The Intercontinental title will be on the line at WrestleMania after Dean Ambrose accepted Baron Corbin’s challenge to put the title up for grabs in 11 days.
For the past two years, the IC title has been defended in a ladder match, a match which is absent from the show this year. At WrestleMania XXX, the title was not defended on the show and at WrestleMania 29, the title was part of the pre-show. You have to go back to WrestleMania 28 for the last one-on-one match for the Intercontinental title on the actual pay-per-view. That night, Big Show defeated Cody Rhodes to win the title.
With the addition of the IC title match, the card is now up to 12 matches and the only title which is not being defended either on the Kickoff show or the pay-per-view is the Smackdown Tag Team belt. A title change took place last night on Smackdown with The Usos defeating American Alpha to win the titles.
Nattie Neidhart has been selected to induct Beth Phoenix into the WWE Hall of Fame next week.
Neidhart teamed up with Phoenix in 2011 and the two formed the Divas of Doom alliance. They are big friends in real life, and Phoenix noted it on Twitter.
“When it comes to friends, she is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. @NatbyNature thank you,” she wrote, adding the hash tag #DOD4Ever.
This is the second time that Natalya will be inducting someone in the Hall of Fame. On the eve of WrestleMania 31, she inducted Alundra Blayze in the Hall.
Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com is reporting that WWE has officially offered Matt and Jeff Hardy new deals and “all signs point to an inevitable return.”
A return to the WWE would be a big deal for the company, especially if they are allowed to use the Broken gimmicks. Both Hardys are currently locked in a legal battle with Impact Wrestling over the use of the intellectual property as both parties are claiming that they own the gimmicks.
Unless the legal situation is cleared beforehand, it’s a definite that the two won’t be using them on WWE television. Impact Wrestling has blocked the Hardys from using the characters while wrestling for Ring of Honor and threatened to sue ROH and its pay-per-view providers. Matt and Jeff are currently the ROH Tag Team champions, having signed a short-term deal that will conveniently run through April 1, with a final appearance before WrestleMania at the ROH SuperCard of Honor in Lakeland, Florida.
Matt was last seen on WWE TV in September 2010 while his brother Jeff left a year earlier in August 2009.
For the second week in a row, lead Smackdown commentator Mauro Ranallo was absent from the commentary desk, leading to speculation that he will soon be gone from the company.
Last week it was said that Ranallo missed the show due to the storm that prevented him from flying to Smackdown, however Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer said that it was not true at all and there’s something bigger than that.
At the beginning of the show last night, Todd Phillips said that Mauro Ranallo was out sick and that’s why he is not there for commentary, an excuse which was not believed by those in the industry.
Ranallo last tweeted on March 14, pretty unusual for a person who uses Twitter multiple times a day to be offline for over a week. One of the tweets sent that day read, “Jealousy is one helluva drug!” which might give some insight of some problems he is having with colleagues.
Mauro joined the WWE broadcast team for the premiere of Smackdown Live on USA Network in January 2016 and has been the lead commentator for the show ever since.
The Raw Women’s title match at WrestleMania has been changed from a three-way match to a fatal four-way after Nia Jax defeated Bayley on Monday Night Raw and winning a place on the biggest show of the year.
The champion Bayley now has to go through three former fellow NXT stars in Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Jax in order to retain her title. Last year, the Women’s title match was a three-way match between Charlotte, Sasha, and Becky Lynch, a match which Charlotte won.
The addition of Nia Jax has been rumored for quite a few weeks and it seemed that the match was locked for just a three-way for the second year in a row until the stipulation was added on Raw this past Monday.
In a blog update on his website, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross said that his wife Jan suffered a catastrophic brain injury and is still alive only thanks to the life support equipment as she fights to recover.
“I will fully admit that there has been no experience in my life that could have prepared me for this life changing week. To see one’s life partner and love of one’s life being kept alive via life support equipment is tragically heartbreaking,” Ross wrote. You can go to Leigh Brain and Spine can perform the proper testing needed in order to create a treatment plan for a better way of life.Thе рrоblеmѕ lіе in the саѕе where thе рhуѕісаl dаmаgе dоеѕ not ѕhоw uр on CT ѕсаnѕ оr MRI’ѕ. Thе plaintiff оftеn looks nоrmаl, аnd thіѕ арреаrаnсе can bе tеrrіblу deceptive. Hе оr ѕhе mау speak well, аnd this іѕ аn еvеn greater problem tо overcome. But thе brаіn, lіkе аn atom if brоkеn оr split, саuѕеѕ an еxрlоѕіоn оf mіѕеrу and раіn that is horrendous. Whеn the brаіn іѕ damaged, there is nо tооl аvаіlаblе fоr the ѕurgеоn to соmе аnd fіx іt. We dереnd on nature аnd nurturе аnd thе аbіlіtу tо compensate.
JR said that in order for his wife to survive, the swelling in her brain has to subside soon, however she “is fighting for all’s she worth to save her life.”
Ross detailed how his wife Jan made him a better man and was there to nurse him following his three bouts of Bells palsy and the colon surgery.
“This woman loves me more than I’ll ever deserve and simply knowing her has enriched my life to levels that I can never repay,” Ross added, saying that this blog was written “through many tears and shaky hands.” Onе оf thе most іmроrtаnt dесіѕіоnѕ a traumatic brain injury ѕurvіvоr muѕt mаkе fоllоwіng аn ассіdеnt is сhооѕіng the rіght аttоrnеу. Finding the bеѕt аttоrnеу fоr уоur саѕе саn be a dаuntіng tаѕk, especially fоr someone wіth a brаіn injury. Because оf the соmрlеxіtіеѕ involved with both brаіn іnjurіеѕ аnd іtѕ іntеrасtіоn with thе lеgаl system, іt is bеѕt to have аn еxреrіеnсеd аttоrnеу hаndlіng аnу kіnd оf personal injury lawsuit bаѕеd оn brаіn injury. Thіѕ іѕ еѕресіаllу true bесаuѕе оf thе mаgnіtudе оf роtеntіаl rесоvеrу оftеn аvаіlаblе tо vісtіmѕ of brаіn іnjurу. In some cases, lаwуеrѕ hаvе successfully wоn a multi-million dоllаr verdict іn fаvоr оf thеіr clients.
JR thanked his fans for all the love and support showed to him and his family over the past few days.
Raw last night drew a total of 3,048,000 viewers, down 184,000 viewers from last week’s show.
Hour one drew 3,163,000 viewers, then decreased slightly to 3,117,000 viewers, before closing the night with 2,866,000 viewers in the third hour. The show lost nearly 300,000 viewers from hour one to hour three.
Raw was #2, #3, and #5 in the top 50 cable chart in the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Former WWE and TNA star Maria Kanellis-Bennett has also denied that the four nude personal photos released online are of herself and urged fans that if they want to see her nude, they should go buy or check out her Playboy magazine.
The same hacker behind the Paige, Kaitlyn, Melina, and the alleged Summer Rae leaks also had the former TNA Knockouts champion in his sights and leaked three naked mirror photos and another naked selfie on a bed. The photos look authentic.
Maria worked for WWE between 2004 and 2010 and then in TNA between 2016 and 2017. She appeared on the April 2008 cover of Playboy magazine while working for WWE.
It is going to be a good WrestleMania weekend for wrestlers from PROGRESS Wrestling and Insane Championship Wrestling as WWE announced that for the first time ever, members of these two British independent promotions will be wrestling during multiple Axxess events
This will be the first time that non-WWE promotions will be represented at Axxess and it comes as a “thank you” from WWE to these two indie promotions for working with them during the WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament and upcoming two-day WWE UK Championship Live events in the UK.
Joining PROGRESS and ICW stars will be WWE’s own roster from 205 Live. The Brits scheduled to appear are WWE UK champ Tyler Bate, ICW champion Trent Seven, Wolfgang, PROGRESS champion Pete Dunne, Mark Haskins, Jimmy Havoc, TK Cooper, Travis Banks, Dahlia Black, Toni Storm and Jinny.
Former WWE Diva Melina also had several personal photos leaked last night, with around 10 of the 30 photos published all nude.
Some of the photos are her posing with a dancing pole, either nude or very nearly nude, while others are photos with absolutely no make up whatsoever and some very revealing photos on a bed.
Melina worked for WWE between 2004 and 2011 and for Lucha Underground in 2015. She is a former two-time WWE Divas champion and former three-time WWE Women’s champion.
She is still active in professional wrestling and wrestles on the independent circuit.
Jim Ross’ wife Jan was involved in a serious accident last night and is in critical condition.
Ross, who was riding her Vespa without her helmet, was hit from behind by a car driven by a 17-year-old. She was thrown from her Vespa and landed on her head, causing multiple skull fractures. Her scooter eventually caught fire.
“My wife Jan, my little angel, was hit while riding her Vespa and has multiple skull fractures. She’s in surgery now. We need a miracle,” JR tweeted last night.
Thoughts and prayers are with Jim Ross and his wife during this difficult time.
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon was involved in a vehicle accident this morning, less than a mile from the WWE world headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut according to TMZ.COM.
McMahon, 71, was driving his expensive black Bentley and crashed with another car. TMZ says they have no information on what exactly happened or what caused the crash.
No one was injured in the crash and he was seen walking around the accident site afterward. His pocket will hurt a little bit after he gets the bill for the repair, but this is Vince McMahon, and his company is worth over a billion dollars!
Former WCW President and Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff will be inducting his friend Diamond Dallas Page in the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday, March 31.
Bischoff was the one who really gave DDP a chance in professional wrestling, and DDP went on to have a very successful career, including winning the WCW title on multiple occasions.
“I’m honored. It puts a smile on my face because I know how much it means to him. This is the Holy Grail for him,” Bischoff told WWE.COM.
Bischoff admitted with WWE.COM that he is feeling a bit nervous, saying it’s a little overwhelming in some respects. “But I’ll save the reasons why for the ceremony itself, because they’re very personal and poignant.”
Eric Bischoff last appeared on WWE television on the December 10, 2007 edition of Monday Night Raw during the 15th Anniversary Special.
Fans in Brooklyn started chanting “No! No! No!” before Foley even announced that he is leaving his position as Raw General Manager last night on Raw.
“Effective immediately, I am taking a leave of absence,” Foley said in the middle of the ring reading off index cards. And then, the hardcore legend tore off the index cards and went into a bit of a Cactus Jack mode, reminding everyone that he is “Mick freakin’ Foley” to a big pop from the crowd.
With his mic getting cut off, Stephanie McMahon marched down to the ring and told Foley that she has two words for him, and doing her best imitation of her father, she fired Foley from his job.
“Thank you @WWEUniverse for the privilege of being part of your Monday nights. Thanks for all the kind words. I leave #RAW knowing that I really tried to make a difference,” Foley wrote on Twitter after the show was over.
The rumors are that Kurt Angle will be taking over the Raw General Manager role after WrestleMania as Foley goes away to undergo his much-needed hip replacement surgery.
Hey, it’s @TheMagnumDA here with tonight’s RAW Report. We’re only two weeks away until WrestleMania, so these last few episodes should prove to be interesting as we head to Orlando! We are LIVE tonight from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where fans are clamoring for any kind of entertainment NOT called the “Nets”. Then again, I’m a lifer Bulls fan, so I have no room to talk basketball. But at least I’m not a WWE Diva, amirite? Boy, do I feel bad for them…total invasion of privacy!
We start with GENERAL MANAGER MICK FOLEY. He comes out with some prepared dialogue, basically thanking Triple H & Stephanie McMahon for giving him “the opportunity of a lifetime.” He said that he understands that he put himself in jeopardy last week, referring to the Mandible Claw on Triple H. Foley says that, “effective immediately, I am taking a leave of absence.” Foley then starts to SHOOT, BROTHER. He speaks from the heart, too…he shares his embarrassment (at having to use cue cards) on live TV. His mic starts to fade out a la CM Punk, and eventually Stephanie McMahon shows up. Steph starts to talk, but the Brooklyn boo’s are at an all-time high. Stephanie dresses down Foley and then gives him the two magic words: “YOU’RE FIRED!”
As Foley starts to leave, Sami Zayn’s music plays! Sami tells Stephanie that she’s the one who has been wrong this whole time. Stephanie tells Sami to turn and walk away. Sami tells Stephanie that Foley has shown more guts and integrity in the nine months of his GM role than Stephanie has shown in her whole life. Stephanie tells Sami that he’s not on the level to act the way that he’s acting right now. She tells him once more to walk away, but Sami stands up to her! Just as this escalates, SAMOA JOE arrives. Stephanie tells Sami that his mouth has gotten him in trouble once more. She immediately books Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn, which starts right now!
Match #1 – Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn
Sami hits a somersault plancha to start! After the break, though, Samoa Joe is destroying Sami in the corner. Sami fights back, but Joe finally takes him down. Joe with kicks in Sami’s chest while Sami lies on the rope. Sami with a spinning armdrag and European uppercuts in the corner. Sami tries a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Joe reverses with elbows. Joe, with a combination of chops and kicks, takes down Sami and beats him some more in the corner.
Sami ends up on the ropes, but he comes back in with some offense. This is immediately squashed by a snap powerslam. He throws Sami into the corner, but Sami just falls in a heap. Joe FOREARMS Sami and he goes down. He throws Sami in the corner and tries to catch a Muscle Buster on Sami. Sami fights out, but Joe catches him with the Ghetto Blaster! Zayn falls to the outside, and Joe catches him with a suicide dive! He caught Zayn with a HARD elbow as he flew out.
After the break, Zayn tries to take advantage. Samoa Joe, however, brought the Ghetto Blasters with him tonight. Joe throws Zayn into the post and drops him jaw-first onto the barricade as they continue to fight outside. Sami barely makes the TEN COUNT! Sami catches Joe with a YUGE clothesline after some kicks by Joe.
Sami chops Joe and then catches him with an elbow. Springboard splash gets ONE, TWO, NO! Sami was so close there. Joe catches Sami’s foot and tosses him outside. Joe ends up getting thrown in the post, and Sami catches him with the HELUVA DDT through the ropes! Back inside, Sami tries to hit the Heluva Kick, but Joe just smashes him with a standing Uranage Slam! Joe looks to end this quickly. Kokina Clutch ends it! Hell of an opener.
Winner: Samoa Joe (***1/4)
Recap of the EPIC (yuk yuk) feud between Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns. They settle it once and for all TONIGHT. Why do I still feel like it’s going to end in a “No Contest”…?
Backstage, Sami and Foley are talking. Foley tells Sami that it’s his responsibility to lift this locker room up. Sami calls him a hero, and thanks him for everything. Foley continues to say his good byes to everyone, including Sheamus, Cesaro, and Bayley. In the shadows…we have Triple H. He tells Foley, “Have A Nice Day!” Okay, that was kinda funny.
The announcers recap the final segment of last week, where Seth Rollins was completely destroyed by Triple H. They have an injury update for Seth, and it’s not good. Seth Rollins will not be competing at WrestleMania XXXIII. They talk with Dr. Wilke, who says that Seth Rollins is doing miraculously well. He does share, however, that no doctor will clear him for WrestleMania. He also shares a fear that if Seth shows up at WrestleMania, he will be back at the recovery center immediately afterwards.
Match #2 – Charlotte vs. Dana Brooke
Dana immediately takes down Charlotte and pounds her with shoulder blocks in the corner. Dana with punches and kicks in the corner, and an armbar takes Charlotte down. Dana pounds on Charlotte some more, but Charlotte gets out of the ring to avoid further embarrassment. Charlotte catches Dana with a shoulder charge from the apron, but Dana takes her down by the leg and rolls her back in for a two-count. Dana tries the Full Nelson! A Masterlock this is not.
Dana catches Charlotte with a clothesline for ONE, TWO, NO! Charlotte with some huge chops to Dana. Problem is, Dana’s top isn’t exposed. So it’s hard to make some sound with it. Dana fights Charlotte to the ground and gets another near fall! Dana is putting up a fight tonight. Charlotte catches Dana with a HUGE boot for the ONE, TWO, THREE! Zuh….? What a weird match. Charlotte literally had little to no offense, but one boot finishes it?
Winner: Charlotte (*)
Backstage, Stephanie asks if Bayley wants a hug. Bayley tells Stephanie that she never knew this side of her…the mean, manipulative side. Steph books Bayley vs. Nia Jax once more, and if Nia wins…the match at WrestleMania becomes a four-way! Called it! Oh, by the way…this is a No Disqualification Match.
HIGHLIGHT REEL TIME! Jericho shows us “the real Kevin Owens”. Then he shows a sixteen-year-old Kevin Steen in a picture with a Y2J shirt (and pose!) Then, Jericho shows a text message conversation where KO asks Jericho for advice after first getting into WWE. After this, Jericho shows a clip where Owens is completely helpless at Fast Lane as Jericho appeared. Jericho cuts a fantastic promo after this, telling Kevin Owens that he doesn’t have a clue what he got himself into…but he’ll find out after WrestleMania. Just to let us know he hasn’t changed, he calls Kevin Owens a “Stupid Idiot”…and then threatens to add him to the list!
Samoa Joe comes down ringside, and Jericho has the same look that KO did at Fast Lane! KEVIN OWENS NAILS JERICHO FROM BEHIND. He proceeds to beat Jericho down. KO ends this with a Pop-Up Powerbomb as the fans chant “Stupid Idiot!” Hilarious! KO then RIPS THE LIST OF JERICHO!! The fans are SO pissed at this. KO starts to eat the paper and the fans laugh. The heat for this was tremendous.
Another recap video of Reigns vs. Strowman, this time from the contract signing at Fast Lane. I like that this has a build to it. I’ll give it that.
Match #3 – TJ Perkins vs. The Brian Kendrick
A rematch of the first Cruiserweight title change! Kendrick dicks him out of a handshake, and this leads to an awesome sequence where TJ catches him with a CRUDE kick to the face! Kendrick rolls out and TJ catches Brian with a Wrecking Ball Dropkick! Back inside, Perkins with a Flying Cross Body for ONE, TWO, NO! Awesome stuff. Perkins tries the Detonation Kick, but Kendrick rolls out by grabbing Perkins’ hair! TJ takes Kendrick out of the corner, but Kendrick grabs the hair again! Sliced Bread #2 hits! ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: The Brian Kendrick (*1/2)
After the match, Kendrick shows us that he’s stolen Tozawa’s Japanese Passport. Apparently, Akira has been sent back to Japan?! That’s dark, dude.
We get a promo video hyping up the Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar WrestleMania main event. My personal opinion? If that match goes longer than five minutes, the Orlando crowd could turn on it quickly. I foresee this playing out just like WrestleMania XX, where the crowd (and Steve Austin) jeered them out of the building.
Backstage again, where Stephanie interrupts Cesaro and Sheamus. Steph tells the boys that she’s booking a 2-on-4 tonight against their WrestleMania opponents (Enzo/Cass and Anderson/Gallows). The stipulation is…if Sheamus and Cesaro lose, they’re out of the match. I don’t get it. This feels like WCW Monday Nitro, where they would have the PPV match on Nitro two weeks prior. Never made sense.
Match #4 – WrestleMania Qualifier (No DQ): Nia Jax vs. Bayley
If Nia wins, she’s in the WrestleMania Women’s title match.
Bayley gets forearms to start, and climbs on Nia to unload some more punches. Jax is thrown head-first into the turnbuckle, and Bayley tries a Sleeperhold. Jax fights her off, and the roll outside. Nia hits a wicked headbutt on Bayley, and then throws her back into the ring. Bayley tries to hit a headscissors from the apron, but Nia catches her for a Power Bomb. Bayley fights out by grabbing the ropes, but Nia sweeps her outside. Bayley gets thrown outside as we go to commercial.
After the break, Nia has Bayley in a…you guessed it! slepper! Bayley fights out, but Nia splashes her into the ropes! I lost my focus on the match because someone was getting thrown out of the Barclays Center! Sorry! But anyways, we’re BACK TO THE SLEEPERHOLD! Bayley fights out again, but Nia brings her back down. Bayley tries to kick her in the head, and Bayley slaps her? Uh oh. That was a bad decision. Nia takes her outside and throws her into the barricade. Then Nia proceeds to swing her from side to side.
Nia goes to grab a chair, but Bayley kicks it out of her hands. Bayley hangs Nia on the ropes, and knees her in the side, knocking her back in the ring! ONE, TWO, NO! Bayley hits a running back elbow to Jax, but that only gets two. Bayley tries a Cross Body for ONE, TWO, NO! Bayley kicks Nia and goes to the top rope, but Nia catches her by sweeping the leg! Bayley hits her head on the turnbuckle, allowing Nia to hit the Samoan Drop for the ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Nia Jax (*1/2, Enters the WrestleMania Women’s Title Match)
Women’s History Month tribute for Johnny “Mae” Young. She was absolutely fantastic.
Michael Cole introduces Triple H to talk about Seth Rollins and the incident from last week. Triple H tells Cole that he’s disappointed that Seth Rollins won’t make it to WrestleMania as the crowd chants “ASSHOLE!” Awesome. Triple H is upset that he was announced by Cole as “…the man partially responsible for Seth Rollins’ injury”.
Triple H gives a heady promo where he calls everyone insecure (while telling everyone he knows how good he is). He then blames the audience for cheering for their heroes, because it pushes them beyond their limits. Just like Mick Foley. Triple H then tells everyone that it only took 30 seconds for Rollins’ little charade to fall apart.
Boy, this really makes me want to see this match. Not. Why can’t Seth be built as a resilient hero and not a hobbling goof? I blame Triple H. Just like when he booked himself over Booker T. at WrestleMania XIX. Made Booker look like a chump, and then beat him too.
Triple H says that these injuries are the fans’ fault. Cole asks if HHH has any regrets, and Hunter says that he made things too easy for Seth, because it could’ve been worse. Triple H then says he’s done with Seth, and leaves him WrestleMania tickets. Cole is about to go to commercial, but Triple H interrupts and offers a non-sanctioned match at WrestleMania. He dares Seth to show up next week and sign the contract. Triple H yells “SHOW THEM THAT YOU ARE SETH FREAKING ROLLINS…or are you just a friggin coward?”
Match #5 – Cesaro & Sheamus vs. Enzo, Cass, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson
If Sheamus and Cesaro lose, they’re out of the WWE Tag Title Match at WrestleMania
I don’t recall so many qualifiers and eliminators before a WrestleMania, do you? Enzo talks trash to Anderson and Gallows, which leads to the champs beating down Enzo and Cass before the match! Why would you do that? Anderson with a kick to the face by Cesaro. Gallows tries to tag Anderson, but Cass brings Karl off the ropes! This leaves Gallows to get nailed with a BROGUE KICK! ONE, TWO THREE! Wow. That took less than a minute. So much for those insurmountable odds.
Winners: Cesaro and Sheamus (No Stars)
NEW DAY are here. Kofi and Big E make a look at Xavier like he did something wrong. Well…maybe he did. 😉 They recap all the big matches for this year’s WrestleMania.
Match #6 – Austin Aries vs. Tony Nese
If you didn’t see it last week, Aries won the Fatal 5 Way to face Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania. Nese thrashes Aries in the corner, and the nails him hard with a forearm. Aries with a cartwheel counter and an earclap! Old school! Nese counters and hits a sweet sweeping kick combo for two. Nese with a crossface and a hard lariat! Nese tries to cover but Austin kicks out. Nese catches Aries with a forearm, and tries to throw him into the ropes. Aries counters, and sends him outside the ring. Aries hits a bottom rope suicide dive! This was called the “Heat Seeking Missile” by Corey Graves.
After the break, Nese has Aries in a Torture Rack! Hey, now that’s showing some creativity coming out of the commercials. Aries rolls out of it and gets a near fall. Nese completely smashes Aries in the jaw with an elbow. Nese tries a springboard moonsault, but he misses! Aries catches Nese with a reverse neckbreaker on the ropes! Aries catches Nese with some kicks and chops, and a facebuster/STO combo! Awesome pendulum elbow by Aries! Austin heads up and hits the Missile Dropkick, followed by the DISCUS FIVE-ARM! Ya know, because it’s simply better than a forearm. ONE, TWO THREE!
Winner: Austin Aries (**)
After the match, Neville arrives and calls him a lad. Them’s fighting words…right? I don’t know, I’m from Minneapolis. 😀 Neville says that Aries is going to implode before WrestleMania, and Neville will capitalize in Orlando. Aries calls Neville’s whole build as “King of the Cruiserweights” a facade. Aries tells Neville to let everyone know he’s the King for 13 more days, because at WrestleMania it’s all over. I know how McMahon books…he will humble the TNA loyalist, just like he did with AJ Styles last year. I give the nod to Neville at WrestleMania.
We get another Brock/Goldberg recap, followed by an announcement that both men will be in Philly for next week’s Raw. Another good litmus test with a super snarky crowd. You’ll get a good feel (for how the WrestleMania crowd will react) based on the Philly crowd, no doubt.
Main Event – Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
They punch each other to start, with Roman taking an early advantage. Strowman grabs him by the throat into the other corner, but Roman fights out. Strowman throws Roman out of the ring, but Roman catches him on the ropes. Reigns with a huge boot sends Braun outside. Reigns tries the Drive-By, but Strowman DRILLS Roman with a lariat onto the apron. Back in the ring, a Spinebuster by Braun gets two. Braun with more fists and forearms to Roman’s chest. Strowman pounds Roman in the corner, and then throws him from pillar to post. Roman is getting destroyed right now! Braun gets a huge sleeperhold on Roman, which lasts approximately 42 minutes. Felt like it, at least.
Roman fights out, but Braun knocks him down. He tries to throw Reigns in the ropes, but Roman stops him and starts nailing him with some right hands. Reigns tries to slam him, but he is immediately dropped by Strowman. Braun with a huge kick to the ribs, followed by a splash in the corner to Reigns. Strowman throws Reigns to the opposite corner and misses a charge. Reigns start nailing him with the clotheslines in the corner, but gets caught in a Choke Slam attempt by Braun. Roman hits a HUGE Samoan Drop to Braun. Incredibly, Roman is propped right back to his feet after a one count! WOW! Back outside, Roman hits the Drive-By, but Strowman throws Reigns into the ring steps. Braun throws the steps in the ring, and then throws Roman back into the ring as well.
Braun picks up the steps, but gets nailed by the Superman Punch! Another attempt is blocked, but the following one hits! I think. Roman sets up to hit the Spear on Braun, but THE LIGHTS GO OUT AND THE BELL TOLLS FOR THEE!
Undertaker hits the Chokeslam on Braun (who came to his feet), but this allows Roman to hit the SPEAR on The Undertaker! Reigns starts to walk back up the ramp, but The Undertaker sits up! Taker stands and gives Reigns his last rites as we go to credits!
Winner: No Contest (**)
Final Thoughts: Told you it’d be a “No Contest”! 😀 The continued focus on WrestleMania is good, but I also like the small build to bigger Raw main events. It’s a smart move. Overall, this was another good build to WrestleMania. I’m not sure about some of the key matchups, but I know the show will be fun and exciting. See you next week in Philly! Let’s get HARDCORE!
Jeff Jarrett, Ed Nordholm, Jeremy Borash, Karen Jarrett, and Rafael Morffi were all in Mexico over the weekend to iron out a new deal with Lucha Libre AAA and watch the Rey De Reyes show.
“Building bridges. Our alliance with AAA will bring the best of both promotions together,” said Nordholm, who is the Executive Vice President of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and the man leading the day-to-day operations at Impact Wrestling.
Jarrett said that Impact Wrestling is looking forward to working with the Pro Wrestling NOAH, The Crash Lucha Libre, Lucha Libra AAA and several other promotions over the next few months.
The deal that Impact is securing with these promotions will most likely lead to talent appearing on all promotions that they have a working relationship with. It’s not the first time that Impact has done similar deals. The Hardys had already appeared at The Crash Lucha Libre and won the tag team titles and in 2014 the company held its Bound For Glory pay-per-view in Japan in association with the Wrestle-1 promotion.
Paige’s dad Ricky Knight chimed in over the big nude leak involving his daughter as more very adult-oriented videos of Paige were released last night.
“I have just spoken to her over Facebook and I am worried for her mental health,” Ricky wrote in a post on Facebook. “Get a grip, she has not killed anyone, robbed anyone, she was having sex in a private situation,” he added, saying that she has been betrayed by some lowlives.
“I am very worried for her. It will be no good backing her when it’s too late like many other celebrities who have left us,” he concluded.
It’s still not clear if it was Paige’s account which was hacked or someone else who had the material on their Internet-connected device.
WWE today announced that legendary manager Jim Cornette will be inducting The Rock ’n’ Roll Express into the WWE Hall of Fame in two weeks time.
Cornette is considered to be one of the biggest rivals for The Rock ’n’ Roll Express, managing The Midnight Express in an epic feud between the two teams and later The Heavenly Bodies.
“I said these horrible, degrading things about these two, fine, young, upstanding examples of American boyhood,” Cornette told WWE.COM. “And people, on numerous occasions, tried to kill us,” he added.
“Between the ’80s with The Midnight Express and the ’90s with The Heavenly Bodies, and then in the 2000s on the reunions with The Midnights, I think only Bobo Brazil and The Sheik had a longer-running rivalry,” Cornette said. “And I still haven’t put an end to Rock ‘n’ Roll! I haven’t been able to do it, so I guess I have to roll over and induct them.”
Jim Cornette’s last appearance on WWE television was at WrestleMania X-Seven. He was fired from the WWE in July 2005.
Summer Rae has denied that the couple of leaked nude photos published last night are hers and in a message on Twitter, she told her fans not to believe everything they see online.
“There’s people out there with a lot of time on their hands & a big imagination,” Rae said in a Tweet.
Although the leak pales in comparison to that of Paige and Kaitlyn, Summer Rae’s denial is also hard to contest considering that some photos use the same background as seen in some of her Instagram photos and certain birth marks and blemishes are in the correct places as those of her regular photos. One photo shows her wearing a bikini and then in the other photo she is seen exposing her breast while wearing the same bikini behind the same background.
On Saturday, she posted on Twitter asking why her Twitter was “blowing up with this mess” and then told her followers that they all need to “log off.” Replies to that particular tweet were rather funny, some posting Bill Goldberg gifs saying “you’re next” while others suggesting she will have to log off after her photos make their way online.
The hacker who released the censored Kaitlyn nude photo this past weekend kept his promise and released over a dozen of nude photos of the former WWE Diva. The images were published on the 4Chan image board.
Kaitlyn, real name Celeste Bonin, is seen in multiple poses in front of a mirror, exposing her private parts. The photos are hard to contest that it is not her especially because of the unmistakable lips tattoo on her butt.
These photos do not seem from during her time in WWE and look more recent judging from her look now compared to her WWE days. Last year she posed nude for Bodybuilding.com’s Bodies of Work Volume 4 although all her private parts were artistically hidden.
