Championship. This was a Submission Match for the title. To my knowledge, all “I Quit” or “Submission” matches are ‘No Disqualification’, by their very nature. SO WHY DID AUSTIN ARIES RELEASE HIS SUBMISSION?! If Aries was trying to avoid another DQ finish (like at Payback when Neville grabbed the ref) then he’s a damn fool because it’s a Submission Match and there is NO DQ in these types of matches. If there are now DQ’s in a Submission Match, then someone in WWE is going to have to send me a memo because I was not aware (and neither were the fans).
Anyways, on with tonight’s show. We start tonight with BRAY WYATT, who promises to cast judgment on his opponents from last night. Quit being so vindictive, and fight for your #1 Contender’s Spot like a man. This includes Roman Reigns, who makes his way down ringside. The crowd has their dueling chant, while Roman once again proclaims this to be his yard. Bray laughs. Glad Roman is seen as such a threat.
Match #1 – Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns
Bray tries to hit Sister Abigail early, but he’s knocked outside. After the break, Bray is beating Roman down. He tries a nearfall, but it only gets two. Chinlock by Wyatt on Reigns. We get our first “Great Balls of Fire” reference tonight. Yes, I will be counting. Roman fights up, but gets beat down. Reigns tries a Samoan Drop, but Wyatt counters with a DDT for two. Another chinlock by Wyatt. Reigns pulls both of Wyatt’s arms away, but he gets kicked in the corner. Reigns picks up Wyatt from the top and lays him out with a YUGE Samoan Drop. Series of clotheslines by Roman gets the crowd fired up. Well, the ones cheering for him anyway. Wyatt counters and throws Reigns into the corner post. While they’re outside the ring, Bray hits the running Senton Bomb as we go to ANOTHER break.
After the second break, Roman fights out of another chinlock, sending Bray outside the ring. Back inside, Roman drills Wyatt with some kicks and a lariat. Wyatt receives the clotheslines in the corner, but he catches Roman with a boot. Roman hits a boot of his own for the one, two, no! Roman went for the Superman Punch, but Wyatt throws him off with the deadly and paralyzing SPIDER POSE! Roman goes for the punch anyways, and Bray catches him with a Uranage for the one, two, no! They climb to the corner and trade blows, but Roman takes Bray out from under to hit a variation of The Last Ride for the two! Reigns locks in the Superman Punch, but it’s missed! Roman hits it after the second attempt! ONE, TWO, NO! Reigns goes for the Spear, but Wyatt crawls out of the ring. Reigns is waiting to hit the Drive-By on Wyatt! This only phases Bray, as he returns with a MASSIVE lariat on Reigns. Roman returns to the ring at the count of nine, thanks to an incredibly generous ref. Sister Abigail is reversed into the Superman Punch and the Spear! ONE, TWO, THREE! Fine match, but we’ve seen it before many times.
Winner: Roman Reigns (**1/2)
Charly is backstage with Enzo & Cass. Enzo hits on Charly while Cass plays the straight man. You can already tell that Cass is going to be the guilty party: Not only did he blow off Enzo’s promo, but he walked away before it was over. Keep an eye on this.
We then get a recap of Alexa Bliss’ victory over Bayley from last night. I can’t believe they only gave their PPV match five minutes. I thought the match sucked, but the direction is correct: Alexa needs to stay strong. Bayley, meanwhile, needs to take a back seat. She also needs to quit being such a damn geek. I mean, good GOD. This character is already dead in the water, and I don’t know if she can be salvaged. It’s a good thing Bayley’s staying home tonight…she might want to stay there.
Alexa talks to Kurt Angle, and wants to propose “Alexa Bliss: This is MY life!” Angle tells her no, and that last week’s segment was one of the worst segments ever. THANK YOU KURT! THANK YOU KURT! Instead, Angle proposes Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax for the championship tonight! Wow, we’re going there already. Awesome. Crowd popped huge for this.
THE DRIFTER Elias Samson is with us. These songs are getting so bad that I’m convinced it’s done on purpose. He’s immediately interrupted by Dean Ambrose, who attacks Samson before the bell. Dean throws him outside and through the barricade! Cole and Booker trade off bad jokes about striking a bad note, while Dean calls out Miz.
Miz shows up on the Titantron and tells him that there will be no rematch, and that tonight we will have a Kickoff Celebration to his IC Title reign. Samson re-enters the ring and lays out Ambrose. Oh, good…so Samson isn’t an afterthought. Also, I guess we have no match. I’m sincerely impressed…they only got through one match in the first hour of the program! Dean goes to plead his case with Kurt, and Kurt kicks him out of the building. I apologize, Bayley. Dean Ambrose is officially turning into a bigger geek. First, this guy whines to the ref to reconsider the DQ last night, and now this.
SAMOA JOE, the #1 Contender to the WWE Universal Championship, is with us. Joe wants everything that Brock Lesnar has, including his schedule, his manager, and his championship. I’m surprised he didn’t say Sable. Joe promises that at “Great Balls of Fire” (#3!), he will take everything from Brock Lesnar. This brings out Paul Heyman! He patronizes Joe, and says that Brock Lesnar doesn’t fear him, either. Paul considers Joe to be the worst-case scenario, because Joe will be his most ruthless opponent. The kind of opponent that will take a piece of Lesnar along the way.
Then, in one of the most memorable moments on Raw this year, Joe very slowly explains (off mic) to Paul Heyman what he’s about to do to him. Joe wants Heyman to describe what he is about to feel…to Brock Lesnar, because this is all for him. Then he chokes Paul completely unconscious. What a psychotic, beautiful, and well-told promo. Hell, I can’t believe it. I’m already sold on GREAT BALLS OF FIRE on the first night of its build. For those counting, they’ve said it five times so far. Only one “I’MMA TELLYA” from Booker T.
Samoa Joe goes face-to-face with KURT ANGLE! Wow! Brings me back to their TNA days. Joe asks Angle, “Ask yourself this question: Are you in my way right now?” Before Kurt can answer, Seth Rollins steps in and says that he wants to get in Samoa Joe’s way. Angle immediately books it.
Match #2 – WWE Tag Team Champions Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Heath Slayer & Rhyno
Wow, second match of the night! At the 80 minute mark. Sheamus immediately throws Slater shoulder-first into the post, and hits a lariat for two. Rhyno tries to get the crowd going as Slater fights up. Sheamus immediately elbows him down and tags in Cesaro, who hits an axe handle off the middle rope. Slater hits a jawbreaker on Cesaro and a Spinning Heel Kick on Sheamus. Cesaro pulls Rhyno off the apron, preventing the hot tag! BROGUE KICK by Sheamus! ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Sheamus & Cesaro (*)
After the match, Sheamus and Cesaro cut a geeky promo on the Hardy Boyz. I really don’t have much to say about it, except Cesaro blew a chance to call himself the TWO TIME, TWO TIME tag team champion. Meanwhile, TJP is stirring it up with Neville, asking for his well-deserved title shot. Methinks Neville is going to obstruct.
Match #3 – TJP vs. Mustafa Ali
They lock up and TJP takes advantage with European uppercuts in the corner. Ali flips out of the corner and hits a moonsault for two. Ali gets TJ in the armbar, but TJ grabs the hair and sends him in the ropes. TJ pulls the hair AGAIN from the apron and hits a diving Senton back into the ring for two. TJ snapmares Ali and sticks his foot on Mustafa’s face. TJ gets Ali in the chinlock, and grabs the hair A THIRD TIME. DQ him, ref! Ali leaps out of the corner and catches a DDT for two! TJ kicks Ali out of the corner and DRILLS him with the Detonation Kick for the ONE, TWO, THREE. DAMN. That was quick.
Winner: TJP (*)
After the match, Neville makes his entrance. He tells TJP that Kurt Angle said no. TJ says they should go see Angle together. Neville, incensed, DESTROYS TJ and throws him through the video screen! Neville then informs TJ that he will get his shot tomorrow night on the show I brought to Wrestling-Online, 205 Live! Hey, who says I can’t put myself over?
Goldust cuts another promo on R-Truth, quoting “Gone With The Wind”. This promo felt about as long as the movie. Afterwards, Alexa tries to gain some allies backstage before her match with Nia Jax. Little Miss Bliss gets turned down flat, and then she is told that the women of Raw will be ringside for this match.
Mike tries to corner Angle about Corey and the screenshot, but Angle slips out the back door saying that it’s a private matter. As Angle slithers out, Mr. Dean Ambrose slithers back in. Fans loved it.
Match #4 – Kalisto vs. Titus O’Neil
Titus corners Kalisto in the corner and pounds him. Titus almost has a bodyslam countered, but he pulls through and slams him HARD. Kalisto gets a brief flurry, but Titus takes control. Kalisto gets one last roll-up attempt, but Titus simply falls on him and grabs the tights AGAIN! However, Titus pulls back so hard that he rolls Kalisto on top! Kalisto, remembering last week, grabs the tights as a receipt for the ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Kalisto (*)
Backstage, BIG CASS is found laid out! Enzo and the refs find him and bring him back. Come on, Vince. You need some extra security backstage, brother. Quit settling with referees, Fit Finlay and Dean Malenko!
Maryse introduces her husband, and the new Intercontinental Champion, The Miz! Wow! What a celebration! There’s bubbly! Miz has his name spelled out in balloons! There’s even a bear mascot standing in the ring with “CONGRATULATIONS” on a sign! Oddly, this bear is 6’2″ tall and quite lean. Hmm. These fans must be completely ecstatic that they spend all their money to see a Raw with six matches. “YOU DESERVE IT” chant! Miz buries the chant, but then says that they’re right…he does deserve it! Miz calls this the first night of the “Comeback Tour”! He says that it starts with winning the IC title last night. Miz asks to raise a glass, with a toast! Miz compliments the decor, including the dancing bear! Maryse informs Miz that she wasn’t aware of the bear. Miz DROPS the bear with a Skull Crushing Finale. Miz, of course, thinks this is Dean. Oh shit. It’s just a kid. Miz still throws him out of the ring.
After this, a big gift box appears! Miz tackles it and destroys it! OH NO! This actually WAS a gift from Maryse! “A Grandfather Clock…timeless, just like you, Mike.” Aw..Mrs. Mizanin needs a hug. Miz starts channeling Ric Flair and Jack Nicholson with his crazy, rambling response as Maryse storms away. Just as Miz is about to walk out of the ring, the cameraman inside the ring starts to slowly undo his gear…and THIS is Ambrose. Miz gets dropped with Dirty Deeds! Okay, that was PLATINUM compared to last week’s horror show. What a FANTASTIC segment. It’s just too bad that we’ve seen this match a thousand times.
Match #5 – Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Enzo & ???
Enzo reveals his replacement to be…THE BIG SHOW! Nice. Big Show is given the mic to spit it. They goof around, as Enzo comes off as a total geek. Enzo is immediately dropped by Gallows, and Anderson is tagged in. Anderson hits some forearms in the corner, but misses a kick. Big Show makes the hot tag and lays out Gallows and Anderson. They both get thrown in the corner, and Show hits a big splash. Shoulder tackle to Anderson, followed by the CHOKESLAM! Enzo is tagged in for the BIG SPLASH out of Show’s press! ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winners: Enzo & Big Show (*)
R-Truth retorts Goldust and tells him that he’s gonna get got. Alexa Bliss is interviewed backstage by Mike. She says that the women of Raw have no pride, or they’re jealous. One or the other. Probably both. Either way, judgment day is here for her.
Match #6 – WWE Women’s Championship Match – Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax
I feel like this needs to be a WrestleMania blowoff, in the same vein of “Chyna vs. Ivory”. But alas…here it comes, in the death segment of Raw. Mickie and Dana Brooke immediately come down to ringside. Nia grabs Alexa by the hair, but then Alexa slaps the PISS out of her. Nia responds with two ragdoll tosses and a splash in the corner. Nia misses a splash, and Alexa tries a sleeperhold. Nia throws her over the shoulder, and drops two elbows. Alexa’s hurting. Bliss kicks Jax in the face, but Jax completely runs her over with a standing Vader splash. Alexa rolls outside and instigates trouble with the girls outside. Alexa gets slapped for the DQ! Cheap. Afterwards, Nia destroys Mickie and Dana as Alexa looks on.
Winner by DQ: Nia Jax (*)
Paul Heyman is backstage when “BROCK” calls. There can be only one Brock, I suppose. Next week, Paul wants to see THE BEAST UNLEASHED.
Main Event – Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
Joe throws his towel right in Seth’s face and pulls him in the corner, pounding him. He takes him to the opposite corner and pounds some more. Seth fights out of the corner, and after a counter, he chops Joe. Joe headbutts Rollins and then dumps him out of the ring. Rollins runs back in, but Joe charges after him with a forearm. Rollins throws him out of the ring, but his Suicide Dive is met with a FIERCE kick by Joe. Rollins gets thrown into the corner barricade, and then dropped on his sternum. Back inside, Joe gets some right hands and Rollins crumbles to the mat. Joe continues with chops in the corner, followed by more jabs and knees in the opposite corner. Rollins fights back with fists and a jawbreaker. Rollins tries to springboard, but Joe grabs the ropes. Joe splashes Rollins in the corner as we go to break.
After the break, Joe stands over Rollins after a mean front suplex for two. Joe misses a charge in the corner, but Rollins gets his leg pulled out from the second rope. Samoa Joe hits an atomic drop/boot/senton combo for two. Joe puts Rollins in an armbar, grinding his forearm on Seth’s face. Rollins fights back with fists to the face, and catches Joe with a kick. Joe catches a quick Powerslam for one, two, no! Joe with chops in the corner to Rollins, but Seth recovers with forearms and an enziguiri! Joe rolls outside, but Seth is ready for the Suicide Dive! Back inside, Sling Blade by Rollins, followed by a second Dive to Joe on the outside! Back in again, Blockbuster by Rollins, followed by a THIRD dive! Top rope clothesline to Joe for the one, two, no! They trade sleeperhold attempts, but Rollins musters up the strength to hit Joe with the Falcon Arrow! ONE, TWO, NO! Rollins tries another rollup for two, followed by the side kick! LIGHTS GO OUT! When they come back on, Rollins looks everywhere for Wyatt but he cannot be found. AN ILLUSION! Anyways, Joe is waiting for Rollins and conveniently locks in the Coquina Clutch! The ref calls it!
Winner: Samoa Joe (***)
Final Thoughts: There weren’t that many matches on the show, and most of them couldn’t break one star. That’s not good at all. That said, some of the angles were an improvement from last week’s debacle. That’s it for this week’s Raw report! Thanks for joining, we’ll see you next week when BROCK LESNAR appears to confront Samoa Joe! CAN’T WAIT. @TheMagnumDA
Triple H today unveiled the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III logo and tickets on-sale date.
The logo keeps the traditional Takeover look with Brooklyn and New York text in gold and a big III, also in gold, in the background.
Tickets for the show, which is considered the most important Takeover event of the year, go on pre-sale this Wednesday and then go on sale to the general public this Saturday, June 9 at 10AM ET. There are no prices yet for tickets. Ticketmaster.com will be handling the ticket sales.
NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III takes place on August 19 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on the eve of SummerSlam.
Hulk Hogan is doing another autograph signing at his Hogan’s Beach Shop in Orlando. Situated on International Drive, this newest location was opened during WrestleMania week in April.
Tickets are $60, $100, and $200. Each ticket will allow you one autograph and one photo with your own camera. If you do not have an item you’d like to get signed, the store will have 8×10 photos available.
$60 tickets are for children aged 12 and under. $100 is a standard adult ticket that includes a small item to autograph such as an action figure, t-shirt, bandana, etc. The $200 ticket is for large autographed items such as replica title belts, large posters, WrestleMania chairs, etc. If you need additional items autographed, it’s $60 extra as well. Children 5 and under may enter the event for free but will not get their own photo/autograph.
The autograph signing will be on June 24 from 4PM to 8PM. The store will be closed during the event so if you need to do some shopping, go earlier. Tickets are available at hogansbeachshop.com.
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