The WWE Cruiserweight title will be on the line at WrestleMania with Austin Aries becoming the number contender during last night’s episode of 205 Live.
Aries defeated Brian Kendrick, Tony Nese, TJ Perkins, and Akira Tozawa in a fatal five-way match to get his WrestleMania ticket and will now face the champion, Neville, on the show.
This is the eighth title match on the line at WrestleMania, with only the Intercontinental and the Smackdown Tag Team titles still not up for grabs.
NXT is returning to the United Kingdom for another tour in June, following the successful shows of last year.
The tour kicks off on Monday, June 5 in Aberdeen from the GE Oil & Gas Arena, then moves to Manchester on Tuesday, June 6 at the Manchester Arena. On Wednesday, June 7 it’s off to Leeds for a show at the First Direct Arena, and on Thursday, June 8 it’s the final show at the Brighton Centre in Brighton.
The pre-sale starts tomorrow, March 16 at 10AM, while the general on-sale is on March 17 at 10AM. Tickets are available at livenation.co.uk.
Things got ugly between AJ Styles and Shane McMahon last night on Smackdown but before the show faded to black, we got another match set for WrestleMania.
Styles, who waited for Shane in the back throughout the show, ambushed him as soon as he rolled into the arena. Styles then proceeded to beat up Shane pretty bad before throwing him through the car window, cutting his head open. Fit Finlay and Renee Young came to the rescue of Shane and Styles walked away.
In a subsequent backstage segment, Styles challenged Bryan to fire him, and Bryan did just that and Styles was escorted out of the building by police. Before the night was over though, Shane McMahon came out on stage and told Styles that he just got himself a WrestleMania opponent.
This will be Shane’s second WrestleMania match since his return to the WWE. His first one was an epic Hell In A Cell match against The Undertaker last year. This is also AJ Styles’ second WrestleMania match, his first was last year against Chris Jericho.
John Cena and The Miz will go against each other once again at WrestleMania but this time they will have some help from their respective loved ones.
The Miz and Maryse ran down their opponents during Miz TV and then Cena and Nikki ran out to have their say. Unfortunately for them, the heels escaped but Daniel Bryan came out and had another idea. After ripping on The Miz and telling him that he really wants to punch him in the face, he made the mixed tag team match for WrestleMania, as The Miz and Maryse reacted furiously while Nikki and Cena celebrated in the ring.
The two main evented WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta a few years ago when The Miz successfully defended the WWE title.
Plans for this feud kicked off a few weeks ago on Smackdown when Maryse attacked Nikki Bella during her falls count anywhere match against Natalya and then Cena eliminated The Miz from the number one contender’s battle royal…only to come back in and throw Cena over the top as revenge.
This match is rumored to be the last one for Nikki Bella as a full-time performer for WWE as she is set to take time off and return only periodically.
Introduction: Video Promo
A montage of last week’s Smackdown! Live and Talking Smack combines the scenario surround the WWE Championship which includes Randy Orton, Commissioner Shane McMahon, and A.J. Styles.
Office Promo
We are live now, with General Manager Daniel Bryan on his cell-phone talking about tonight’s Smackdown! A.J. Styles barges in, demanding to see Commissioner McMahon. Daniel says that Shane will be there later, and A.J. is going to the ring to tell everyone what’s on his mind.
Arena Promo
A.J. Styles marches out and takes the microphone right away. Seething, he rants about his feelings of being “messed around by Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon.” He compares his path to Cena, who he insinuates that he just gets what he asks for, while he has to go through many hoops to get an opportunity. He vents that he will chat with Shane about his future.
Later tonight, Randy Orton will lecture WWE Champion Bray Wyatt, and up next, Becky Lynch will wrestle Natalya!
Commercials.
Match #1: Single – Becky Lynch VS. Natalya
They lockup and Becky sweeps up Natalya, who crawls under the ropes for a break. Lynch reverses a whip-into-the-corner, but Nattie calls for a timeout. Natalya holds her hand for a handshake, but Becky slaps back harshly. (Literally!) Lynch follows with an STF, but Natalya makes it to the ropes and slides to the floor.
Commercials.
They battle on the outside with Natalya planting Becky with a Michinoku Driver! (sit-down scoop-slam). In the ring, Nattie takes control with a grounding rear-chinlock. She whips her hard into the turnbuckle, but misses a follow-up splash. Lynch forearms back a few times but is hit with a knee-and-slap. Becky hits back again and then slams her with an exploder-suplex! She tries for a running-forearm in the corner, but Natalya catches her and places her on top of the turnbuckle. she tries something, but Becky rolls through into her Dis-Arm-Her hold, forcing Nattie to give-in!
Winner via Submission: Becky Lynch
Post-match, Carmella, along with James Ellsworth, suddenly kicks Becky.
Video Promo
Clips of John Cena’s hosting gig of the Kids Choice Awards from last Saturday airs.
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Carmella and James Ellsworth are walking through the halls, and Carmella declares that she wants to be eligible for the Women’s Championship Match at WrestleMania.
Arena Promo
The Miz and Maryse are in the ring, with Miz pronouncing them “the ‘it’ couple.” He shows footage from last week’s Smackdown! Live and Talking Smack of their beef with John Cena and Nikki Bella. It goes back to Total Divas when Maryse was supposed to be on the show, but she says that Nikki stopped her chance. Maryse not-so-subtle warns Nikki about revenge.
Cena and Nikki storm out, and Maryse and Miz escape to the aisle. Nikki tells Maryse her side, but Miz soon cuts her off and says that MizTV is over. GM Bryan walks out and tells Miz that he is not General Manager. Daniel makes another WrestleMania match – The Miz and Maryse VS. John Cena and Nikki Bella!
Up next, Mickie James takes on Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss
Commercials.
Match #2: Single – Mickie James VS. Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss (Non-Title)
They shove each other and then lockup. The referee has to separate them and then Alexa kicks Mickie in the gut. They trade stomps in the corner, and then Bliss presses her knee against Mickie’s head on the middle rope. James dumps Alexa to the floor, but is caught while to baseball-slide her; Bliss slams her on the floor!
Commercials.
Alexa is governing until Mickie hits a kick and takes over. She almost takes this a couple of times after a boot and fisherman’s-suplex! Bliss regains a bit of momentum, but Mickie hurricanranas her out of the corner and kicks her. She almost loses because of a sunset-flip out of the corner, and then they trade pin-combos. Alexa hits Mickie with her hand, but misses a standing-moonsault. James takes advantage with her Mick-Kick and covers for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Mickie James
Backstage Promo
Rene Young interviews A.J. Styles in the parking area; he promises to do something about not having a match at WrestleMania. Commissioner Shane McMahon arrives and is blind-sided by A.J.! “The Phenomenal One” assaults the Commissioner, finishing by ramming his head through a car window! Rene and agent/former wrestler Fit Finlay call for help as Shane is bleeding.
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Shane is being helped by the doctor and other personnel.
Locker Room Promo
The Usos – Jimmy and Jey – and Curt Hawkins are wondering why A.J. attacked McMahon; A.J. walks out to be met by General Manager Daniel Bryan, who promptly fires him and has police escort him away.
Commercials.
Match #3: Single – Mojo Rawley VS. Dolph Ziggler
Dolph tries some amateur moves first, but those don’t work so Ziggler eye-pokes Rawley. He tries again, but continues to be bested, so he walks out and counted-out.
Winner via Count-Out: Mojo Rawley
Commercials.
Arena Promo
Randy Orton saunters down the aisle to the ring. He tells us that his partnership with WWE Champion Bray Wyatt was his own plan so he could “get to” Bray. He realized he had to get rid of “Sister Abigail,” so that’s why he burned the compound a couple of weeks ago on Smackdown! Live. He vows to “take everything” from Wyatt at WrestleMania
Bray appears on the Titantron. He says that “Sister Abigail” lives on and alludes that “she” will guide him; he messes up his face with mud, which is presumably the “ashes” of “Sister Abigail.”
Up next, Tag-Team Champions American Alpha will face
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Baron Corbin is asked about his attack on Dean Ambrose last week.
Match #4: Tag-Team – Tag-Team Champions American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) VS. The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) (Non-Title)
Chad and Jimmy begin, but Jimmy quickly trades with Jey and Gable switches with Jordan. Alpha gain some momentum before the break, double-dropkicking both Usos off of the top turnbuckle!
Commercials.
The Usos get in control when Jason is pushed form the ropes face-first onto the ring apron. Jimmy and Jey take over for a bit until Jimmy hits the ring post after a run. During this, we see Shane McMahon deciding to come out to the ring instead.
Gable gets the hot-tag but is pushed from the corner and caught in the middle turnbuckle; Jimmy superkicks Jason, and Jey lands on Jason in a victory-roll position to take this!
Winners via Pinfall: The Usos
Arena Promo
Commissioner McMahon struggles to the stage and announces “A.J. Styles doesn’t have an opponent for WrestleMania; he does now.” The show closes.
End of Smackdown! Live.
Hulk Hogan will be opening his second Hogan’s Beach Shop location conveniently located on International Drive in Orlando. The grand opening will be Thursday, March 30, just in time for WWE fans to hit the city for WrestleMania.
Hogan will run a total of eight meet and greets at the shop during the week, kicking off one day earlier than the opening on March 29. There will be one session on March 30 and March 31, two on April 1, one on April 2, April 3, and April 4.
Ticket prices are $100 for children under the age of 14, $150 for a standard adult ticket including small items for autographs such as a figure, shirt, bandana etc, and $200 for a premium adult ticket for autographs like replica title belts, large posters, Mania chairs etc. Each ticket will include one autograph and one photo.
The shop will be closed for visitors during meet and greet times and will be open during the remaining hours. Hogan’s Beach Shop is located at 7679 International Drive. Tickets can be purchased at ShopHulkHogan.com.
Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com is reporting that WWE Superstar Cedric Alexander injured his right knee and will be out of action for up to five months.
The Charlotte, North Carolina native has been part of the WWE cruiserweight division since the Cruiserweight Classic tournament started on the WWE Network and then made his Raw debut in September of last year.
His last match on television was on the February 28 episode of 205 Live in a six-man tag team match, teaming with Mustafa Ali and TJ Perkins vs Ariya Daivari, Drew Gulak and Tony Nese.
There will be no Rusev crushes for a while as the former WWE United States champion underwent shoulder surgery last week.
It is not clear when he suffered the injury or even how long he will be out of action. The Bulgarian Brute last wrestled at Fastlane, losing to The Big Show in a 9-minute match.
Rusev spent two months on the sidelines in 2015 after suffering a fractured foot but despite the injury, he kept appearing on television and travel with his now-wife Lana.
HBO today announced that their Dwayne Johnson-led television series Ballers will return on the air on July 23 for its third season.
The 30-minute show will start at 10PM and follows former football superstar Spencer Strasmore – played by Johnson – who has reinvented himself as a financial manager for current players in Miami.
For the past two seasons, Ballers filmed on-location in Miami but this time around, HBO took its production to San Francisco because of tax credits that the company took advantage of in the state of California.
Season one averaged 1.6 million viewers while season two averaged 1.1 million viewers. Despite the drop of an average half a million viewers every week, HBO were keen to sign up the show for 10 more episodes for another season.
The Raw Tag Team titles will be decided in a triple threat match at WrestleMania after last night on Raw the champs interfered in the number one contenders match.
The team of Enzo and Cass took on Sheamus and Cesaro with the winner advancing to WrestleMania, however Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson brutally attacked both teams during the match and it was called off due to a disqualification. The champs then continued a brutal beatdown of all four men, finishing off with the Magic Killer on Cesaro.
After the match in a backstage segment, Raw General Manager Mick Foley informed Gallows and Anderson that at WrestleMania 33, they will face both teams in a triple threat match for their trouble.
This is the second triple threat match for a title at WrestleMania as the Raw Women’s title will also be defended in such match. The match for the Raw Tag Team titles is expected to be part of the Kickoff show.
To celebrate March Madness, WWE is running a “merch madness” promotion on WWE Shop, with savings up to 40% on titles and memorabilia through tomorrow 11:59PM PST!
Items on sale with great discounts include the WWE Championship replica title, the WWE Championship spinner replica title, the Intercontinental title replica, the Raw and Smackdown Tag Team titles, the Raw Women’s title replica, the WWE Winged Eagle Championship replica title, Bret Hart, Warrior, Shawn Michaels, and Roddy Piper Championship Title Collection statues, finger rings, commemorative photo plaques and much more.
You can shop now at http://w-o.it/wweshopcom.
Hello, it’s @TheMagnumDA with another edition of the RAW Report! We are LIVE from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. This will be the last ever Raw at “The Joe”. This arena is notable for multiple World title changes, including The Undertaker’s and Big Show’s first WWE championship wins. Long live The Joe!
We open the show with Paul Heyman and BRRROCK LESNAR! Heyman tells us that he has a vision for the future, and that vision was provided when Goldberg was laid out with an F-5 last week. Paul says that on April 2nd, Lesnar will cause the “so-called” announcers to scream “DOWN GOES GOLDBERG!”
Heyman teases a Goldberg appearance, and then laments over the previous endings to Lesnar vs. Goldberg matches: Spear, Jackhammer, Goldberg wins. Last week was different, though. Lesnar showed that he could beat Goldberg. We are then treated to Heyman’s Theory of Relativity: F-5 = Lesnar goes up, and DOWN GOES GOLDBERG.
We go backstage to Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley. Steph calls Heyman creepy, and this somehow transitions into Steph telling Mick the following: For his personal and professional growth, he needs to fire someone three weeks before WrestleMania. Foley is crestfallen, and doesn’t know what to do. He reluctantly agrees to her request.
Match #1
Sasha Banks vs. Dana Brooke
This match only lasted one minute, with Sasha Banks winning with an inside cradle.
Winner: Sasha Banks (No Stars)
After the match, Charlotte berates Dana and threatens to fire her as her valet. Dana lays out Charlotte before Charlotte can tell her that she wasn’t being serious. Crowd chants for Dana as she walks away.
This year’s Warrior Award goes to Eric LeGrand, a football player from Rutgers University. Tragically, Eric was paralyzed in a game against Army seven years ago. His resiliency, and his perseverance are discussed. I remember seeing this when it happened on ESPN. It was a sad situation, but Eric is making the best of it. Hats off to him!
Match #2
Akira Tozawa & TJ Perkins vs. The Brian Kendrick & Tony Nese
Match is in progress. Kendrick has Tozawa in a unique version of the Cobra Clutch. Akira fights up, and gets beaten down by Kendrick and Nese. Nese tags in, and Akira smashes him with a huge forearm. Nese puts him in a bodyscissors. Akira tries to fight out, but he’s taken back down. Finally, Akira makes the tag! Perkins comes in and he’s a HOUSE OF FIRE! Great kick to the face by Perkins. Bulldog Reversal by TJ! ONE, TWO, NO! TJ clears house but gets caught with a huge lariat by Nese. Nese charges but misses in the corner. TJ with a huge DDT but Kendrick breaks up a pin attempt! Akira gets knocked ringside, but comes back in with a running kick to Kendrick. TJ gets caught off-guard with a schoolboy pin by Nese! ONE, TWO, THREE! Good, but short.
Winners: The Brian Kendrick & Tony Nese (**)
Backstage, Charly is with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, the WWE Tag Champs. Anderson asks why everyone is putting the spotlight on the challengers and not the champions. Gallows tells Charly to buzz off. Anderson promises to take the spotlight away from the contenders.
Match #3
Kevin Owens & Samoa Joe vs. Chris Jericho & Sami Zayn
Before the match, we get a KO promo where he recaps the Festival of Friendship. Boy, that night went bad in a hurry, didn’t it? Kevin reminds us that he was never Jericho’s friend, and that Jericho was playing him too. The difference is that KO stabbed his back first. Owens blames Jericho for losing his Championship at Fast Lane. Owens vows to take Jericho’s title at WrestleMania as revenge for Fast Lane. Owens says Jericho will be crying The Tears of Jericho (cry ’em out, mannnn….) after WrestleMania. Owens says he doesn’t need friends when he has a destroyer. Enter Samoa Joe. Owens and Jericho to start, and KO tags out to Joe. Chops from Jericho, but then a inverted atomic drop, a clothesline, and a senton for two.
Joe beats down Y2J in the corner, but Jericho elbows him and catches him with a drop kick for one. Zayn tags in and he starts jabbing Joe. Joe punches back and puts Sami on the ropes. Sami with an incredible leap and counter into a headscissors for two. Joe puts Sami in the corner and tags in KO. Kevin stomps on Sami and taunts the crowd. Then he does the Jericho pin pose for extra taunt. Then he superkicks Jericho in the mouth. Wow. Sami ends up having to fight Joe and KO in the corner, and does a somersault cannonball over the ropes to both men! Oh no! Sami could be seriously hurt. He goes back in to fight Joe, but KO just nukes him from behind. Joe and Owens get DQ’ed after beating down Zayn. Kokina Clutch to Zayn! Jericho finally comes to and saves Zayn. Jericho then tries to put Kevin in the Walls of Jericho, but Joe beats him down. With Joe holding Y2J, Owens tees off on Jericho. Disgusting. Refs do a pisspoor job breaking it up. Pop Up Powerbomb to Jericho ends things.
Winners by DQ: Chris Jericho & Sami Zayn (**)
Mick Foley and Stephanie are backstage discussing who could get the axe, when Nia Jax shows up. Stephanie books Nia vs. Bayley tonight, as Foley needs some time to ponder his decision. After the break, Foley is confronted by Jinder Mahal, who demands some competition. Foley gives him Roman Reigns for tonight. Uh oh. Mahal could be in trouble…
Now we’re with The New Day, who are apparently hosting their own segment. NEW DAY TALKS! Big Show is their guest, and it’s all smiles. Big Show puts over the movie (he’s the starring Champion in the movie) and puts himself in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. I guess the Shaq match is off? Bummer. As they continue, Titus O’Neil shows up and verbally dresses down Show. The boys from The New Day watch on with popcorn. Hilarious.
Match #5
#1 Contenders’ Match for the WWE Raw Tag Titles at WrestleMania
Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Sheamus & Cesaro
Cesaro immediately catches Cass with a dropkick and uppercuts. Side slam by Cass only gets two. Cass gets caught with another uppercut, and Cesaro tags Sheamus in. Sheamus clubs on Cass in the corner, but Cass starts clubbing him. Sheamus with a running knee lift. Enzo tags in, and is thrown in the air by Cass onto Sheamus for a two! After the break, Cesaro catches Enzo with a lariat for two. Sheamus tags in and they hit a double team slam, but Cass breaks up the pin. As the ref admonishes Cass, the Europeans trade tags and pummel Enzo. Sheamus takes Enzo down with a sleeperhold. Enzo goes in the corner, and Sheamus misses a charge. Cesaro tags in and prevents Enzo from making the tag. Enzo fights out and makes the tag. CASS IS A HOUSE OF FIYAHH! Fallaway Slam! Big Splash! Another Fallaway Slam! Cesaro is blind tagged by Sheamus, who catches Cass off-guard. They fight to the ropes, and Cass kicks Sheamus to the outside. At this point, Gallows and Anderson show up to nail Cass and Sheamus! This creates a Double DQ. Well, shit.
Winners: Double DQ (*1/2)
After the match, Gallows and Anderson continue the beatdown. Enzo is DROPPED with a nasty kick. Magic Killer connects on Cesaro. Afterwards, Foley tells both men they will face Enzo & Cass AND Sheamus & Cesaro at WrestleMania in a Triple Threat Tag Match!
Match #6
Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal
Mahal looks extra roidy tonight. Reigns takes control after an initial lockup. As Roman pounds on Jinder in the corner…THE BELLS! Roman is caught completely off-guard, leading to Jinder with a combination of knees leading to a two-count! Jinder with a SICK dropkick against Reigns. Mahal looks great here as he beats Reigns down in the corner. Knee to the throat. This guy has a killer instinct. Reigns with a HUGE right hand. SUPERMAN PUNCH for the ONE, TWO THREE! Emphatic win. Matches like these are old school, but good. Both guys get their stuff in. They gave Jinder a LOT here.
Winner: Roman Reigns (*1/2)
Reigns tells the crowd he’s not messing around tonight. He tells The Undertaker to come out face-to-face like a man. Instead, he gets MR. WRESTLEMANIA, The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels! Thankfully, Michaels is not here to plug his Christian Movie this time. HBK chant breaks out! HBK warns Reigns that if these mind games worked tonight, then he’s going to get eaten alive at WrestleMania. Reigns says that he is not intimidated, but HBK tells him that he has been in Reigns’ shoes. Reigns reminds HBK that Undertaker retired him, and then he tells the world that he will retire The Undertaler. Wow. I don’t even know what to say. As Reigns walks up the runway, Braun Strowman DESTROYS Reigns with a lariat! Reigns rolls off the stage area as the crowd chants “THANK YOU STROWMAN!” As Reigns gets up, another “HBK!” chant breaks out!
Backstage, Steph tells Mick that he needs to make a decision about firing someone, and he has one hour to do it. It’s a dead giveaway that he’s giving himself the redundancy, right? Has to be. We get another NICE (video) package showing the debut of Austin Aries on 205 Live. Up next, Aries’ RAW debut!
Match #7
Austin Aries vs. Ariya Daivari
Daivari with a kick to the gut to start. Aries counters out of the corner and catches a set of arm drags. He fights out of a headscissors and catches Ariya with an elbow in the corner. Aries goes face first into the apron. Ariya beats him down as Aries goes back into the ring. Ariya with a HUGE lariat for two. Daivari goes for the claw, trying to injure the the damaged orbital socket. Aries fights out with a huge elbow and a chop, followed by a gutbuster and a spinning elbow. Daivari with an elbow to the eye, but Aries throws him out of the ring. Aries catches him with a suicide dive! Back inside, Aries with a kneebreaker and a SICK back suplex where Daivari lands RIGHT ON HIS NECK. Holy cow. Aries finishes with a huge Rolling Elbow for the ONE, TWO, THREE!
Winner: Austin Aries (**1/4)
Match #8
Big Show vs. Titus O’Neil
Show with right hands and a chop. Show misses another right and Titus catches Show with kicks. Show knocks Titus down and kicks him while he’s down. Another chop! Titus fights Show down and hits a Mafia Kick! Show immediately gets up and catches Titus with the CHOKESLAM! Make it TWO! Make it THREE! Obviously, this gets the three count.
Winner: Big Show (1/2*)
Bayley and Sasha are backstage talking. Sasha tells Bayley she can win, and not to listen to the haters. Bayley is confused, but Sasha talks herself out of it. I still smell some dissention somewhere.
WrestleMania is plugged, and the Jericho & Zayn/KO & Joe tag match is recapped. Jericho tells people that next week, the REAL Kevin Owens is going to show up to the Highlight Reel! After this, Mike Rowe (called “Tom Phillips”) makes THE LIST!
Match #9
WWE Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Nia Jax (non-title)
Corey gets an all-time dig on Byron: “I finally get it. I know what you have in common with Bayley: You both love inflatable people.” YOWZA! Nia powers out of a Bayley headlock to start. Jax throws Bayley by the hair across the ring to the outside. Nia hits the headbutt outside. Bayley kicks Nia while she’s on the apron, pissing her off. After the break, Jax has Bayley in a backbreaker. Bayley hits her with some knees to fight out. Bayley fights out of another attempt by Jax, but Nia returns with boots to the guts. Nia gets her leg stuck between the ropes, and Bayley kicks her! Bayley catches her with offense on the apron, in the corner, and out of the Samoan Drop! Bayley gets thrown off during a DDT attempt. Nia misses a charge in the corner, and catches Bayley in the ropes with a hotshot. Two Big Splashes to Bayley, and shoulder charges to Bayley! She goes past the five-count, destroying Bayley while she is in the Tree of Woe.
Winner by DQ: Bayley (*3/4)
After the match, Bayley is thrown in the barricade. Nia calls her a “little girl” and walks away.
We come back to Stephanie McMahon introducing Mick Foley, who will choose someone to fire tonight. Foley comes out and tells the audience that Stephanie colluded with HHH as he ran roughshod with an army of thugs doing his bidding. Of course, this brings out Triple H. Foley tell Triple H that, for once, he’s not hiding from the shadows. Triple H explains that he is running a business. Triple H calls Foley a “pathetic has-been” and says that Steph is the only reason he’s around. Foley tells Triple H that he happens to like the person he sees in the mirror. Triple H laughs and says that he’s glad that he feels that way, but what about his family? Triple H warns Foley that his entire family’s livelihoods are at stake.
Triple H then YELLS at Foley and tells him to go up the ramp and reconsider what he’s said. Foley walks away slowly as Stephanie continues to talk. He doesn’t leave the ring, and as Triple H approaches, SOCKO comes out! Stephanie kicks Foley ring in the nuts and pulls Triple H away. Oh boy. Paul’s undoing his sleeves. Before he can get to Foley, SETH FREAKING ROLLINS shows up looking in pretty poor shape. IT’S A RUSE! Rollins runs into the ring in a DEAD SPRINT! Rollins looks GREAT! He takes down Triple H with a kick to the gut and a running kick! The crowd goes crazy, but Triple H runs back in the the ring with Seth’s fake crutch! He DESTROYS Seth with a shot to the leg, bending the crutch in the process. Triple H puts Seth in a SICK reverse leglock, and then destroys the knee once more with the bent crutch. Well, that went bad quickly.
Final Thoughts: That was somewhat of a bummer ending. No real explanation of what will happen to Steph/Foley, plus Rollins gets destroyed before he can even get some good guy heat! A lot of focus on WrestleMania, though, so that’s good.
Jack Swagger has been finally released from his WWE deal, 13 days after requesting to be let go from his contract.
“WWE has come to terms on the release of Jack Swagger. WWE wishes Swagger the best in all his future endeavors,” WWE said in a short statement posted on WWE.COM.
Swagger went on the Chael Sonnen Beyond The Fight podcast to announce that he had asked for his release. The former World champion explained that he was not given the opportunity to make decent income for his family and when it goes down to that, “it’s time to go.”
Swagger had already booked himself for a show in the United Kingdom on March 10, but WWE said at the time that he had not been released yet and cannot wrestle anywhere for 90 days following his official termination date. He was set to take on TNA’s Alberto El Patron in Norwich, England.
WWE tonight says goodbye to the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, as the arena hosts the final Monday Night Raw before it is demolished this year.
Throughout its history, the Joe Louis Arena hosted seven WWE pay-per-views: Survivor Series in 1991, 1999, and 2005, Vengeance 2002, Royal Rumble 2009, Over The Limit 2010, and Night of Champions 2013.
It also hosted 14 episodes of Monday Night Raw and 13 episodes of Smackdown, and throughout the years the arena has seen its fair share of WWE craziness. The Joe Louis Arena saw Stone Cold Steve Austin driving a Zamboni through the backstage area out to the ring, Austin and The Rock fighting all the way outside ending with Austin throwing The Rock over a bridge, The Undertaker’s first WWE title win at the Survivor Series, Kurt Angle’s pay-per-view debut, Shane McMahon’s return last year, and many more.
In total, WWE has been going back to the Joe Louis Arena for over 30 years, holding its first show there in December 1984 and eventually staging more than 100 events there.
The match between The Undertaker and Roman Reigns for WrestleMania 33 was made official today by WWE.COM.
Reigns, who is supposed to be a top babyface in WWE, will surely hear the boos from the 60,000+ fans who will be inside the Camping World Stadium, especially against The Undertaker.
The seeds for this feud were planted at the Royal Rumble when Reigns eliminated The Undertaker during the 30-man over-the-top rope Rumble match. The Undertaker then returned last week on Raw and was confronted by Reigns, who told him that this was his yard now. After looking at the WrestleMania sign, The Undertaker delivered a chokeslam to the former Shield member to end the show.
This will be The Undertaker’s 25th time wrestling at WrestleMania, missing only WrestleMania 10 and WrestleMania 16. He has a record of 23-1 at WrestleMania, with Brock Lesnar the only man to beat him on the show.
Roman Reigns finds himself in another very high profile match on the show. He main evented WrestleMania 31 with Brock Lesnar – and eventually Seth Rollins – and also was in the main event of last year’s WrestleMania with Triple H.
CinemaCon today announced that John Cena will receive the CinemaCon Action Star of the Year Award at the upcoming ceremony later this month.
Cena will be presented with this special honor at the CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony taking place on the evening of Thursday, March 30, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, hosted by the Coca-Cola Company, the official presenting sponsor of CinemaCon.
“Already a global superstar, entertainer and athlete John Cena has put audiences around the globe on notice with his standout performances in films such as the hit comedy ‘Trainwreck’ and ‘Sisters,’” noted Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon. “With his undeniable work ethic, genuine and charismatic personality and his already proven ability to entertain, Cena’s upcoming role in ‘The Wall,’ will solidify his place in Hollywood. We are thrilled to be able to honor him with this year’s ‘CinemaCon Action Star of the Year Award.’”
Former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand will be the recipient of this year’s Warrior Award at the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.
The 26-year-old played football until the year 2010 when on October 16 he suffered a severe spinal cord injury during a game against the Army Black Knights in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at MetLife Stadium. Today, the life-long WWE fan is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Since his horrible injury, LeGrand has become a renowned motivational speaker.
Speaking to ESPN.COM, who broke the original story about LeGrand getting the Warrior Award, he said that he was in complete shock when he found out. He recalled how Triple H’s assistant sent him an e-mail last week saying he wanted to talk to him in a few days via telephone. “So I’m sitting here for two days wondering what Triple H wants to say to me. My heart was racing for two days wondering what this was all about,” LeGrand said. After receiving the call, LeGrand said, “I didn’t know how to react. This was incredible as someone who grew up as a fan since I was a little kid.”
LeGrand becomes the third recipient of the Warrior Award after Connor Michalek and Joan Lunden. Dana Warrior will be presenting the award to LeGrand during the Hall of Fame ceremony.
“When you talk to Eric and when you’re around him, it’s really hard not to be blown away by his positivity and his demeanor as a human being; it’s just inspiring,” Triple H told ESPN.com. “Here’s a guy who has every reason in the world to be bitter and angry and yet he’s the most positive dude you’ve ever met. You can’t help walking away from him and just being inspired.”
In addition to honoring him with the Warrior Award, the WWE will be making a $25,000 donation to Team LeGrand. “The Warrior Award is reserved for someone who lives life with courage and compassion, and Eric is more than deserving. He is a great example for us all,” the former WWE champ added.
But LeGrand now can’t wait for Hall of Fame day to arrive. “I honestly can’t put it into words yet. It has not sunk in that I’m going to be a part of the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony with all these great Superstars. It’s going to be truly amazing. WrestleMania is one of the biggest events in the world and to have my name attached to it and be a part of it as a small kid from Avenel, New Jersey, is a true blessing and a true honor. It just shows you if you do right in the world, good things do happen to you.”
W-O Newsletter Dominick Valenti attended last night’s non-televised live event at Madison Square Garden in New York and sent in the following results.
Randy Orton defeated AJ Styles; Rhyno, Heath Slater, and Kalisto defeated Breezango, and Curt Hawkins; Dolph Ziggler defeated Apollo Crews; Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz, Luke Harper, and Baron Corbin in fatal-4 way; Brock Lesnar defeated Kevin Owens; Asuka, Tamina, Becky Lynch, and Nikki Bella defeated Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Natalya, and Carmella; American Alpha defeated The Usos; Bray Wyatt defeated John Cena. The event also featured a special appearance from Shane McMahon who kicked off the show.
At today’s SXSW panel between WWE, ESPN, Facebook, and Mashable, it was revealed that ESPN will be taking SportsCenter to WrestleMania.
This will be the second year in a row that ESPN is taking SportsCenter to WrestleMania. For WrestleMania 31 they did some more coverage than usual on television but the company did not send any reporters to the show. ESPN first started their WWE coverage by sending Jonathan Coachman to SummerSlam 2015 for live updates and then ESPN followed that by creating the WWE section on the ESPN.COM website. Nowadays, former WWE employee The Coach hosts the Off The Top Rope segment every Wednesday on SportsCenter, interviewing a different WWE Superstar every week.
The SXWX panel earlier today was titled Brand Building Through Live Video and featured Ryan Spoon from ESPN, Bob Gruters from Facebook, Robyn Peterson from Mashable, and Stephanie McMahon from WWE.
WWE returns to the world’s most famous arena tonight for a non-televised live event at Madison Square Garden.
The show will feature an appearance by Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon, his first appearance at The Garden since he returned to the WWE a year ago. The card is loaded with the likes of AJ Styles, John Cena, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, and others. Former WWE and UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will also be in the house with Paul Heyman to take on Kevin Owens.
NXT Women’s champion Asuka will be making her MSG debut as well, teaming up with Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch, and Tamina to take on Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Natalya, and Carmella.
