The city of Manchester has been in the news over the past 48 hours for all the wrong reasons after a suicide bomber blew himself up following the ending of the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena on Monday night, killing 22 people and injuring over 100 others.
WWE will be hosting a show there in a couple of weeks as part of the NXT tour although at this point it’s still not clear what the status is. NXT has never run large arenas in the United Kingdom except for a Takeover in London and the Manchester Arena is one of the biggest in the country.
The company issued a statement regarding the event to TMZ.COM saying, “WWE offers its heartfelt condolences to those affected by this tragedy. We are working with local authorities on the appropriate course of action as it relates to our event scheduled for Tuesday, June 6 at the Manchester Arena.”
Authorities at the Manchester Arena canceled all events for this week although so far there are no planned cancellations beyond this point. The band Kiss is supposed to hold a concert there on May 30 which if it gets the go ahead from police, it will be the first event since that tragic night.
Both Matt Hardy and his wife Reby reacted to Ed Nordholm’s statement and released documents and naturally it doesn’t seem that they were impressed by the move.
“I tell the truth & I don’t need to desperately overcompensate to prove my public credibility. My facts will be shared via the correct venue,” Matt Hardy said.
His wife Reby was less diplomatic and true to her past statements, unloaded on the Anthem Executive Vice President. She said that the whole story was “inaccurate” and their attorney bills say otherwise, bills that can also act as a “cute little log” too. She called them all a joke and that they have lost already, the only difference is that they can and will make their loss official.
Reby added that Impact tried a sales pitch to WWE on the gimmick that isn’t legally theirs and WWE simply responded “LOLZ yeah no, thanks.”
She continued, “Oh. And you might want to try spamming dirt sheets with the ACTUAL final version of that contract if you’re going to break confidentiality!” And then she hinted that their phone conversations were taped. “Should we release the phone calls? I kinda wanna release the phone calls now… since we playin petty, apparently.”
Impact Wrestling’s man in charge Ed Nordholm released an exchange of e-mails with an unnamed WWE exec who confirmed to him that they have no interest in the Broken gimmicks as well as a timeline of what happened with Matt Hardy and his legal team.
The e-mail was sent by Nordholm in April 20 to someone at WWE whose name and e-mail are redacted saying that he has been approached by Matt Hardy’s lawyers regarding the Broken gimmicks who said that WWE is trying to work something with them. Nordholm states in the e-mail that he is open to a proper discussion, although he won’t be negotiating on Twitter “through talent and his wife.”
The WWE reply came in an hour and 20 minutes later, stating that they were not aware of the rumors and this individual would ask the team internally and get back to him. The next day in the morning, the unnamed WWE exec sends an e-mail back to Ed Nordholm stating, “I talked with the team internally and the rumors are just that; no interest on our end in getting involved. Any info out there to the contrary definitely isn’t coming from us. Let me know if I can provide any other info.”
A copy of the contract that Matt Hardy had was also published which clearly states that any work by talent will be owned by the company. The contract is dated March 1, 2015.
The full log and files can be read below.
Good afternoon,
In response to on-going speculation concerning our position with respect to the “Broken Brilliance” creative, I am providing this detailed log of our communications on the subject and the contractual structure of our relationship with Matt Hardy with respect to intellectual property matters (which is standard to our roster and in the industry).
There has never been any argument from Impact Wrestling that the Hardy’s were key contributors to the development of the characters and story line, or that Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy executed on their roles in spectacular fashion. But the position taken by the Hardys is a massive disservice to the contributions of the rest of the creative team at Impact Wrestling, including Jeremy Borash, Dave Lagana, Matt Conway and Billy Corgan, and is totally at odds with the terms of their contracts.
The Hardys would have you believe that Anthem is somehow avoiding their lawyers to address this. This is the log of our communications with the Hardys and/or their lawyers. It is clear that we have not been avoiding them.
March 10 – EBN speaks with executives at ROH about “Broken Brilliance” being used in ROH shows. I indicated willingness to provide an arrangement that would allow the creative to be used in ROH shows and encouraged ROH to have Matt speak with me if he wanted to pursue that discussion
March 11 – EBN spoke at length with Matt by telephone about the structure of an amicable arrangement for use of the Broken Brilliance creative
March 14 – Matt sent text message to Ed Nordholm at 4:05pm: “Tried giving you a call, it rang & went busy. I’m open to working things out amicably as we spoke about. The lawyer who represent me is interested in seeing your offer. My lawyer’s email is {redacted} which you could send the offer to for review. Thanks.”
And I responded by text at 6:41 pm
“Thank you Matt. I was supposed to be [flying] into NYC today and am a little twisted. I will pull something together with [our] lawyers and try to get it over to your lawyer tomorrow or Thursday at latest“
March 16 – At 8:25 pm I sent an update text to Matt: “Hi Matt. My lawyer got me a draft too late to get reviewed for today. I will look at it in the morning. Sorry for the delay”
And he responded at 9:16 pm “Ok, he’s ready for it. Thanks for the update.”
March 17 – counsel for Anthem Wrestling delivered draft proposal to counsel for Matt Hardy
March 24 – counsel for Anthem Wresting followed up with Matt Hardy counsel requesting comments on the proposal
March 27 – counsel for Matt Hardy responds that they have been away and have not reviewed the proposal but will be back “in the next few days” After which no further communication until
April 18 – counsel for Matt Hardy leaves a voice mail message for counsel for Anthem Wrestling asking to arrange a meeting
April 20 – EBN contacts WWE by email to determine veracity of internet rumours concerning WWE interest in Broken Brilliance
April 21 – counsel for Matt Hardy sends a follow up message requesting a meeting
April 27 – lawyers speak to arrange a meeting
May 16 – lawyers meet but no agreement reached
Finally, I am attaching a copy of the relevant provisions of Matt’s contract with Impact. The clause is virtually identical to the corresponding provisions of every wrestler under contract with Impact.
The facts are that we tried to accommodate the Hardys for their Ring of Honour engagements, and have tried to elicit an indication from WWE whether they have an interest in using the Broken Brilliance creative in WWE. We are not hoarding it from WWE; WWE is not interested in it.
We fully respect the decision of Matt and Jeff to return to WWE and appreciate all of their contributions to Impact Wrestling. We wish them every success.
Our focus is on the future and we will not have any further public comment on this matter.
During last night’s Smackdown, the six participants who will take part of the Money In The Bank ladder match at the upcoming MITB pay-per-view were announced.
These Superstars are former WWE champion AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, former World Heavyweight champion and MITB match winner Dolph Ziggler, former Universal champion and current U.S. champion Kevin Owens, and former NXT champion Shinsuke Nakamura. This is the second MITB match in a row for both Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who participated in the 2016 event.
The last Money In The Bank winner was Dean Ambrose who defeated Del Rio, Cesaro, Jericho, Owens, and Zayn last year. Ambrose successfully cashed in later in the night after Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns to win the title.
The 2017 Money In The Bank pay-per-view will take place on June 18 from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Still-pictures recap Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship win this past Sunday at Backlash. We go to the arena in Toledo, Ohio, where commentators Tom Phillips, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, and Byron Saxton greet us. A camera is outside, where police on motorcycles enter with sirens. An SUV is behind, and The Singh Brothers exit. They lay out a carpet and on it walks new WWE Champion Jinder Mahal.
Arena Promo
Commissioner Shane McMahon is out. He announces that Randy Orton has been granted his automatic rematch for the WWE Championship at Money In The Bank in June. He moves onto the point of Money In The Bank, which is the Ladder Match with the briefcase that holds a WWE Championship Match Contract. McMahon brings out the wrestlers who will partake: A.J. Styles, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, and Kevin Owens. But, Shane says that Owens is actually not a part of this match. He asks for the final participant to make his entrance – Shinsuke Nakamura.
The United States Champion – Kevin – complains about not being included, so Shane actually includes him! All wrestlers now take verbal shots at each other until McMahon cools them down by booking a couple of matches for tonight – Baron Corbin wrestling Sami Zayn and Kevin and Dolph teaming against Shinsuke and A.J.!
Up next, Becky Lynch and Charlotte are tagging together.
Commercials.
Match #1: Tag-Team – The Welcoming Committee (Natalya and Carmella) (with Tamina and James Ellsworth) VS. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch (with Women’s Champion Naomi)
Becky and Carmella start out with a standing side-headlock by Carmella. Lynch takes Carmella down with a headlock, but Carmella soon gets back up and they trade back-and-forth; Becky knocks Carmella to the outside for a break.
Commercials.
Natalya and Carmella are now in control, double-stomping Lynch in the corner. Natalya tries to lock Becky in The Sharpshooter, but Lynch kicks off and makes the hot-tag to Charlotte. She almost gets this after a boot, and then goes tot the top turnbuckle, but Tamina stops her. Naomi takes out Tamina, and then Becky gives Natalya a dropkick from the turnbuckles.
Carmella is tagged in and is almost trapped in the Dis-Arm-Her, but James Ellsworth hops the apron. Naomi kicks him down, and then Lynch puts Carmella to the mat with her submission to force Carmella to give-in!
Winners via Submission: Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch (with Women’s Champion Naomi)
Commercials.
Match #2: Single – Baron Corbin VS. Sami Zayn
They lock up and Baron chucks Sami across the ring. He goes to pick him up, but Zayn turns him over into a roll-up for the sudden victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Sami Zayn
Post-match, “The Lone Wolf” viciously attacks Sami on the outside and into the crowd.
Commercials.
Locker Room Promo
A.J. Styles walks up to Shinsuke Nakamura, recapping their history in Japan. He tells Shinsuke to do what he says tonight, in “the house that A.J. Styles built.” Nakamura agrees, but at Money In The Bank, he says he “will turn your house into my playground.”
Video Promo
Another edition of the “Fashion Files” with Breezango is presented. Tyler Breeze and Fandango walk in to Commissioner Shane McMahon’s office and prepare to “resign.” They give over their “badges” and “guns” (water guns), but McMahon does not take their offer, and instead books Breeze against Tag-Team Champion Jey Uso later tonight! Breezango is happy and Fandango takes a donut with Shane’s encouragement.
Back live, the ring is being made for WWE Champion Jinder Mahal’s celebration!
Commercials.
Arena Promo
Many Punjab/East-Indian dancers surround the ring and put on a performance in celebration of the NEW WWE Champion, Jinder Mahal. He eventually walks to the ring and proudly pronounces his accomplishment. He criticizes the fans for going against him because of his heritage and dialect that are not “American.” He talks to “his people” in Punjabi and then relishes in pyro to finish his party.
Commercials.
Match #3: Single – Tyler Breeze (with Breezango partner Fandango) VS. Tag-Team Champion Jey Uso (with Tag-Team Champion partner Jimmy Uso)
Fandango jumps on the apron and fires the squirt gun at Jey, and Tyler takes advantage with a roll-up to quickly take this!
Winner via Pinfall: Tyler Breeze (with Breezango partner Fandango)
Match #4: Single – Fandango (with Breezango partner Tyler Breeze) VS. Tag-Team Champion Jimmy Uso (with Tag-Team Champion partner Jey Uso)
Jimmy slaps and kicks Fandango, but Breeze distracts Jimmy and Jey. Fandango rolls him up for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Fandango (with Breezango partner Tyler Breeze)
Commercials.
Match #5: Tag-Team for the Tag-Team Championship – Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) (Challengers) VS. The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) (Champions)
Jimmy and Tyler are wrestling until Breeze dumps Jimmy to the floor; he makes the hot-tag to Fandango as Jimmy switches with Jey. Fandango just about gets this, and then tries his Falcon Arrow suplex. The Usos get out of it and superkick both Breezango members. An Uso goes to the top turnbuckle and splashes, but Fandango lifts his knees and small-packages him for a very near-fall!
Jimmy and Fandango are fighting on the top turnbuckle when Jey tags in. Fandango flies off of the top with his Last Dance legdrop, but Jey splashes from the other corner and covers for the victory!
Winners via Pinfall and STILL Tag-Team Champions – The Usos
Commercials.
Office Promo
Natalya, Carmella, Becky Lynch, Tamina, and Charlotte all make their case for a Women’s Championship Match against Naomi. Commissioner Shane McMahon listens and then books all of them to wrestle in a Five-Way Elimination next week on Smackdown! Live; the winner will face Naomi at Money In The Bank for the Championship.
Match #6: Tag-Team – Dolph Ziggler and United States Champion Kevin Owens VS. A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura
A.J. and Dolph begin with an elbow-collar tie-up. A.J. turns it into a standing side-headlock, but Ziggler switches that into a standing wristlock. Styles reverses into another headlock and then dropkicks soon after. Dolph and A.J. tag-out, so Shinsuke and Owens are now in.
The U.S. Champion yells at everyone until Shinsuke starts striking. He lines up for his Kinsasha knee, but Kevin rolls out of the ring.
Commercials.
Nakamura is playing mind-games with Owens and then snapmares him into a kneedrop. He gives him his “Good Vibrations” foot-press in the corner, but gains a quick way out and dominance. He tags in Ziggler, who chops Shinsuke in the corner, and then wears him down with a headlock. Dolph slams Nakamura’s head against the canvas and then goes back to the U.S. Champ.
Owens presses his foot against Shinsuke’s throat in the corner, snapmares him, and kicks him hard in the back. He and Ziggler double-team and govern for a while.
Commercials.
Kevin and Dolph are still dominating until Ziggler runs at Nakamura and misses, hitting the ring post! Shinsuke makes the much-needed hot-tag and A.J. is all over Dolph! He just about gets this after a Fireman’s Carry Neckbreaker (thanks Phillips for that name!) but his Styles Clash attempt is countered. Owens is tagged in and run-kicks A.J. in the back off of the apron. He and Ziggler rule this bout again for a bit.
A.J. soon manages the hot-tag to Nakamura and Shinsuke gears up. He strikes hard on Owens, and then A.J. tries the Clash on Owens, but Dolph superkicks him. Nakamura fires back with a dropkick and then the Kinsasha on Kevin; he covers and receives the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura
Nakamura poses with A.J. looking on, and then they both stare each other down with the Money In The Bank Briefcase above them to close the show.
Monday Night Raw broke the two-decade lowest rating this week with 2,615,000 viewers, down 136,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast.
Hour one did 2,661,000 viewers, followed by 2,759,000 in the second hour, and then down to 2,425,000 in the third and final hour. Raw was #3, #6, and #8 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic.
The NBA Playoffs have been taking a good chunk of the Raw – and Smackdown – audience every week and last night’s game drew 5.7 million viewers on TNT. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Live on Smackdown tonight, the new WWE champion Jinder Mahal will be throwing a Punjabi celebration, the second such celebration after The Great Khali threw a similar one when he won the World Heavyweight title in 2007.
Also announced for Smackdown is a tag team match featuring Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair taking on Natalya and Carmella, the next challengers for The Usos’ Smackdown Tag Team titles, and an announcement by Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon on Money In The Bank.
Rusev, who was supposed to return last week, said on Twitter that there’s no NHL game tonight, hinting at showing up on the broadcast. Last week after he did not appear, he wrote that he wanted to watch the NHL game.
There are also rumors that The New Day will be returning on television today. The popular trio have been missing in action since the night after WrestleMania and the following week were traded all to Smackdown in the Superstar Shake-up.
The 32-women tournament that will start this Summer on the WWE Network has been named the Mae Young Classic, honoring WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young who passed away in 2014 at the age of 90. The announcement was made by Triple H on Twitter.
No wrestlers have been announced so far apart from the fact that the 32 participants will be coming from 17 different countries. Last week, Jim Ross confirmed that he would be involved in the play-by-play for the tournament. The two previous tournaments had Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo calling the Cruiserweight Classic and Michael Cole and Nigel McGuinness calling the UK Championship tournament.
Tapings will kick off on July 13 and July 14 at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Tickets go on sale at 10AM this coming Friday at NXTtickets.com.
Stipulations were added to two title matches that will take place at the Raw brand Extreme Rules pay-per-view on June 4.
The Cruiserweight title match between Neville and Austin Aries will now be a submission match. The two had a great match during the WrestleMania Kickoff show which Neville came out as the winner, retaining his title. Both Aries and Neville used submission moves on poor Tony Nese last night.
In another match, Matt Hardy and Sheamus faced off with the winner choosing the stipulation for their Raw Tag Team title match on the pay-per-view. The not-so-broken Hardy won the match and then announced that they would be wrestling Sheamus and Cesaro in a steel cage match on the show.
Hey everybody! It’s @TheMagnumDA with another edition of Monday Night Raw.
Wanted to take a moment and let our English fans know that I’m thinking about them, in light of the most recent terrorist attack in Manchester. It’s terrible and senseless, especially in a setting of defenseless women and children. My thoughts are with those affected by this heinous act.
Getting back to Raw…I was just kidding about this show having an “I’MMA TELLYA” count for Booker T. I was not kidding, however, about having extra snark tonight. That said, before I get any further…I want to share my thoughts on this weekend’s programming for WWE:
NXT TakeOver was the best WWE show this past weekend, with “Showstopper of the Week” honors going to Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne. This was a classic ****3/4 UK Championship Match (sorry Colin, couldn’t go Full Monty on the second viewing!) Even if I didn’t give it five stars, this match gave the UK Championship prestige that rivals the NXT/Cruiserweight Championships, at this point.
I really liked the closing moments of the show, specifically the Ciampa turn on Gargano. Little things, like displaying the closing credits prior to the heel turn, go a long way in creating the atmosphere of unpredictability. I thought the beat down on Gargano and the closing shots of Ciampa sitting on the table were CA$H MONEY.
This might surprise some people, but as happy as I was for Jinder Mahal winning the WWE Championship…I also have a really big problem with it.
Why, you might ask? Indulge me, if you will…
Jinder has been back for only 10 months since returning to WWE in July 2016. His run from 2010-2014 was anything but inspirational. Whereas guys like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels worked their way up the card for the better part of a decade, Jinder wallowed in mediocrity with 3MB until he was finally released in the spring of 2014. With all due respect, Jinder was not protected by any stretch, and he garnered one of the worst W-L records of any wrestler during that stretch of time.
When Mahal returned in July of 2016, there was little to no fanfare. Jinder was given the Tensai treatment (more or less advancing other talent on Raw). For the next six months, there was not a single moment where Jinder looked like a credible top-tier guy. He was second fiddle in a tag team with Rusev that went absolutely nowhere. Again, Jinder’s W-L record was completely down the tubes.
Starting in late 2016, something started to happen with Jinder that raised a lot of eyebrows and red flags from astute fans. His physique, which was already quite impressive, developed even more. He started to resemble guys like the Ultimate Warrior and Scott Steiner, with veins literally popping out of his arms. Mahal also developed a considerable amount of Bacne (“Back Acne”, a common side effect of frequent steroid users). He looked like he would fail a Wellness Policy test, but apparently that’s not the case (these are my opinions and not the opinions of Wrestling-Online).
At WrestleMania, the push of The Maharaja began. Mahal was given some credibility by placing runner-up in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. From there, he concussed Finn Balor on Raw in a three-minute match. An incident like this should have led to Mahal getting shunted down the card, but instead he was moved to Smackdown. Mahal became #1 Contender in his first match with the brand. That led us to last night, where Jinder stunned Randy Orton to become the WWE Champion.
So why does Mahal’s title reign bother me? Because his title win sends a message to everyone on both rosters: We will push you if you look like you’re jacked up on roids, and we will continue to push you even if you put one of our top guys on the shelf. Guys like Jinder (who look roided up and demonstrate carelessness) should be punished, not rewarded. Yet the complete opposite is happening.
It’s also a message to guys like Kevin Owens: We don’t care how good of a promo you are, we don’t care how safe you are in the ring, and we don’t care about your level of talent. Physique is what separates World Champions from the rest.
Anyways, rant over. ON WITH THE SHOW!
We start Raw off with Bray Wyatt! He tells us that, after defeating his four opponents at Extreme Rules, he plans on feasting on the black heart of Brock Lesnar. Well, so much for this being a “PG Show”. Wyatt runs down each of the four opponents, including Roman Reigns. This, of course, brings out Reigns. Roman says that he will be the one facing Brock Lesnar. Kurt Angle comes out (to the first sincere pop of the night) and announces that these two men will face each other…right MEOW!
Match #1 – Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt
Bray does a BIZARRE dance around the ring and they lock up. This lock up lasts 42 minutes. Roman finally gets a headlock and gets sent into the ropes. They charge at each other, but nobody gets an advantage. They trade rights and then Bray does the spider hang in the corner. Big boot by Roman to Wyatt’s face, sending him outside. Reigns decks Bray with a right hand, sending Wyatt crashing into the barricade. Back inside, Wyatt takes advantage and hits the Uranage Slam. Then Bray starts eating the ropes. Augustus, sweetie, save some room for later. Wyatt sends Reigns into the corner with a whip, which sends Roman to his knees because of the injured ribs. Reigns explodes out of the corner with a clothesline to Wyatt.
Both men get to their feet, and Reigns hits the clotheslines in the far corner post. Wyatt gets whipped into the ropes, but he counters and hits the running body press. With both men down, Samoa Joe appears! “With intent,” Booker T adds. Joe tells Bray to get up and double team Roman with him, but Bray refuses. Joe hits the Kokina Clutch on Reigns (causing the DQ), and Bray beats down a fallen Roman. Joe sneaks up on Bray with the Clutch! Seth Rollins makes his way down and attacks Joe! Reigns gets up and hits a Superman Punch on Wyatt! The ring is cleared, and the former Shield members stand alone as the PPV theme plays. Hmm…not sure if I like that touch or not.
Winner: Roman Reigns by DQ (*)
Two matches are announced for later tonight: Finn Balor vs. Karl Anderson, and Matt Hardy vs. Sheamus, with the winner picking the stipulation for the Tag Title match at Extreme Rules.
Backstage, Reigns tells Rollins that he doesn’t want help. Rollins insists that he was not trying to help Roman. Angle comes in and tells both guys that they will be teaming up against Wyatt and Samoa Joe. THE DRIFTER appears and Angle tells him that he has a match tonight…with Dean Ambrose!
Match #2 – Akira Tozawa vs. Ariya Daivari
The match starts with Akira missing a kick, and Ariya returning with fists. Akira chops Ariya and lands some right hands. They have a counter exchange leading to Akira hitting a kick to the chest for two. Akira misses a charge to the corner, and Daivari hits a HUGE clotheslines for two. They go to the backstage area, where The Brian Kendrick looks on. Brian says that he’s annoyed by those “Ah!!” chants from the crowd (for Tozawa). Thanks for that input. Back to the ring…Daivari hits a big knee but Tozawa hits a huge kick, followed by the Floating Senton Bomb for the ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Akira Tozawa (*)
Backstage, Kendrick admits he’s impressed. Kendrick then tells the world he will destroy Tozawa tomorrow night on 205 Live in a Street Fight. Charly then interviews Sasha Banks, who says that Alicia Fox will finally get hers. This brings out Noam Dar and Alicia Fox, who insult Banks. Sasha intimidates Noam to the point that he is unable to finish his thought. Wow.
Match #3 – Dean Ambrose vs. Elias Samson (The Drifter)
I gotta admit…that debut performance by The Drifter was pretty sub-par. When Aiden English has a better performance than you, you’re in trouble. Not a good start for The Drifter. In fact, his performance gets cut off by Ambrose’s entrance. Samson gets a headlock on Dean to start, but the camera goes off the match and on The Miz, who happens to be on commentary. WHO CARES?! Back to the match! Ambrose gets a couple of armdrags, but Samson is able to get some offense of his own, including a huge elbow. Samson pounds Dean in the corner, and then smashes Dean right in the face with a huge knee as we go to break.
After the break, Samson has Ambrose in a chinlock as Dean fights up. GET THE CAMERA OFF THE MIZ! Dean gets pulled back in the clutch, but he fights out with fists to the gut. Irish whip is reversed into a big left arm clothesline by Samson for two. Samson pulls back on the left arm in a Fujiwara Armbar. Ambrose fights up with forearms and a boot to the face. Neckbreaker by Ambrose and both men are down. Ambrose sells the left arm but fights back with running clotheslines to The Drifter. Dean goes up top, but Elias DRILLS him with a standing lifted knee as Dean comes down. Miz comes down ringside after Dean hits a clothesline. Miz enters the ring and gently stomps on Samson, causing a DQ!
Winner: Elias Samson by DQ (*3/4)
After the match, Miz and Dean play shenanigans, allowing Samson to level Ambrose. Miz stands with his wife at the top of the stage, taunting Dean. Backstage, Enzo Amore is found motionless! Cass freaks out, asking the refs what happened. After the break, we learned that Enzo has recovered enough to speak. He is carried away with the refs as Big Cass tells Angle that he better find out who did this.
Match #4 – Finn Balor vs. Karl Anderson
Before the match, Finn cuts a promo on his Fatal 5 Way opponents at Extreme Rules. He flubs a word and says “Oops!” on camera. Cute. Finn’s promo is cut off by PAUL HEYMAN! Heyman runs down each of the opponents, calling them future victims of Brock Lesnar. Heyman walks into the ring to speak with Finn Balor. Heyman considers Balor the most gifted wrestler in WWE. Heyman wishes Balor good luck, and Balor boldly claims that he will go on to defeat Brock Lesnar after winning the Fatal 5 Way.
The match is joined in progress after the break. Anderson has an advantage but Balor comes back with an attack of his own! Balor stomps down Anderson while he’s down. Gallows tries to interfere, leading to an elbow by Anderson. Anderson pulls on Balor’s face in the ropes. Gallows gets a cheap shot on Balor, leading to a nearfall by Anderson. Anderson gets Balor in the sleeperhold, but Finn fights to his feet. Anderson brings him back down and kills the comeback. Balor tries to fight up to his feet again, but Anderson catches a backbreaker for two. Apparently, according to Michael Cole, the backbreaker is now known as “the knee to the spine.” Whatevs. Finn fights up a third time, and Anderson catches an Overhead Kick to the temple!
Balor hits another kick from the corner, followed by running forearms and a running low dropkick. Balor hits the running chop on Anderson, and then hits a WICKED kick that sends Anderson to the outside. Balor runs out to the apron and kicks Gallows in the head! Anderson gets one too! Balor climbed up for the finish, but Anderson gets up and drilled Balor with the Spinebuster! ONE, TWO, NO! They both get up, and Balor sends Anderson to the outside. Gallows and Anderson get hit with a running dive to the outside by Balor! Back inside, Sling Blade and the Coup de Grace hits for Balor! ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Finn Balor (**1/4)
Match #5 – Alicia Fox vs. Sasha Banks
Sasha hits a huge armdrag and a legwhip to start, taking Fox to school. Alicia goes outside to retreat, but Sasha comes after her with a dive to the outside. Banks is distracted by Dar outside, leading to a MASSIVE Mafia Kick by Fox for two. Sleeperhold, but Banks fights out and takes Fox in the corner with her feet! Banks ends this quickly with an AWESOME double knee to the gut for the ONE, TWO, THREE! Well, that was quick.
Winner: Sasha Banks (1/2*)
After the match, Noam Dar gets bitchslapped. Fox steps in with another Mafia Kick to Banks, followed by the Harlem Sidekick! Ouch.
Backstage, Kalisto accuses Apollo Crews of attacking Enzo earlier tonight. Speaking of ouch, how about Kalisto’s promo skills? Poor fella. Titus interrupts and tells Kalisto that there’s plenty of opportunity with the Titus brand. Kalisto wants nothing to do with it, so Titus books Apollo vs. Kalisto for later tonight. I kinda like this slow heel turn for Apollo.
A recap of Goldust’s heel turn on R-Truth is played, and then we have a promo from Goldust. Wow…he’s going full 1995 for this. I like the Python-esque touch with the script.
After this, Charly is backstage with Alexa Bliss. They recap the attack from last week, and Alexa promises to leave permanent welts all over Bayley’s body. Alexa says that Bayley’s fairy tale is over, and she promises the same for Mickie James later tonight.
The recap segment continues with another replay of Braun Strowman’s elbow injury. They’re sticking with six months…but he’s going to be back in seven weeks. You heard it here first.
Match #6 – Kalisto vs. Apollo Crews
Kalisto gets the early advantage and hits a running start to a dive, but Apollo catches him with a running dropkick in the center of the ring! Nice timing. Apollo hits a standing suplex reminiscent of the British Bulldog for two. Apollo catches a dropped front facelock, but Kalisto fights out and charges at Crews. Apollo with an AMAZING Ghetto Blaster, catching Kalisto in the middle of his dash. Apollo tries to hit his powerbomb finish, but Kalisto counters with a rollup for the ONE, TWO, NO! Titus LOSES IT outside, screaming “SICK HIM!” So I guess Apollo is now a dog. Crews gets distracted by this tantrum, allowing Kalisto to hit the Salida Del Sol for the ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Kalisto (*)
Match #7 – Sheamus vs. Matt Hardy (Winner Picks the PPV Stipulation)
Both tag partners are ringside. They lock up twice and Sheamus gets Matt in the ropes. They lock up again, and Matt gets a headlock. Matt pulls the headlock down, but Sheamus gets back up. He tries to get out of the headlock, but no dice! Sheamus finally pulls off the headlock and drills Matt with a charge. Sheamus gets the headlock and forces Matt to the canvas. Matt fights up quickly and punches Sheamus in the gut. Matt hits a huge clothesline, sending Sheamus to the outside. Sheamus charges back in, but almost gets hit with a Twist of Fate! Matt goes outside, but Sheamus catches him off-guard and slams Matt’s head into the apron. On the apron, Sheamus hits the forearms on the chest, followed by a charge that sends Matt face-first into the barricade! Back inside, Sheamus hits a top rope clothesline for the ONE, TWO, NO! Sheamus gets kicked in the face, and rolled up for two! They trade forearms, and Sheamus takes advantage with European uppercuts. Matt sidesteps a charge by Sheamus, and throws him into all three turnbuckles! Sheamus recovers and catches Matt with the rolling fireman’s carry slam for two.
After the break, Sheamus has Matt in the Million Dollar Dream. Matt fights out and hits forearms on Sheamus. Sheamus catches a kick to the face, followed by White Noise for ONE, TWO, NO! Sheamus throws Matt into the turnbuckle, but Matt catches Sheamus with the Tornado DDT! ONE, TWO, NO! Hardy hits some haymakers on Sheamus, followed by a clothesline in the corner. Side Effect for two! Another nearfall! Sheamus catches Matt with a running knee for the ONE, TWO, NO! That knee is going to seriously hurt somebody. Matt ducks Sheamus’ attempt at the Brogue Kick! Jeff attacks Cesaro outside, and Sheamus attacks Jeff in return! This distraction leads to the Twist of Fate by Matt! ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Matt Hardy (**3/4)
After the match, the Hardyz choose a STEEL CAGE as their stipulation for Extreme Rules. The announcers recap the opening segment of tonight’s show.
Match #8 – Austin Aries vs. Tony Nese (w/Neville)
Oh, shove off already, Adrian. Do you just happen to mentor everyone who faces Austin Aries? It’s a little obsessive, don’t you think? Also, whoever neutered Aries’ theme…bring it back to its normal theme.
Nese charges at Aries to start, and catches Austin with a huge knee. Aries returns serve with a knee of his own, followed by an elbow for two. I feel bad that Aries is not getting any heat. Aries with a drop toehold on Nese, followed by a bow-and-arrow into a front facelock. Nese goes for the knee, but Aries catches a rollup for two.
Last Chancery attempt is foiled, but Aries is able to capitalize with a dive to the outside. Back in the ring, Nese kicks Aries’ knee out from under him. Tony takes advantage with some stomps to a fallen Aries. Stomps to Aries’ injured leg. Nese misses a suplex and gets chopped by Austin. They trade chops and Aries catches Nese with a boot. Austin goes up top, but Nese elbows Aries right in the sternum on his way down. Nese tries to hit a suplex, but Austin reverses the front face lock into a guillotine submission! This is transitioned into the Last Chancery! Nese taps!
Winner: Austin Aries (**)
After the match, Neville puts Nese in the Rings of Saturn, and then he whispers (in the voice of Gimli, no less) “…that’s for you…” What a creeper! Someone send me a .gif of that on Twitter, now. I gotta say something, though: how come Aries wouldn’t help save a defenseless wrestler from an attack? I mean, that’s kind of a hint right there that this dude is going heel soon. Just you wait.
Match #9 – Mickie James vs. WWE Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss
Mickie gets a go-behind and they trade reversals into the ropes. Alexa’s facials are just perfect. Wait. Did I just say that? I meant her facial expressions. They lock up again, and Alexa kicks Mickie down in the corner. Mickie returns serve with some chops and kicks. Armbar into a kick in the gut by Mickie, followed by a flurry of clotheslines! Neckbreaker gets two. Series of crosses by Mickie to Alexa’s face, followed by a SERIOUS kick to Alexa’s face. Another elbow to Alexa’s kisser, but then she returns serve with a awesome forearm of her own. DDT by Alexa! ONE, TWO, THREE! Short, but fine.
Winner: Alexa Bliss (*1/2)
After the match, Booker T. declares that Alexa is unleashing “THE FACE OF EXTREME” as she pulls out a Kendo Stick. Gotta have a good grip on the stick before your next facial…er, expression! Alexa loses the stick as Bayley comes in for the save, allowing Bayley to get her hands on it. THIS IS A PG SHOW, DAMN IT!
Main Event – Bray Wyatt & Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns
Quick Question: In a tag team match with four separate entrances, HOW DO YOU BOTCH THE ENTRANCE ORDER?! Help me out, here. Bray Wyatt’s music plays, and then they play Seth Rollins’ entrance. This is almost as bad as the time Curtis Axel came out with Christian’s theme and entrance video. Rollins and Reigns argue about who is going to start. Wyatt attacks Seth, but Seth catches him and throws him out of the ring. Outside, Seth throws Wyatt into the barricade, and then he trades blows with Joe. Rollins gets thrown into the barricade as we go to break.
After the break, Rollins fights out of a chinlock. They botch a move and then Reigns makes the hot tag! Clotheslines to Bray Wyatt! A big kick to Wyatt’s face, followed by a Samoan Drop! Spider pose by Wyatt! As Roman looks on, Samoa Joe catches Roman with a lariat! Wyatt throws Roman outside, and Joe throws Roman into the barricade! Hey, we saw this before the commercial break! Joe hits some weak punches on Roman, and then throws him back in the ring. Joe locks Roman into a neck vice. From where he’s standing, why not try a Kokina Clutch right now?! Reigns fights out of the grip (like most superheroes do in their time of peril), and hits Joe’s guts with some right hands. Samoa Joe stops all momentum with an elbow and a Ghetto Blaster for two. Wyatt gets tagged back in, and Roman is in trouble in the corner. Wyatt loudly calls “Stay right there” as he hits his elbow in the corner. Come on, dude. Be a pro.
Roman fights out of a Cobra Clutch, but then he gets dumped out of the ring by Wyatt. Joe tries to throw Roman into the post, but Roman reverses it. Roman hits Bray with a slngshot off the ropes, followed by a Drive-By on Samoa Joe. Reigns tries to make the hot tag, and Seth is A HOUSE OF FIYAHH! Sweet Blockbuster on Joe, followed by a dive onto Wyatt. Sling Blade onto Samoa Joe. Wyatt grabs Rollins by the leg, but Seth fights them both off. Rollins catches both opponents with the suicide dive! Rollins up top, but Bray grabs the foot again! Joe catches Seth in the corner, and then both men try to suplex Rollins off the top rope. Seth fights them off and hits a double crossbody! As they get up, Wyatt tries to hit Sister Abigail on Seth, but Roman makes the save! Reigns misses the Superman Punch, nailing Seth on his way down. Bray pulls Roman out of the ring and hits Sister Abigail! As Seth watches on…KOKINA CLUTCH by Joe on Seth! Seth passes out and the ref calls for the bell!
Winners: Bray Wyatt & Samoa Joe (***)
Angle is watching backstage, when Finn Balor interrupts. Balor wants a match next week against one of those guys. Angle gives him a triple threat against Joe & Wyatt. He also books Reigns vs. Rollins. Well, there you have it.
Final Thoughts: THIS IS A PG SHOW, DAMN IT! 🙂 See you next week. @TheMagnumDA
WWE is once again selling tickets to the popular Performance Center All Access event in Orlando, Florida.
The behind-the-scenes tour of WWE’s state-of-the-art Performance Center will take place on Monday, July 24. All you need is $1,499 per person and with that price you will get a light breakfast and lunch with NXT Superstars, Q&A and Orientation Session with NXT coaching staff, Q&A and autograph session with NXT Superstars, a one-day WWE booking contract, the ability to help produce, manage and watch an exclusive NXT event alongside your favorite NXT Superstars, an all-access tour of the WWE Performance Center, an inside look at a private NXT Training Session, participate in a promo class, and your very own entrance all captured on video.
Plus, you’ll be able to take the experience home, with exclusive keepsakes, including a commemorative WWE Performance Center: All Access credential, WWE Performance Center gift bag, limited edition event chair pre-signed by all NXT Superstars, All Access highlight reel, your personal promo video and professional photos which will be taken throughout the day.
Tickets are available now at NXTTickets.com. Space is extremely limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.
WKRC Cincinnati is running a story about Brian Pillman Jr., – the son of the late Brian Pillman – starting wrestling training to become a professional wrestler just like his father.
Pillman has chosen Ohio Valley Wrestling, the old WWE developmental territory, to start learning the ropes.
“Growing up, I thought, he’s going to be forgotten by the time I’m 24, before I get settled in and can even consider this as a career,” the young Pillman said of his father. He was just four years old when his dad passed away in 1997.
“It is a huge legacy. It is very big shoes to fill,” the 22-year-old said.
“The plan is to follow in his footsteps for sure and maintain that high flying style. His love is scattered all throughout the world, and I just want to go to each and every one of those places and pick that up and connect with those fans, because, I’m a product of them. I’m a product of those fans, and I’m going to fulfill the fans dreams of becoming a star. Just to see that I’ve come full circle, and I’m back to pursuing his dream, I think he would be very proud,” he concluded.
In an interview with The LAW on The Fight Network, Impact Wrestling’s top chief Ed Nordholm revealed that judging from discussions he had with WWE, the company is not interested in pursuing the Broken gimmicks from them.
“As far as I know, the WWE doesn’t want the gimmick, and indeed, from every conversation I’ve had with them, I’ve been told they have no interest in it,” Nordholm told the host John Pollock. “I’m taking heat because I’m keeping something from you. If you want it, why don’t you call me? And their answer to me has been, ‘No, not interested,’” he continued.
Nordholm said that it’s “unquestionable” on who owns the characters, and that would be Impact Wrestling. Nordholm explains that the Hardys had standard contracts and both in the wrestling and entertainment industry, the producer of the show owns the content no matter who came up with characters or storylines. “The person that owns the storyline and the character is the person who invested to take that idea and put it on TV. That’s what we did. Impact put those characters on TV, and the contracts with those people are indisputably contracts that provide their IP to Impact,” Nordholm explained.
The Executive Vice President of Anthem Sports & Entertainment also said that he’s open to talk with Matt and Jeff Hardy to allow them to continue to use the Broken gimmicks “within reasonable parameters as to what’s important to us and what would be important to them” and said that he has tried to do it before.
The Times of India interviewed the new WWE champion Jinder Mahal after he won the title last night from Randy Orton at Backlash and he described May 21 as the best day of his life.
Mahal, who is from Calgary but of Indian descent, now joins the very small list of Indian-origin World champions in WWE, second only to The Great Khali. “I feel proud, very proud to be representing India in the WWE Universe. Obviously, India is a huge part of WWE and I am happy to bring the title back home and will continue to defend the title and make everybody proud,” the 30-year-old said.
Since the interview was held immediately following his win, Mahal told the Times that the moment has not yet fully set in as adrenaline is still pumping. “Tonight, if I have some alone time I can reflect on my full journey, how I started in wrestling, all the steps and road bumps that it took me to get to this part. It is a very emotional moment for me; 15 years of my hard work and dedication, my childhood dream has come true,” he added.
Mahal’s journey back to WWE took an unexpected turn for the better when he was traded from Raw to Smackdown in the Superstar Shake-up the week after WrestleMania. He quickly found himself in the main event scene after winning a number one contender’s battle royal.
He has never won a title in his two stints in WWE and on his first attempt, he won the big one, putting his name in the history books along with those of Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Triple H, and many others.
“It is a very big moment for me. There has not been a WWE champion from India after Khali. This is big moment for the fans in India. They are very passionate and hopefully more fans start to support when they see me as champion. I want to say thank you to the fans and without their support I would not have reached this level, so please keep on supporting and keep on watching WWE programming,” he concluded.
Here are the results from last night’s Backlash pay-per-view which took place from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
Tye Dillinger defeated Aiden English in the Kickoff match; Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Dolph Ziggler; The Usos defeated Breezango to retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles; Sami Zayn defeated Baron Corbin; Natalya, Carmella and Tamina defeated Charlotte Flair, Naomi and Becky Lynch; Kevin Owens defeated AJ Styles via count-out to retain the United States title; Luke Harper defeated Erick Rowan; Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton to become the new WWE champion.
Live tonight from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, WWE presents Backlash on pay-per-view and WWE Network. The full card is as follows:
Randy Orton vs Jinder Mahal for the WWE title; Kevin Owens vs AJ Styles for the United States title; The Usos vs Breezango for the Smackdown Tag Team titles; Shinsuke Nakamura vs Dolph Ziggler; Charlotte Flair, Naomi, and Becky Lynch vs Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina in a six-woman tag match; Baron Corbin vs Sami Zayn; Luke Harper vs Erick Rowan; and Tye Dillinger vs Aiden English in the Kickoff match.
Backlash is free for first-time subscribers to the WWE Network. Simply go to http://w-o.it/wwentwrk to subscribe.
Jinder Mahal remains the favorite to win the WWE title tonight from Randy Orton at Backlash although the odds were slashed a bit from yesterday. He now stands at 2/5 to win while Orton is at 7/4 to retain.
One thing to keep in mind is that odds are most likely to change throughout the day and even beyond bell time. If you are planning to drop some money, we suggest doing some research first such as getting some free betting tips at OddsDigger.
The United States champion Kevin Owens is at 1/5 to keep the title while challenger AJ Styles is at 100/30 to add the U.S. title to his already-impressive title history. The Smackdown Tag Team titles, held by The Usos, are also tipped to stay with the current holders as The Usos and Breezango have the same odds as Owens/Styles.
In his first match on PPV as part of the main roster, Shinsuke Nakamura is the overwhelming favorite at 1/33 to defeat Dolph Ziggler who is at a distant 10/1. In the six-women tag match, the team of Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina are at 1/10 to win against Naomi, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch who are at 5/1.
Tye Dillinger stands at 1/8 to win against Aiden English who is at 9/2, Baron Corbin is slight favorite at 8/11 while his opponent Sami Zayn is 1/1, and Erick Rowan is at 100/30 to win against his former Wyatt Family partner Luke Harper who is at 1/5.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced on Saturday Night Live that he’s running for President in 2020…with running mate and Hollywood A-lister Tom Hanks.
Obviously, this was all a joke as Johnson was hosting the season finale of SNL. “Now, in the past I would have never considered running for president. I mean I didn’t think I was qualified at all. But now I’m actually worried I’m too qualified,” Johnson said in his opening monologue.
Tom Hanks saying he’d get the senior votes and Johnson would get the minority vote. Hanks added that if America goes the war, he’d be the best to lead it since he went to 10 or so wars in different movies while Johnson said that if the state of California is ever in trouble because of an earthquake, he’s the best man to save it.
“The truth is, America needs us,” Hanks said. “No one seems to agree on anything anymore, except for two things…” Johnson replied, “Pizza and us.”
In an interview with GQ Magazine, The Rock said that running for President in 2020 is a real possibility.
There is a new WWE United Kingdom champion and his name is Pete Dunne.
Having failed to get the title in the final of the WWE UK Championship tournament, Dunne did not disappoint this time, and the heel known as the “Bruiserweight” lived up to his hype after defeating the champion Tyler Bate with his finishing move The Bitter End in an amazing, 15-minute match of the year candidate.
Dunne, who is 23 years old, is also the current champion of PROGRESS Wrestling. With the belt strap in his mouth, Dunne walked out at the WWE UK Championship special on the Network with the PROGRESS title and then defeated Trent Seven to earn the title shot last night at Takeover: Chicago.
Both Dunne and Bate got multiple standing ovations during the match, a match which received fantastic reviews online as the show was going on. Perhaps the best seal of approval came from WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin who simply said, “Damn what a match!”
The tag team of #DIY is no longer as after last night’s NXT Takeover: Chicago, Tommaso Ciampa absolutely destroyed his former tag team partner Johnny Gargano, viciously attacking him on the stage as soon as the trademark caption came up and the show was going off the air.
#DIY had just lost the tag team ladder match against the Authors of Pain and both of them, especially Gargano, were beaten up pretty bad. The match was the main event of the show, which confused viewers at the start but considering what went down afterward it made perfect sense.
As Gargano and Ciampa stood in the ring for the standing ovation, replays were screened and then the two moved up the ramp. Before saying the final goodbye to the fans, Ciampa slammed Gargano on the set and viciously attacked him. Although referees tried to interfere, Ciampa delivered the Air Raid Crash to Gargano from the announce table to some tables set up at a lower level.
The crowd chanted “F*ck you Ciampa” and “Asshole” as Ciampa looked on at his fallen former partner.
Ciampa and Gargano have been teaming up in NXT since September 2015.
