The season finale of season six of Total Divas, an episode titled Total SummerSlam, drew a total of 683,000 viewers, up 107,000 viewers from last week’s show.
Season six, which featured a total of 16 episodes, averaged only 617,000 viewers over the course of the season, down from the 731,000 average the show did in season five. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
WWE will hold its first set of tapings for the women’s tournament on July 13 and 14 at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida according to PWInsider.com.
The much-anticipated 32-women tournament will be the third tournament on the WWE Network following the Cruiserweight Classic and the United Kingdom Championship tournament. Both tournaments were a hit with fans across the globe.
While the Cruiserweight Classic had new episodes weekly and the United Kingdom Championship was held over two days, the women’s tournament seems to be taking a different approach reports PWInsider.com. The current plan is to release a batch of episodes altogether and then release another group of episodes at a later date. The only live episode on the Network will be the finale which will take place sometime in August.
The tournament, which was rumored to be taking place this year for quite a while, was officially announced during WWE Business Partner Summit at the WrestleMania 33 weekend in Orlando. The announcement was made by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon along with Bayley, Alexa Bliss, and Asuka.
John Cena will be returning on television next month hosting the reality show American Grit on FOX.
Season two of American Grit kicks off on Sunday, June 11 at 9PM ET with 17 new competitors as they travel to Hampton Island, Georgia to live together along with an elite group of military heroes who will lead them through a series of all-new epic team and individual challenges. In the end, only one competitor will win a quarter of a million dollars.
This season was taped towards the end of 2016 when Cena took some time off from WWE duties in October. Season one of American Grit was not particularly a hit with viewers, averaging only 1.96 million viewers over 10 episodes. Despite the mediocre ratings, FOX gave the green light for a second season.
Cena has been absent from WWE television since WrestleMania 33.
Former Divas champion Brie Bella and her husband, Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan finally welcomed their baby daughter Birdie Joe Danielson, 11 days later than the expected due date. Baby Birdie was born on May 9, two minutes before Midnight, and weighed in at 8 pounds and 10 ounces.
“There is no better feeling in the world than meeting your daughter,” Brie said. “I can’t even express the overwhelming joy and love that Bryan and I are feeling. Now we know what parents mean about the love you feel when you first meet your child. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers on the safety of Birdie coming into this world.”
Brie followed her husband’s footsteps and retired from her in-ring career at WrestleMania 32 after participating in a 10-Diva tag match during the Kickoff show. Daniel Bryan has been absent from Smackdown for the past two weeks as he was given time off to prepare for the arrival of his daughter.
Congratulations to the couple!
Smackdown did 2,348,000 viewers this week for the tape-delayed show from The O2 Arena in London, England. That is up just 48,000 viewers from last week’s show but still way down compared to the usual average. The number was good enough for the #3 spot in the top 50 cable chart in the 18-49 demographic. The NBA Playoffs game did nearly 5 million viewers head-to-head. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Triple H is being inducted in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame today in Dallas, Texas. The Hall of Fame honors distinguished people who got their start at their local Boys & Girls Club.
The former WWE champion enters the Hall of Fame alongside six other inductees: WNBA star Skylar Diggins, MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, actor Anthony Anderson, Dr. Dante Lauretta and Dr. Philip Schein.
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon entered the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame in 2015. WWE shares a history with this organization and over the past two years, the Superstars for Hope campaign benefitted the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. WWE and the organization have a multi-year partnership to support bullying prevention efforts and help create a safe environment for today’s youth.
Former United States champion Rusev will return on WWE television next week and will be on Smackdown live for the first time since the brand split.
Rusev, along with Lana, was drafted to Smackdown the week after WrestleMania during the Superstar Shake-up however he has been injured since February. Rusev made his first TV appearance since his injury during the end of April, appearing in a promo saying that he will not make his debut on Smackdown unless he’s given a WWE title match at Money In The Bank next month.
His demand, made to Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon, went unanswered and Rusev has threatened to go back home to Bulgaria if he doesn’t get an answer.
“I don’t like being ignored, that’s more disrespectful than turning me down,” Rusev said in his latest video. “I want an answer, and I’ll get one when I come to Smackdown Live next week,” Rusev concluded.
If you don't want to reply to me @shanemcmahon, I come to #SDLive to get my answer. #RusevReturn pic.twitter.com/Ddu6QOSDh6
— Miro (@ToBeMiro) May 9, 2017
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is gracing the cover of the new GQ Magazine in anticipation of the upcoming theatrical release of Baywatch.
Perhaps the most newsworthy piece of the interview is the part where he talks politics, and maybe a run for the highest office in the United States in a few years time. The former WWE champion revealed that both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton courted him for endorsement, however he preferred to keep his political opinions to himself.
“I feel like I’m in a position now where my word carries a lot of weight and influence, which of course is why they want the endorsement,” Johnson said, adding that he didn’t want to sway any opinions and felt that he should stay silent and let the people make up their own choice.
The Rock said that a run for U.S. presidency is a real possibility. “A year ago…it started coming up more and more,” he said. “There was a real sense of earnestness, which made me go home and think, ‘Let me really rethink my answer and make sure I am giving an answer that is truthful and also respectful.’”
Johnson also expressed his disagreement with the travel ban that President Trump imposed on a few Muslim-majority countries. “I believe in inclusion. Our country was built on that, and it continues to be made strong by that. And the decision felt like a snap judgment,” he said.
And if he were to become President of the United States one day, he said poise and leadership would be important. He said that if he didn’t agree with somebody on something, he would not shut them out, but rather, include them and the first thing he’d do would do with them is sit down and talk about it.
The full cover story on Johnson can be found at GQ.COM.
E! will air the season finale of season six of Total Divas tonight with episode 16 titled Total SummerSlam.
The synopsis for tonight’s broadcast reads, “On the season finale, the Superstars take New York by storm during SummerSlam week. Nikki comes to terms with not being able to make the comeback of her dreams, while Maryse throws a prom themed party where Lana challenges Trinity to an epic dance off, and SummerSlam is thrown into disarray when Eva is suspended days before the big event, leaving the women superstars questioning who will take her place.”
Introduction: Video Promo and Welcoming
A montage of Jinder Mahal’s path to his WWE Championship Match at Backlash on May 21 starts off. The regular Smackdown! Live opener then plays, the pyro explodes in t 02 Arena, and Tom Phillips greets us.
Arena Promo
WWE Champion Randy Orton strolls to the ring. the lights remain dimmed in blue while Orton declares his loss at Payback was because of his Backlash opponent Jinder Mahal; Randy pronounces he will win at Backlash.
Jinder interrupts and stands on stage with The Singh Brothers; he too predicts his win and shows still-pictures of him posing with the WWE Championship that he stole two weeks ago. He proclaims that the fans “will no longer disrespect” him and that he will “cleanse your ignorance with my greatness.” He wants to talk to “his people” in Punjabi, but United States Champion Kevin Owens interjects.
Owens says that “no one cares” about Orton, Mahal, or the country they’re in. Kevin says that everybody should now be concerned with “The New Face of America.” He warns that he will beat A.J. Styles at Backlash and then be looking for the WWE Championship.
A.J. now joins and puts Owens in his place. Baron Corbin interjects, but doesn’t get far as Sami Zayn flies in and starts fighting! Orton and Jinder begin to go at it, as do Styles and Owens. The Singhs pull Mahal from the ring, and Sami, Orton, and Styles staredown Baron, Jinder, and Kevin.
Up next, Natalya wrestles Becky Lynch.
Commercials.
The main-event has been made; a Six-Man Tag between Corbin, Owens, and Jinder and Sami, A.J., and Orton.
Match #1: Single – Natalya (with Tamina, Carmella, and James Ellsworth) VS. Becky Lynch
Before the bout, Women’s Champion
Commercials.
They lockup and Becky goes for an armlock, but Natalya escapes through the ropes. Natalya hits a forearm, and then shoves Lynch into the ring apron. In the ring, she snapmares Becky and then hits a front-dropkick. Natalya clutches on an abdominal stretch, but Becky gets out of it with a snapmare.
She hits a couple of clotheslines and then a jumping calf-kick! Becky runs at Natalya with her “Straight-Fire” Forearm, and then tosses her with an exploder-suplex! Natalya works her way out but is elbowed out of the corner. Lynch hops the turnbuckle, but Tamina jumps on the apron. Charlotte pulls Naomi away before this escalates, but Natalya takes advantage and covers for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Natalya (with Tamina, Carmella, and James Ellsworth)
Commercials.
Video Promo
Lana – with a new style – is “coming soon.”
Backstage Promo
Charlotte and Women’s Champion Naomi are arguing until Becky settles them; she says they will take on Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina in a Six-Woman Tag-Team at Backlash. She insists on “bonding” between the three, so they put their hands together.
Video Promo
Another edition of “The Fashion Files” plays. Breezango – Tyler Breeze and Fandango – are dressed like Sherlock Holmes characters and are investigating face paint on the floor. At first, they try and figure out why, since Tag Team champions The Uso have not painted their faces in a while, but then they here grunting in a room and bust it open to find The Ascension hyping themselves up.
Luke Harper makes his entrance to meet Erick Rowan, next!
Commercials.
Match #2: Single – Luke Harper VS. Erick Rowan
Erick slugs away to start and tosses Harper out of the ring. they get back in, where Luke kicks and chops, and then runs into Rowan in the corner with an elbow. Erick does the same, but is met with a big dropkick as he ran off of the ropes. Rowan jawbreaks Harper with the top rope, hits a chop, and then a karate-kick. He drops a splash and then presses his fists against Luke’s head, but Harper counters with a backdrop. Luke goes over the top rope, and then slingshots with a Tope-Atomico!
Harper measures, but Erick ducks from the Discus Clothesline. He is run off of the ropes and slammed down for a near-fall! Rowan elbows back and then plants Luke with a Uranagi, but only gets two! Erick grabs his mask, but the referee takes it away. Rowan pokes Harper in the eye, and then puts him to the canvas with a spinning-powerslam for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Erick Rowan
Commercials.
Arena Promo
Dolph Ziggler is in the ring and calls us “hypocrites.” He reminds us of what he has accomplished in eight years and presumes we don’t “appreciate” him. The fans chant “Nakamura,” which Dolph loathes. He is displeased with their attitude of wanting a man who has not even wrestled on Smackdown!, but still being enamoured with him by humming his song and calling his name. Dolph demands Shinsuke get to the ring.
Shinsuke obliges and orders Ziggler to “shut-up.” He dares him to find out what he’s about now, and asks for a referee. One runs out, but Dolph bails. He chucks his coat at Shinsuke, and the two engage in a scuffle, with Nakamura getting the better and Ziggler bailing.
Locker Room Promo
Sami Zayn is with A.J. Styles and Randy Orton; he is trying to give them a “pep talk,” and visualizes them winning, but when he opens his eyes, they are gone!
Commercials.
Video Promo
The New Day are “coming soon.”
Match #3: Tag-Team – The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) VS. Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango)
Fandango and Konnor begin, with Konnor soon gaining control. Viktor is in and does the same until Tyler get the hot-tag and cleans house. He switches back with Fandango who soars off of the top turnbuckle with his “Last Dance” legdrop to take this!
Winners via Pinfall: Breezango
Post-match, Tag-Team Champions The Usos – Breezango’s opponents at Backlash for the Tag-Team Championship – join on stage and tell Breezango what to expect at Backlash.
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Mojo Rawley is talking with kids about the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale.
Video Promo
Rusev is still waiting for a response from Commissioner Shane McMahon, and he says that he will be on Smackdown! Live next week to get one!
Jinder Mahal and The Singh Brothers, United States Champion Kevin Owens, and Baron Corbin make their entrances for the main-event, next!
Commercials.
Match #4: Six-Man Tag-Team – Jinder Mahal (with The Singh Brothers), United States Champion Kevin Owens, and Baron Corbin VS. Sami Zayn, A.J. Styles, and WWE Champion Randy Orton
A.J. and Corbin start-out evenly until A.J. hits a dropkick and tagging in Sami; Baron does the same with Jinder, who hits a forearm and then shoulder-rams in the corner. Zayn springboards over Mahal and gives him a tilt-a-whirl headscissors! He switches with Orton, but Mahal exits quickly, trading with Owens. The WWE Champion almost hits an R.K.O. on the U.S. Champion, but Kevin gets to the outside. They jaw at each other to rest.
Commercials.
Corbin and Styles are wrestling now, and then Baron tags in Jinder. A.J. hits a huge dropkick on Mahal, and then both switch out. Owens and Zayn wrestle for a bit, and then Baron is back in, as is Jinder.
Commercials.
Corbin is still dominating over Sami until Zayn makes the hot-tag to A.J.! “The Phenomenal One” has the momentum and soon locks in the Calf-Crusher! This breaks down with all six men, and Sami rockets over the ropes with a swanton! A.J. runs at Baron in the corner, and goes for his Phenomenal Forearm, but Kevin trips him up.
Corbin almost gets this, and then he and Jinder govern again. Soon, everyone begins hitting signature or finishers, and Mahal drives Orton to the mat with his Cobra-Clutch Full-Nelson! He covers and receives the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: Jinder Mahal (with The Singh Brothers), United States Champion Kevin Owens, and Baron Corbin
Mahal and The Singh Brothers taunt Randy from the aisle to close the show.
End of Smackdown! Live.
Monday Night Raw from London, England got absolutely whooped in the ratings, drawing only a total of 2,696,000 viewers.
The show did 2,827,000 viewers in the first hour, 2,845,000 viewers in the second hour, and 2,417,000 viewers in the third and final hour. The tape-delayed show lost 410,000 viewers from hour one to hour.
This was the least watched Raw since the October 31, 2016 episode, which fell on Halloween. That episode drew 2.6 million viewers. It’s also the least-watched non-holiday Raw in over two decades. Raw was #4, #5, and #8 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Vince McMahon sent one of his rare tweets today to remind WWE fans that it was 15 years ago today that former WWE champion Dave Bautista made his debut.
“15 years ago today, @WWE unleashed The Animal @DaveBautista on the WWE Universe. Happy anniversary, “Drax,”” McMahon tweeted. The Chairman and CEO referred to the former Evolution member by his character name from the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
Bautista was quick to reply and to thank his ex boss. “I still have a f*ck ton of unleashing left in me!” he wrote. “Thanks for showing me the world boss!”
Last week Bautista appeared on the Chris Jericho podcast and revealed that he pitched an idea to WWE to have one final run and a program with Triple H. Unfortunately for him, the idea didn’t fly so well, especially with McMahon, who shot down the idea altogether.
Braun Strowman, who has been on a hot streak lately, will be out of action for up to eight weeks according ProWrestlingSheet.com.
Strowman will be undergoing minor surgery to repair his elbow, putting him out of the next two Raw pay-per-views and putting on hold his feud with Roman Reigns.
The 33-year-old Superstar has been doing street fights during this European tour and last night on Monday Night Raw he came out in a sling and wrestled Kalisto with one arm. Roman Reigns however interrupted the match and attacked Strowman, smashing his bad elbow with a chair on the steel steps.
The beating pretty much wrote Strowman off television for the next several weeks as he recovers from his injury.
Hey, everybody! It’s @TheMagnumDA here with your Raw report, LIVE from London. Okay, well not exactly live for us here in the United States, but it’s all good! 🙂
We open tonight’s Raw with Dean Ambrose, who comes out and declares that Kurt Angle made him the GM for tonight. This brings Miz out, who says that Stephanie McMahon gave him authority to be a Co-GM with Dean tonight. Braun Strowman comes out and says he’s not finished with Roman Reigns. Strowman says when Reigns is finally unable to walk, he wants a piece of Brock Lesnar. This brings out Kalisto, who cuts yet another nervous promo about sick and tired of being treated like trash by Braun. Here’s the thing about Kalisto: He’s got a track record of being a spaz when it comes to his interviews. He’s going to have to step up his game soon on the live show. He challenges Braun, and Braun says, “When I’m healthy, I’ll destroy you. Hell, I could beat you with one arm.” That’s good enough for Co-GM Ambrose, who books a match between the two. Miz then gets booked in a one-on-one match with Finn Balor…and it starts right MEOW!
Match #1 – Finn Balor vs. The Miz
They feel each other out, and Miz runs outside. Miz comes back in and Balor gets a go-behind into a takedown. Balor gets a near-fall and then gets a wristlock. Miz elbows him in the face and does the Balor taunt. Balor tries a Sunset Flip, and follows it up with a kick to the face, followed by a combo. Dropkick gets a two by Balor. Miz misses a charge into the corner, and Balor smacks him in the mouth with a side kick. Finn hits a clothesline that sends Miz over the top rope to the outside. Balor follows him out and dropkicks him into the barricade. Balor tries to go up for his finisher, but Maryse pulls Miz out of the ring as we go to commercial.
During the break, they play cat and mouse but Miz catches Balor with another wicked elbow, sending him to the barricade. Miz continues the assault with a vicious kick to the head and a nearfall. Balor fights up after a chinlock, chopping Miz on the chest. Miz counters Finn with his neckbreaker combo for ONE, TWO, NO! Miz tries to hit the Skull Crushing Finale, but Balor rolls him up for two! Miz kicks him in the shin and DDTs him for the ONE, TWO, NO! Finn gets up and fights back! They reverse the Irish Whip and Miz drills him with a knee to the gut. Miz with another chinlock. Miz is all elbows, chinlocks, and DDTs, you ever notice that? Balor fights up but runs right into a boot to the face. Miraculously, Balor returns serve with the overhead kick!
The fans count on as the ref counts to ten, as both men are down. They get up and Balor starts to pick up the pace with chops, elbows, and kicks. Miz is thrown in the corner but boots Finn in the face. Miz is crotched on the corner and sent to the outside with a kick. Finn follows it up with a couple more kicks, including the running apron kick to Miz’s face! They go back in and Miz begs off. Maryse distracts the ref, as Miz shoves Finn into the referee. Miz then says, “As co-acting GM, I cannot allow a WWE Superstar to put his hands on a referee. Referee, disqualify Finn Balor and ring the bell.” Miz apparently wins by DQ! Well, until Dean Ambrose comes out. Ambrose restarts the match immediately, and Miz is jumped by Balor! Balor hits the Sling Blade and the running kick to the corner! Coup De Grace! ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Finn Balor (***)
Alexa Bliss is backstage when Nia Jax walks in. Nia asks if Alexa meant what she said when she called her great last week. Nia warns her that, after Bayley, she’s coming for her. Bliss said that she doesn’t make the matches…Kurt Angle does. Nia says that’s fine, and until then they’re going to be buddies. Bliss is terrified of this prospect.
Match #2 – WWE Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss (with Nia Jax) vs. Mickie James (with Bayley)
They lock up and Alexa puts her in the corner. They lock up again and Mickie almost gets her in a nearfall! That was wild. Mickie pummels her and Alexa gets angry. Mickie snapmares her and kicks her in the face AGAIN. Bliss charges again but runs into a neckbreaker by Mickie for two. Bliss is dropkicked outside as we go to break. During the break, Bliss runs outside to Nia Jax, in a sign of solidarity. Bliss gets back in by catching Mickie off-guard as we return to action. Bliss pulls on Mickie’s arm through the ropes in a sick move! Alexa continues to work on the arm, sending Mickie to the mat. Mickie fights up, but gets knocked back down. Mickie is thrown in the corner, and sends Bliss across the ring with a Frankensteiner. Mickie grasps her arm, allowing Bliss to continue her attack on the left arm. Nearfall by Bliss, followed by slaps to the face. Alexa misses a double knee to the face, and Mickie fights back with clotheslines and kicks. Mickie hits a Flapjack for another nearfall! Mickie goes up but gets her foot pulled by Jax. Bayley puts that fire out with a splash to Jax from the apron! Back inside, Alexa knocks Mickie off the ropes and wraps her up for the ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Alexa Bliss (**1/2)
After the match, Bayley chases Alexa off while Nia Jax completely destroys Mickie James with a splash in the corner, followed by a huge running elbow. The crowd is into Nia Jax! I think she’s going to have a slow-burn feud that leads to her taking the title from Alexa. Backstage, Dean is working with a Producer while Miz interrupts. They bicker about the show, and Miz books Dean vs. Bray Wyatt tonight. Then Miz steals the format. What a prick. Charly then interviews Samoa Joe, who tells the world that Seth Rollins lives on his terms. Seth interrupts and WE HAVE A FIGHT. Rollins throws a ladder right at Joe’s head! Refs and Agents separate the two men.
Match #3 – Kalisto vs. Braun Strowman
Oh boy. The match doesn’t start because Braun refuses to fight injured. Follow this logic, if you can: Braun’s cowardly excuse for not fighting is because “ROMAN REIGNS IS A PATHETIC COWARD WHO WON’T FACE ME.” You know, Braun…you walking away from this fight makes you a bigger coward than anyone. Just saying. The ref rings the bell anyways and Braun slaughters him with a boot. This is followed by a kicks to the ribs, and kicks in the corner. Roman Reigns’ music plays as he makes his arrival! Roman walks down the aisle and climbs on the apron. The ref has called the match.
Winner: No Contest
In the ring, Roman and Braun have a stare down. Braun goes to attack first, but Roman kicks the injured arm! He follows this with three Superman Punch attacks! Strowman rolls outside and Reigns charges after him. Braun lifts a boot that nails Reigns right into HIS injured shoulder. Roman fights back and goes after Braun’s injured shoulder. He pulls the arm through the corner turnbuckle and WRENCHES it, bringing Strowman to his knees. Roman smacks Braun’s arm on the apron, as the crowd has a “Battle of Wits”. Reigns with some SICK chairshots to Braun’s arm! Strowman retreats out through the crowd as Roman Reigns stands tall.
Match #4 – Tag Team Turmoil
Quick Note: My power went out during the first part of this bout. I will state the results of the first four matches, while doing the report for the final match.
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Enzo & Cass – Cesaro makes Enzo tap with the Sharpshooter at 6:45.
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno – Sheamus pins Slater with the Brogue Kick at 10:34. The “No More Kids!” chant gets ***** from me.
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson – Unbelievably, Sheamus hits the Brogue Kick on Gallows for the pinfall at 22:37.
The Europeans have now survived three straight matches!
Final Match: Sheamus & Cesaro vs. R-Truth & Goldust
Sheamus & Cesaro have already fought for nearly 25 straight minutes. To any other team, including The friggin’ ASCENSION, this would be slim pickins’. Ron and Goldie, don’t blow it, guys! They come in and immediately double-team on Sheamus, but this only gets two. The ref sure was lenient, there. He let those guys stay in the ring together for almost a 20-count! Goldust and Sheamus trade rights in the ring. If you followed ECW in the dying days of 2009-2010, you’ll remember there was an AWESOME rivalry between Sheamus and Goldust. 10-punch in the corner by Goldust, followed by a Scoop Powerslam for the ONE, TWO, NO! Cesaro comes back in, but Goldust nails him. Sheamus clubs Goldust over the back, sending him to the outside. Cesaro comes to, and gets the tag from Sheamus. Cesaro brutalizes Goldust with an atomic drop outside the ring, placing the left knee on the barricade. Back inside, Cesaro starts working on the left leg. Sheamus gets the tag and drops a knee on Goldust’s injured leg.
Quick question…I’ve noticed a lot of wrestlers working on the left arm/leg of their opponents tonight. Unless everyone’s a lefty, wouldn’t you want to attack the dominant arm/leg of your opponent? Just a thought.
Sheamus applies a half-crab on Goldust, but Goldie fights out. Cesaro gets tagged in and pulls Goldust back into the neutral area of the ring. Goldust gets sent to the corner, but his left knee gives out. Cesaro continues to kick the leg, bringing Goldust down. Sharpshooter attempt is broken up by Truth! Goldust crawls and eventually makes the tag to R-Truth! Truth with some heel kicks to both men, and the Lie Detector connects on Cesaro for the ONE, TWO, NO! Truth misses a charge, and Cesaro rolls up Truth from behind for the ONE, TWO, THREE! Damn.
Winners: Sheamus & Cesaro (**)
After the match, Truth gets gutted and quartered by the Europeans. This brings out the Hardy Boyz! Cesaro and Sheamus retreat, with Cesaro getting one last stomp on Truth before they run off. Quite the performance by Cesaro and Sheamus!
The announcers recap Rollins and Samoa Joe’s confrontation earlier tonight. This leads to Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe NEXT!
Match #5 – Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
They brawl to start, with Seth kicking Joe down in the corner. Joe pulls Seth to the outside, but Seth throws Joe headfirst into the apron. They trade chops, and Seth throws Joe right into the barricade. Joe punches Seth right in the heart, and throws him back into the ring. Joe takes a methodical pace, hitting Rollins with punches, chops and headbutts in the corner. Joe throws Seth to the corner, but Seth catches the charge and hits a Single Arm DDT into the second turnbuckle. Rollins climbs over to the other corner and clotheslines Joe from the apron. Seth is laying out Joe with some punches to the face and body as they continue to brawl outside the ring. Joe reverses a whip and sends Rollins into the corner barricade. Joe breaks the count and comes back after Seth. Back in the ring, Rollins gets kicked right in the ribs full force by Joe. Joe continues with even more rights in the corner. Joe tosses Seth into the corner, but Seth counters with a boot and the Sling Blade for two.
Again, just thinking out loud here…should you have two guys on the roster using the Sling Blade as a Signature move?
Seth chops Joe, but gets the whip reversed, allowing Joe to crush Rollins with a back elbow. Joe starts to crush Seth’s nose in with fists and rubbing his face into the mat! Rollins stands up and fights back, but he fails to get Joe up for the suplex. Joe reverses and gets the ONE, TWO, NO! Joe pulls Rollins up by the hair, and whips him into the corner. Seth gets an elbow of his own, and hits the Blockbuster! Seth charges but get tossed over the ropes. Joe with a unique dropdown into a legwhip, sending Rollins crashing down on his previously injured knee! Which knee? You guessed it! THE LEFT ONE!
After the break, Joe continues to beat down on a prone Seth Rollins. Joe pulls Rollins up, but Rollins greets him with a thunderous chop. Joe returns with knees to the gut, followed by an awesome chop/kick/elbow combination for the ONE, TWO, NO! Joe taunts Seth and beats him down some more. Joe tries the Kokina Clutch, but Seth reverses and sends Joe to the outside. Two running dives by Rollins, followed by a Springboard Clothesline for the ONE, TWO, NO! Joe reverses a whip with a huge chop, followed by a Snap Powerslam for two! Inverted Atomic Drop, followed by a Senton Bomb onto Rollins! ONE, TWO, NO! Seth reverses a Power Bomb into the Falcon Arrow for the ONE, TWO, NO!
Wow, lots of good nearfalls. They trade forearms, and Rollins hits a series of kicks that send Joe to the corner. Joe tries to charge, but Seth gets a boot to the face. Seth climbs up the ropes, but Joe pulls him away. As he pulls him away, Rollins grabs the top corner turnbuckle. Keep that in mind. Rollins counters the grab with a roll-up that gets two. KICK TO THE FACE to Joe that only gets two. Rollins picks up a dead weight Samoa Joe, but this is a ruse as Joe reverses a whip that sends Rollins chest first into the exposed turnbuckle. The ref tries to repair the corner post, but Joe throws the turnbuckle pad out of the ring. The ref warns Joe not to use the post, but Joe does it anyways.
Winner by DQ: Seth Rollins (***1/4)
Joe finishes his assault by throwing Rollins into the corner once more, and then locking in the Kokina Clutch. “IT’S OVER WHEN I SAY IT’S OVER.” This guy just doesn’t let things go, does he?
Michael Cole considers tonight “One of the most physical and emotional and PERSONAL Monday Night Raw’s that I can recall.” Eh, it’s not that bad. Not all-time great, either. Don’t have to go all “Tony Schiavone” on me.
Match #6 – Jack Gallagher vs. TJ Perkins
Perkins is now officially going as “TJP” now. I guess that’s what I’ll go with. TJ is in full asshole mode, staring down Jack before the match starts. TJP gets on the middle rope and does Jack’s taunt. Jack returns serve with a DAB. HEADBUTT BY JACK! ONE, TWO, NO! TJ rolls outside, but Jack throws him back in. TJ leaves the ring again and Gallagher follows him. Jack gets put in a drop toe hold into the steps! Ouch! Back inside, TJ gets a nearfall, and then locks Jack up in a Butterfly Lock. Jack reverses into a cradle for the nearfall. Two headbutts and a series of dropkicks to TJ! Michael considers Jack to be “Possibly the best Cruiserweight to come out of England!” Neville quietly says, “Michael, I’m warning you, mate!” Funny stuff. Meanwhile, Jack hits the headstand into the corner dropkick on TJP! Perkins tries the Detonation Kick, but Jack rolls him up for the ONE, TWO, NO! TJP reverses the roll-up for the ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: TJP (**)
After the match, Austin Aries makes the save before TJ can do any more damage to Gallagher. TJ bails out before Austin can hit the Five-Arm. Corey Graves and Booker T. tell Michael Cole to mind his own business and to not get Neville riled up. I thought that was funny, too. I think these guys have a good dynamic, at times.
Match #7 – Alicia Fox vs. Sasha Banks
These two trade some serious slaps to each other’s face! WOW! They have great chemistry. They beat the crap out of each other, as the ref pulls them apart. Fox kicks Banks in the gut, and pulls her back by the hair. Fox with a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Fox gets Banks in a chinlock as Alicia rips the nose and talks trash. Sasha reverses into a splash for two, and then hits a headscissors. Banks hits her with double knees in the corner, but Fox answers with a kick. Banks climbs on Fox’s shoulders, but Alicia slams her into the corner and props Banks on the top rope. Sasha fights off and hits the double knee, bringing down Fox hard! ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Sasha Banks (**)
Main Event – Bray Wyatt vs. WWE IC champion Dean Ambrose
Miz is on commentary. We’re getting that weird thing again where the cameras pull away from the match to show a guy (Miz) who’s talking with the announcers. It’s a silly bit. Do it once during the match and be done with it. They lock up and Bray powers Dean out of it. Dean gets a go-behind, and sends Bray into the corner. Bray leans back and freaks out Dean-O. Bray takes control with fists, bringing Dean to his knees. Bray misses a charge and goes outside, where Dean meets him with a suicide dive. Miz is furious that Booker T. called him a fighting champion. Dean jumps off the top over Bray, and tries to catch him with Dirty Deeds, but Bray fights out. Bray takes him out of the ring and DRILLS him with a suplex on the mats outside. Back inside, Bray goes for a cover but only gets two. Bray continues to beat down Ambrose as we go to break.
After the break, Bray hits a huge splash on Ambrose in the corner. This only gets two. Wyatt with headbutts to the kidneys as Miz cries about not being in the Main Event of Raw. Miz and Corey Graves have a mutual admiration society as the announcers bicker with each other. Wyatt hits a DDT that gets two. Wyatt puts Ambrose in the Camel Clutch as Miz continues to cry. This is something else. Wyatt breaks the fourth wall by telling fans, “IT DOESN’T MATTER!” Oh, if only he knew. This hold is applied for 21 minutes. Well, it felt like it. Ambrose hits a jawbreaker, and they start to brawl. Wyatt sends Dean into the ropes, and then CRUSHES him with the lariat. Wyatt heads up to the middle rope and misses a Senton Bomb. Dean picks up momentum and hits Wyatt with a series of clotheslines, followed by a splash in the corner. Wyatt gets up and charges in the corner, but Dean hits him with a huge boot. Dean climbs to the top, but Wyatt rolls outside. Dean jumps off the top rope to Bray outside the ring!
They go back inside, and Bray hits the flying body press onto a running Ambrose. Miz and Maryse leave the commentary booth and head down to ringside. Dean sees them coming, and Bray tries Sister Abigail from behind! Dean reverses into a roll-up for ONE, TWO, NO! Wyatt with a Uranage Slam for the ONE, TWO, NO! Wyatt takes Dean up to the top rope, but Dean fights him off with fists to the gut. Ambrose with headbutts! Wyatt flies off the ropes, and Dean tries another flying attack. Wyatt catches him, but Dean props right up and levels Wyatt! Dean tries to hit his finisher, but Wyatt reverses. Dean is sent into the ropes, but he decides to hit the suicide dive on Miz outside the ting! As Dean brings Wyatt back into the ring, Miz SMACKS Dean with the Intercontinental Championship belt. Wyatt lays over a prone Ambrose. ONE, TWO, NO! Wyatt picks up Ambrose and hits Sister Abigail for the ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Bray Wyatt (**1/2)
Afterwards, Miz beats down Dean some more, and then cuts a promo on him. They will face each other next week for the Intercontinental Championship!
Final Thoughts: These are the same programs as earlier this Spring, but I like where this show is going. These guys are having good performances, but they gotta work on safety and psychology. Not everything is about the left arm/leg. Extreme Rules will be over the top, but hopefully nobody gets hurt. I think Strowman’s going to be out for some time though…rotator cuffs are nothing to mess with.
WWE today officially announced that Ember Moon will not be part of the NXT Women’s fatal 4-way match at NXT Takeover: Chicago due to a shoulder injury. More details will be given at this week’s NXT television show on the WWE Network.
Moon suffered a grade one shoulder sprain after Asuka attacked her during the number one contender’s match which aired last week on NXT. The match has now been changed to a triple threat with Asuka defending against Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross.
There are four matches so far on the card, including Bobby Roode vs Hideo Itami for the NXT title, The Authors of Pain vs #DIY in a ladder match from the NXT Tag Team titles, Tyler Bate vs Pete Dunne for the WWE UK title, and the triple threat match for the NXT Women’s title.
Monday Night Raw and Smackdown Live will be airing on tape delay tonight and tomorrow as both shows are being held at The O2 Arena in London, England, as part of the current tour of Europe.
Due to the time zone difference, both shows will be “live to tape,” similar to what Impact does when they hold a “live” taping on a Thursday. There will be around a five-hour difference from when the tapings end to the broadcast on USA Network, so the delay will allow WWE to do some post editing as well if needed.
Announced for Raw tonight is a tag team turmoil match to determine the number one contenders for the Raw Tag Team titles featuring The Golden Truth, Heath Slater and Rhyno, Cesaro and Sheamus, Enzo and Cass, and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
The WWE United Kingdom championship will be on the line at NXT Takeover: Chicago as current champion Tyler Bate will defend the gold against Pete Dunne.
Dunne, who is the PROGRESS Wrestling champion, defeated Trent Seven during Sunday’s WWE UK Championship Live tapings in Norwich to advance to Takeover while Tyler Bate successfully defended the title against former TNA star Mark Andrews to secure his spot in Chicago.
The two had one of the best matches during the WWE UK Championship Tournament back in January and will surely raise the bar even more come May 20.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross announced on his blog that he will be joining Nigel McGuinness to do commentary for the WWE UK Championship Live tapings that were held over the weekend in Norwich, England.
“Happy for this opportunity to call bouts involving new wrestlers, for me, and a new broadcast partner which freshens up all facets of the process,” Ross wrote.
These shows will air later this month on the WWE Network although no specific date was given.
JR also said that the company has other bookings for him as well and he will announce them when they are completely finalized.
It wasn’t just Dwayne Johnson who had a successful opening with his latest movie The Fate of the Furious as Dave Bautista also smashed the box office with Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2.
The latest movie in the Marvel universe pulled in a massive $145,049,000 in its opening weekend in the United States and so far has an additional $282,600,000 in international box office revenue, sending its total to $427,649,000.
Just as a comparison, the first Guardians movie did $94,320,883 in the opening weekend according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, although it was in 300 less theaters nationwide. It also had a total of $773,328,629 in worldwide box office in its total run, while the second volume already surpassed half of that in a week.
The former WWE champion plays the character of Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians franchise.
On this episode of Total Divas there were fights about cats instead of the usual catfights. In fact, this episode contained a whole zoo of animals including; dogs, sharks, pigs, and iguanas. However, the most interesting wild things to observe were the Divas and Superstars themselves.
After 3 1/2 years of marriage WWE superstar, The Miz, finally had time to take his wife, Maryse, on a honeymoon, but Maryse chose to invite another couple, Eve Marie and her boyfriend who was one of The Miz’s costars on MTV’s The Real World. I believe that this was the first mistake Maryse made which caused her honeymoon trip to go awry. If more than one couple is invited on a trip the trip becomes a vacation not a honeymoon the purpose of a honeymoon is to spend time with your honey not your honey and a couple of his closest friends.
I also believe that by letting Eve Marie and her boyfriend go on the trip with them, Maryse allowed the trip to become more about the two men doing things together than about the two couples doing things to strengthen their relationships.
For example, The Miz wanted to go shark fishing with his friend, but he didn’t consider that his wife is a vegetarian and therefore may have objections to spearingfish and eating them for dinner. Furthermore, The Miz insisted on checking on his fantasy football league when the couple first arrived at the resort in the Bahamas. His choice infuriated Maryse who chose not to talk to him at the beginning of their second day in the Bahamas. I personally think that the silent treatment is an extremely childish method of showing someone that your angry with them.
Luckily, for The Miz, Maryse eventually stopped pouting and was able to enjoy their fishing expedition after all. Later that day, Miz took Maryse to swim with the island’s pigs, which was the attraction that she was most looking forward to. So, while one couple enjoyed their time with animals, their friends fought about the animals that they owned.
During a business visit to New York City to discuss their new lingerie line, the Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie, decided to meet with an agent who represents dogs and cats who have a presence on social media. Did you know there was such a thing? I sure didn’t.
Apparently, the twins’s dogs, Josie and Winston are the next big thing on Instagram. Unfortunately, Brie happened to mention the agency meeting to fellow Diva Natalya, and she mentioned that the agent also represented cats. Total Divas fans are well aware that Natalya is completely devoted to her cats especially one particular cat named Two Paws. So Natalya invited herself to the meeting and insisted that the agent represent her cat. The twins didn’t get a chance to talk to the agent about representing their pets because Natalya monopolized the entire meeting.
Then Natalya further complicated the pet drama by mentioning to Renee Young that she had had T-shirts made up with her cat’s face on them prompting Renee to have T-shirts made featuring her dog, Blue. This prompted an all-out war over which pet was better, and which one deserved the shirts.
What I want to know is, why can’t they both have shirts? Guess that solution would be too simple for the Divas! Meanwhile Nikki Bella was having bigger problems.
She was finally cleared to return to WWE after neck surgery. However, her signature move, The Rack Attack, had to be retired due to its being too strenuous on her neck. The problem is that Nikki has distinguished herself in the WWE by using that intense move and without that intensity she felt as though she would lose her identity as Nikki Bella.
So, she met with a mixed martial arts specialist to work on a new finisher, but she still didn’t have one that she liked.
Guess we’ll have to see which one she chooses on the season finale of Total Divas.
