The release date for Jim Ross’ upcoming autobiography was announced and Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling will hit bookstores nationwide on October 2.
Co-written with Paul O’Brien, this tell-all book, named after his famous catch phrase, will cover Ross’ life and career, with a climax at WrestleMania 15. After a second bout of Bell’s palsy, JR was removed from the broadcast booth, only to return and call the main event between Steve Austin and The Rock.
The 272-page hardcover book is published by Sports Publishing, a division of Skyhorse Publishing.
The 30 for 30 documentary titled This Was The XFL premieres tonight at 9PM EST on ESPN.
This is a 77-minute documentary directed by Charlie Ebersol, chronicling the short-lived, ill-fated pro football league. The documentary tells the story in fascinating, candid, and often rollicking fashion featuring fellow television legends and close friends, Dick Ebersol and Vince McMahon. The director, Charlie, is the son of Dick Ebersol.
McMahon and Ebersol launched the XFL in 2001 and the experiment bombed big time, costing WWE and NBC millions of dollars. This film will explore how Ebersol and McMahon brought the XFL to life, and why they had to let it go.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that the word going around is that Seth Rollins will be out of action for around eight weeks, making his earliest potential return around the end of March.
With WrestleMania set for April 2, it’s cutting it dangerously close and Rollins might not even be cleared by that time. WWE now has to make the difficult decision on what to do with the planned program for Rollins and Triple H, either pull the plug and let Rollins heal or else take the gamble, go ahead with the original plan, and hope for the best.
Meltzer adds that Rollins was in Birmingham, Alabama yesterday to get his knee evaluated by the team who operated on his ACL in 2015. A closer look at video of the final seconds of Rollins locked in the Kokina Clutch reveals that Rollins told Joe of the injury, saying “I must have…(inaudible)” and Joe says, “Are you okay?” to which Rollins replies, “I hope so.”
Meanwhile, the former WWE champion thanked his fans on Twitter for reaching out to him with best wishes. “Life doesn’t always go your way, but that is no excuse to surrender. If anything, obstacles exist to help us grow and evolve. This reinjury to my surgically repaired knee is real and a lot is up in the air right now, but one thing remains constant: my resolve. This doesn’t end for me until I’ve reclaimed the throne,” Rollins wrote. “And for me, fighting and defeating Triple H is the only way. I will work harder than I ever have and push myself beyond what I know. This isn’t over. The only way to wear the crown is to slay the king. I know what must be done and there’s nothing that can stop me.”
The fallout from the Royal Rumble gave Smackdown a big boost as well, with this week’s show delivering 2,817,000 viewers, up 261,000 viewers from last week. That is the best number so far for 2017. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Three more matches were announced for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view which takes places in just two weeks.
The Smackdown Tag Team titles will be on the line as American Alpha will defend their straps in a tag team turmoil match involving five other tag teams. The challengers are The Ascension, Breezango, The Usos, Heath Slater and Rhyno, and The Vaudevillains. Two teams will start the match and the next tag team will join after one team is eliminated. The match will go on until there’s one tag team standing.
The Women’s title will also be up for grabs as Alexa Bliss defends against Naomi. Joining that match will be another women’s match, featuring Nikki Bella taking on Natalya.
The post-Royal Rumble Raw drew 3,616,000 viewers, up 324,000 viewers from last week’s episode. This was the best number of Raw since the April 4 post-WrestleMania 32 show, which drew 4.09 million viewers.
Hour one started strong with 3,628,000 viewers, then increased slightly to 3,643,000 viewers, before dropping to 3,574,000 in the third and final hour.
Raw was #1, #2, and #3 on the cable chart when it comes to the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
WWE.COM is reporting that Seth Rollins has suffered an injury on the same leg that he previously tore his ACL in 2015.
The injury is real and WWE tied it to the beatdown he was on the receiving end of on Raw thanks to Samoa Joe. WWE says that Rollins is set to be evaluated later this week to see the extent of his injury. Cameras captured Rollins exiting out of the arena on two crutches and was then helped going inside a car before driven away.
Rollins already missed last year’s WrestleMania due to the injury he suffered months earlier and if this one is serious, it’s most likely that he will miss WrestleMania 33 as well. Rollins is set to face Triple H in Orlando.
UPDATE: Rollins acknowledged the injury on Twitter, saying he wishes this was all just a bad dream, along with a photo of his messed up knee.
The challengers for John Cena’s WWE title were revealed last night on Smackdown and they will all have a chance to become champion inside the Elimination Chamber.
Cena will be defending his newly-won title against AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Bray Wyatt, The Miz, and Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose inside the steel structure. The winner of this match will then advance to WrestleMania 33 to face Randy Orton, who last Sunday won the Royal Rumble.
This will be the sixth Elimination Chamber match for John Cena, winning three of them back in 2006, 2010, and 2011. The Miz will be in his second Chamber match having previously participated in one in 2012 and all the others are new to the match.
Following The Royal Rumble, we have a couple of new paths. I won’t spoil for those who are hoping to be surprised by just reading this report if they haven’t found out already, but both paths leave some interesting questions; one of which I’m ok with, another that I’m not so happy about. Read on to find out!
Tuesday Night Smackdown! Live Television Report for January 31, 2017 – “Multi-Person Mayhem!”
Introduction: Video Promo
A montage of The Royal Rumble, with both video and still-pictures, recaps.
Office Promo:
We cut to A.J. Styles watching on a monitor with Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan. A.J. wants to know when he’s going to get his rematch, but the men-in-charge don’t give him an answer. They move on to Elimination Chamber, and announce the participants for the Elimination Chamber WWE World Championship match – WWE World champion John Cena, A.J. Styles, Bray Wyatt, Baron Corbin, The Miz, and Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose.
The IC champ walks in and wants to finish what he and A.J. started, this time without James Ellsworth’s interference. Styles does not want this, but Shane puts it forth.
Arena Promo:
NEW and 16-Time WWE World Champion John Cena is introduced. Commentators Mauro Ranallo, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, David Otunga, and Tom Phillips all tout his match with A.J. at Royal Rumble, and him tying Hall of Famer (2 times!) Ric Flair’s 16-time World title reigns. Cena puts over A.J., calling him “an elite WWE Superstar that brings out the absolute best in me.” He declares that he will go back to work, putting the title on the line at Elimination Chamber.
The Wyatt Family – Bray Wyatt and Royal Rumble match winner Randy Orton – interrupt. Bray prophesizes that he will become the new WWE champion at Elimination Chamber. He gives the mike to Randy, who warns Cena “we are going to end this vicious cycle and The Wyatts are going to set that championship free.”
Bray says “we’re here,” and they walk to the ring, surrounding John. The Wyatts’ video plays and the lights go out; they quickly turn back on and Luke Harper – who has been turned against his former family – is in the ring and helps Cena fend them off with a glare. Commissioner Shane comes out and books the four in a tag team match, next!
Commercials.
Match #1: Tag-Team – WWE World champion John Cena and Luke Harper VS. The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton)
Cena and Bray start with Cena giving Wyatt a standing headlock. He shoulder-tackles Bray and tries an Attitude Adjustment, but Wyatt gets out of it and tags in Randy, who seems reluctant. Harper tags in and goes after Orton. He gets the better for a bit, even slamming Randy onto the commentator’s table!
Wyatt is back in and the two stare-down! Luke backs away and switches with Cena, who is puzzled. Bray tries to slug, but John fights back until he is elbowed down. both Bray and Randy start to control the WWE World Champion.
Commercials.
The Wyatt Family are still governing, with Bray senton-splashing John in the ring. Orton is back in, driving him to the canvas with the Draping DDT! He gears up for the R.K.O., but Cena shoves him away. John crawls for the tag, but Orton makes it to Bray first, who cuts off Cena and has words with Luke. “The Viper” is back in and powerslams John, but the WWE World Champion soon fires up. He hits a couple of shoulder-tackles and signals for the Five-Knuckle-Shuffle Fistdrop, but is stopped.
Harper is in but Bray cut shim off before he gets to Randy; Harper moves by anyway and then goes for Sister Abigail on Bray! Orton breaks it, but is booted. Bray now goes for Sister Abigail on Luke, but Cena stops it and goes for the A.A. on Wyatt; Orton breaks that and then R.K.O.’s Cena! He covers to receive the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: The Wyatt Family
Later tonight, Naomi and Becky Lynch will team up to face Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and Mickie James!
Commercials.
Match #2: Single – Delilah Dawson VS. Carmella (with James Ellsworth)
Delilah tries a bit, but is tripped up by James. Carmella takes advantage with her submission, forcing Dawson to give-in!
Winner via Submission: Carmella (with James Ellsworth)
Kalisto makes his entrance for action, next!
Commercials.
Match #3: Single – Kalisto VS. Dolph Ziggler
Dolph gets the W quickly after a superkick!
Winner via Pinfall: Dolph Ziggler
Post-match, Dolph continues to attack Kalisto until Apollo Crews runs out to make the save. Ziggler high-tails it through the crowd.
Backstage Promo
Dasha interviews Becky Lynch and Naomi about their rivals. Becky says that she is not surprised about Mickie’s attack; Naomi brags about pinning Alexa in the Royal Rumble pre-show.
Commercials.
Match #4: Tag-Team – Naomi and Becky Lynch VS. Mickie James and Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss
Becky and Mickie begin, but James tags out after Lynch jaws at her. Bliss and Becky circle, and then Lynch slams her down a couple of times by her waist. Becky tags in Naomi, who leaps over with a sunset-flip for two! She runs for a crossbody, but Alexa moves and Naomi literately hits the ropes! Bliss pounds away with punches and then tags Mickie. Both work over Naomi for a while.
Commercials.
Bliss is still in control of Becky as is Mickie, who hurricanranas Lynch out of the corner. 1 – 2 – Becky lifts her shoulder! James stretches Lynch, but Becky gets out of the hold with punches. She eventually makes the hot-tag to Naomi, who springboard-crossbodies into Alexa! She uses some high-flying tactics and puts her away after a split-legged moonsault!
Winners via Pinfall: Naomi and Becky Lynch
Backstage Promo
Dasha asks Tag-Team Champions American Alpha what is next for them, since they have been tag team Champions for over a month. Chad Gable basically issues an open challenge for any team to meet them, next!
Commercials.
Match #5: Tag-Team for the Tag-Team Championship – American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) (Champions) VS. ???
The team to respond are … The Usos. However, The Ascension, The Vaudevillians, Breezango, and Rhyno and Heath Slater all march out. Everyone engages in a bi brawl!
Commercials.
The brawl is still going on with referees trying to break it. The last teams to face-off are Alpha and Heath and Rhyno!
Video Promo
A replay of Natalya attacking Nikki Bella outside the arena, and then fighting with her backstage from last week’s Smackdown! is shown.
Office Promo
Daniel Bryan is talking to Brie Bella on the phone about Nikki and Natalya’s rivalry. The two women enter and argue, and then Daniel yells at them to stop. He books them to wrestle at Elimination Chamber.
Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose, and then A.J. Styles, make their entrances; they will be wrestling next!
Commercials.
Match #6: Single – Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose VS. A.J. Styles
(Note: The Miz, with Maryse, is on commentary.) they lockup and trade waistlocks, and then Ambrose front-facelocks A.J. to the canvas. They trade hammerlocks, and Dean hits Styles with a shoulder-block. He hits a couple of armdrags and then a side headlock take-down to start to wear A.J.
Ambrose staves off a kick and turns Styles into a Texas Cloverleaf, and then a Rings of Saturn submission. Styles gets out of it and rolls to the outside, where he kicks Dean hard and clams him on the commentator’s table. They get back in the ring, where A.J. kicks and knees Ambrose, and then runs him into the ring post. Dean gets some momentum, and is able to clothesline A.J. to the floor. Baron Corbin’s music plays and the “Lone Wolf” marches out.
Commercials.
Corbin is now on commentary too. In the ring, A.J. has control over Ambrose. “The Phenomenal One” misses a splash but gets out of a Dirty Deeds attempt; he hits a few quick strikes, but is taken to the mat again. Dean dumps A.J. to the outside and goes for Tope Suicida, but Styles stops him with a forearm! They go-back-and-forth in the ring, with numerous near-falls!
Ambrose dives off of the top turnbuckle onto A.J. with an elbow to the outside! Baron and Miz attack each other, and then it breaks down with Ambrose taking them out. He gets back in the ring but is planted with the Styles Clash! A.J. covers for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: A.J. Styles
Post-match, Miz takes out Dean, and then Baron dumps Miz to the floor. He also slams Ambrose with End of Days and then stares at A.J., who is on the ramp, to close the show.
W-O reader Joshua Crabtree attended the live Smackdown non-televised event at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas and sent in the following results:
Heather Slater, Rhyno, and The Usos defeated Breezango and The Ascension; Kalisto defeated Curtis Hawkins; Dolph Ziggler defeated Apollo Crews; Nikki Bella and Naomi defeated Natalya and Carmella; Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz to retain the Intercontinental title; Alexa Bliss defeated Becky Lynch to retain the Smackdown Women’s title; American Alpha defeated The Wyatt Family via DQ to retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles; John Cena defeated AJ Styles and Baron Corbin in a triple threat to retain the WWE title.
Samoa Joe made his first appearance on the main roster last night on Monday Night Raw and attacked former WWE champion Seth Rollins, aligning himself with Triple H.
Joe came out of nowhere when Seth Rollins was walking down the ring to battle Triple H and completely annihilated Rollins, throwing him viciously into the security wall multiple times before continuing the carnage inside the ring.
The former TNA champion has been working at NXT since he signed in 2015, making his debut at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable. Over the course of a year and a half, Joe had some fantastic matches especially against Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura. He won the NXT title in April of last year, beating Balor at a non-televised live event. His run as champion ended at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II in August when Shinsuke Nakamura beat him for the title. Joe made history by becoming the first ever two-time NXT champion, beating Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: Toronto, but then lost it back to Nakamura in Japan the next month.
Hey Readers! It’s @TheMagnumDA with another installment of the Raw Report. We have officially begun the Road to WrestleMania, starting with last night’s Royal Rumble.
I was fortunate enough to be there, and I can honestly say that the entire show was crazy good. There have been some people complaining about John Cena and Randy Orton winning the big matches (saying it feels like 2007/2009/2013 all over again) and I can’t disagree. That said…Cena/Styles was ****3/4 and Orton winning the Rumble pleased a lot of folks (because at least it wasn’t Roman Reigns).
To our loyal international fans, I can’t recommend San Antonio enough. The food is great, the people are friendly, and travel is a piece of cake. Well, except leaving the Alamodome. That was quite the chore. Hit up Cascabel’s, if you get the chance. You won’t regret it. Best Mexican food I’ve had in a long time.
Regardless, you’re here for RAW, not a Yelp! review…OFF WE GO! We are LIVE from Laredo, TX.
Tonight’s show starts with North America’s “It Couple”, Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho! They proudly show off their belts, as well as their bandages. They recap the finish of last night’s title match (Owens retained when Braun Strowman cost Reigns the title). Jericho’s scarf is extra frilly and goofy tonight. Owens introduces himself, as well as Jericho as champions, with Jericho yelling “Champion” into the mic every time Owens says it. Wonderful chemistry.
Owens tells the world they were proved wrong, and that includes Mick Foley. He also thanks Chris Jericho for his (dubious) role in the title match, and also congratulates him on being the Royal Rumble Ironman, cumulatively lasting longer than any competitor in history. His performance was amazing…Jericho clocked in at 61 minutes from the #2 spot, and got to the Final Four before being eliminated by Roman Reigns. He declares himself as the #61MinuteMan, a play on Ric Flair’s “60 Minute Man” moniker.
Braun Strowman interrupts the love fest to tell Owens he doesn’t want thanks…he just wants his title shot. Sure enough, there’s video proof of the December show in Chicago where Owens promised Strowman just that. Mick Foley comes out wearing the WORST green plaid suit I’ve ever seen (not that I’ve seen many green plaid suits), and says the match is on (checks hand) RIGHT HERE IN LAREDO, TEXAS!
Match #1 – Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn (non-title)
Zayn with some armbars early on. They trade chops in the corner, and you can tell they’re moving at half-speed. Do you BLAME them?! Collectively, they were in the Rumble for close to 110 minutes (!!!!!) Y2J hits a Springboard Dropkick after distracting the referee. Zayn counters Jericho outside, and hits a wild Springboard Moonsault from the barricade!
After the break, Zayn fights out of a sleeperhold, but Jericho catches him with an enziguiri for two. Jericho takes him to the corner and lays in some sick chops. Sami fights out, but gets put back in the corner. Frankensteiner from the top rope! UNREAL! After last night?! Jericho is the freaking man. Y2J only gets two, so he goes back up to the corner. Zayn knocks him off and drills him with the Blue Thunder Bomb for ONE, TWO, NO!
Helluva Kick in the corner is avoided by Jericho, who goes outside. Chris runs off and the chase is on! Zayn, like a true idiot, follows Jericho inside and immediately gets caught in the Walls of Jericho. This leads to a crazy sequence where Jericho and Zayn counter each other’s signature moves, leading to another Walls and Zayn catching the ropes once more. This allows Zayn to collect himself and catch Jericho with an Exploder Suplex in the corner! HELUVA KICK by Zayn! ONE, TWO, THREE! Whoa! A huge win by Zayn! Wouldn’t be surprised if Zayn wins the title at Fast Lane. You read it here first.
Winner: Sami Zayn (***1/2)
Backstage, Sheamus and Cesaro are bickering over last night’s loss to Gallows and Anderson for the tag titles. Bayley comes in and wants a group hug. They play along as Charlotte, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson approaches. They call the triumvirate “losers” and then “NERRRDS!” Really? Don’t get me wrong, “Revenge of the Nerds” is one of my favorite movies ever, but it was 32 years ago. A six-person mixed tag match is booked for later tonight (brought to you by Geico – hope the check is in the post, tiny lizard guy!)
We recap the HHH/Rollins saga, culminating in Seth’s appearance at TakeOver on Saturday. I was there, the crowd loved it.
Match #2: Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali
BREAK OUT THE PURPLE TAPE AND LIGHTS, BOYS! Is this, like…an enduring tribute to Prince or something? He was a Cruiserweight, after all. They recap 205 Live, where Nese destroyed TJ Perkins after their match. Armbar by Ali, but Nese powers out. Ali reverses a whip with an awesome springboard elbow, followed by a headscissors. Nese catches him with a LARIAT OF MILD CHARISMA for two.
Nese tries to hit the German Suplex into the corner (yeowtch!) but Ali reverses into a rollup for two. Series of fast counters leads to an Ali neckbreaker for two. Spin kick by Nese is reversed into a kick by Ali. Ali goes to the top, but Nese grabs his legs, causing Ali to splatter his brains on the canvas. That looked devastating. Nese hits the trademark Running Knee in the corner for the ONE, TWO, THREE! Not bad, but not much.
Winner: Tony Nese (*1/2)
After the match, we get an incredibly awkward promo…as Austin Aries (in his first Raw interviewing gig) tells Nese that some critics think he has “no charisma”. Well, Austin…now that you mention it, that Lariat was pretty mild on the charisma scale. Nese says he has nothing to say to the critics. FEEL THE ELECTRICITY. I’m buying my “Tony Knees” t-shirt right meow! Wait…that’s actually a pretty clever shirt idea. Sadly, though…Aries declares that Nese’s response proves his point. Aries is right, you know.
Next is another beaut of a promo, as Seth Rollins and Stephanie McMahon square off in a FACE TO FACE!
Ohhh man, you remember those promos Linda McMahon used to have with Steve Austin before WrestleMania XV? No? Me neither. Point is, this shit with Stephanie emasculates the boys. Look at Jericho in 2002, Lesnar in 2013, and Daniel Bryan in 2014. Steph makes things WORSE, but because she needs her “TV talkin’ time”, we have to suffer. Anyways, rant over.
Rollins hurls insults her way, saying that she can’t satisfy HHH every night. Like you can, loverboy? Wait. Better not go there, considering his softco….never mind. Rollins says he only wants Triple H (man, he IS in love with him) and Stephanie says “No”. She explains that she told Triple H to stay back because they both fear what could happen if *that* side of HHH shows up. The side that is the career ender. The destroyer. The man who refused to put Booker T over.
Wait, she didn’t say that last part. My bad.
Anyways, this ends awkwardly as Rollins botches his promo and threatens the lives of the Levesque children. I think he meant to say, “What if I show up at your doorstep and your children see what I do to Hunter?” but he says something along the lines of “What if I show up and your children are there?” Anyways, the whole damn thing was awkward and Twitter was ablaze over the whole thing. Stephanie then says, “I lied. He is coming. In fact, he’s on his way RIGHT NOW.” This gets a loud pop. I don’t think that’s exactly the reaction they’re looking for, right?
Match #3: Six-Person Mixed Tag Team Match (brought to you by Geico, cha-ching! $$)
Sheamus, Cesaro, and Bayley vs. Charlotte, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson
Charlotte, Champion of Champions, immediately tags out of the match before Bayley can get to her. Cesaro and Gallows start. They trade boots to the corner, and Cesaro gets knocked outside as we go to break. After the break, Anderson hits a knee drop and goes into…you guessed it! A SLEEPERHOLD. Why do they ALWAYS go into the sleeper after the break? It’s becoming way, way too formula.
Cesaro fights out, but immediately gets dropped with a spinebuster. Gallows and Sheamus tag in, and Sheamus takes advantage with a Spinning Heel Kick (zuh?!) in the corner, followed by a Shoulder Block from the top for ONE, TWO, NO! Sheamus gets the signature forearms from the ropes, but Charlotte interrupts. Sheamus and Cesaro hit a team Celtic Cross (kind of a sloppy move) for two.
Bayley and Charlotte tag in, and we immediately go to the finish. A fight between the four guys breaks out on the outside, and Bayley catches Charlotte with a Belly-to-Bayley for the ONE, TWO, THREE! Wow…I guess we get Charlotte vs. Bayley again at Fast Lane! Rushed at the end.
Winners: Sheamus, Cesaro, and Bayley (**1/2)
Backstage, Steph and Foley come to a compromise. Triple H is allowed here tonight to fight Rollins, while the Strowman vs. Owens match is confirmed. Duh, Mick! You ALWAYS have to ask the bus driver for permission! Feels like this promo was also botched, though I’m not certain.
Neville comes out for his coronation as “King of the Cruiserweights”. Wait, there’s no robe? No crown?! No scepter!?! This is horse manure. I DEMAND ROYAL GARB. Neville tells the crowd that he proved to everyone he was the best Cruiserweight in the World. He calls the good people of Laredo “sniverling peasants”, which brings out Rich Swann. Swann shows a serious side, which I like.
Swann tells Neville that his insecurities are all in his mind, and that he has nothing but respect for him. Neville is insulted, and demands that Swann get down on one knee and bow to his King. They fight and Neville takes a powder, like a good King should. What! All Kings loved their powders…look up George III (before his “Crazy King” gimmick) They also liked a good soak, too…if Monty Python taught me anything.
Sasha Banks is backstage getting treatment on her knee when Bayley arrives. Bayley asks Sasha to wait until her knee is 100% before she goes after Nia. Sasha blows her off. Ooo…..tension!
Rumble Recap: Goldberg eliminated Lesnar in less time than their Survivor Series match. To tell you the truth, Goldberg’s reaction was kinda tepid on Sunday.
We go backstage AGAIN, this time with Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho. Owens asks Jericho if he was able to talk Foley out of the match, and the answer is no. Owens asks Y2J if he’s got his back for the title match, and Jericho is about as eager as a cat getting thrown into the bathtub.
Match #4: WWE Universal Championship Match
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Braun Strowman
Jericho goes on commentary, upsetting Owens greatly. Chris insists that he’s loyal to KO. During the challenger’s entrance, Strowman plucks Jericho from the announce table and chokeslams him through it. Well, that solves that. KO is terrified, but they start the match. Owens leaves the ring and tries to run away, but Strowman catches up to him.
Owens gets some unexpected offense early, including a dropkick on Braun. This does not last, as KO is eventually mauled by Braun. Braun throws Owens across the ring, and clubs him down in the corner. KO tries to goes outside, but Braun catches him. Braun tries to splash Owens in the corner post, but Kevin ducks out of the way. Braun hits the post HARD, and KO takes advantage with a Cannonball in the corner barricade.
Inside the ring, Owens hits a righteous frog splash for ONE, TWO….no. Kevin tries to go upstairs again, but he gets caught and slammed for his troubles. As Braun looks to finish KO, Roman Reigns shows up and it’s a SUPERMAN PUNCH PARTY! First, one for Brownie the Strowman…and then one for KO, too! This is followed by a Spear off the steps to Braun, and another Spear to Owens. The crowd shows their appreciation for the whole thing by providing a chorus of boo’s.
Winner: Braun Strowman by DQ (*1/2, Owens retains the Championship)
Another recap video of Triple H vs. Seth Rollins. They tease a limo with HHH inside, but it’s actually BROCK LESNAR and Paul Heyman.
They come out to the ring and make one last challenge to Goldberg at WrestleMania. Heyman says that he hates the concept of “Yeah, but…”, especially when it pertains to his client. They promise that this will be eradicated, and that Goldberg will be killed (!) at WrestleMania. Family friendly show, everyone!
Match #5: Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks
Banks hits two dropkicks, but Jax powers her down. Jax charges at Banks, but hits her shoulder into the post. Banks tries to capitalize outside, but Jax puts her in a Full Nelson. During this move, she ragdolls Banks into the post knee-first. Sick! I like the psychology.
Back inside, Jax starts to kick Banks’ leg and wraps her into an inverted Boston Crab. Rather than sitting down, Nia just falls down and WRENCHES Sasha’s leg. Nia puts Sasha in a lazy half-crab, and…the bell rings? Was this the Laredo screwjob? Nobody in the ring knows what’s going on, while Corey Graves tries to save the entire thing by saying “I think Nia’s been disqualified!” Well, Corey…she wasn’t given a five-count. But nice try.
Winner: Who freaking knows?
WWE.com says it was “Nia Jax via ref stoppage”…I never saw the ref call for the bell, and if he did…it was off-camera. The whole ending was awkward.
Match #6: Enzo & Cass vs. Jinder Mahal & Rusev
Enzo & Cass riff on Rusev’s facemask (he suffered a broken nose last night), as well as Mahal’s muscle veins…it felt like Enzo went off-script for a moment, because he joked about Mahal being full of hot air (which is typically a joke reserved for people on steroids). Anyways, this is a nightmare to report, because there’s two fights happening at once. Rusev gets his nose splattered across the barricade as we go to break.
After the break, the two teams trade 2-on-1 advantages, as Mahal & Rusev team up on Cass to beat him down. Enzo comes in to even the score, but that dies out quickly as they head outside. Enzo & Cass get the crap kicked out of them some more before heading back in the ring. Enzo gets thrown in, and now it’s a 2-on-1 against him. Rusev and Mahal take turns ripping away at Enzo’s face. Ouch! Cass comes in and he’s A HOUSE OF FIRE WITHOUT A HOT TAG. He hits the slam, followed by the Empire Elbow on Rusev. ONE, TW….Mahal interrupts the proceedings. Enzo pulls Mahal out, and this leads to the Rocket Launcher on Rusev for the ONE, TWO, THREE! Chaotic.
Winners: Enzo & Cass (*3/4)
A limo arrives…it’s Triple H! He comes out for his MAIN EVENT INTERVIEW. He tells the audience that he gave Rollins everything. He plucked him out of obscurity (well, the Quad Cities IS pretty obscure), and made him a star. Triple H said that in return, Rollins figuratively spit in his face. I do not like HHH’s tone here…he’s dismissive, and he makes Rollins sound like a crybaby. The worst part of this? The crowd SIDES with HHH. Hunter says he’s trying his best to be on good behavior, and that he’s not trying to be a career killer. Well, this promo is not a step in the right direction. The crowd cheers some more when HHH removes his jacket.
Triple H said he was the creator and he will be the destroyer. Wait, Hunter is the destroyer, or…?
Rollins comes out seething, and the crowd does not react one iota. Whoa. That’s freaking scary. Rollins approaches the ring when SAMOA FREAKING JOE ATTACKS HIM FROM BEHIND! Holy crap, it’s Samoa Joe!!
He destroys Seth and throws him into the barricade. Hunter and Joe stand over Rollins as HHH saunters off. Joe takes Seth into the ring, and drops numerous senton splashes on his ribs. Finally, Joe gets him in the Kokina clutch, and the crowd is so angry about this that they start chanting, “Joe! Joe! Joe! Joe!” They show the credits, and that’s all for tonight’s show.
Final Thoughts: Wow. Seth is dead in the water. You could tell this show was a recovery show, as everyone was pretty beat up after the Rumble. Still, they have some things planned for Fastlane, so we’ll see how it all plays out. Tune in next week! For now, I’ve got a plane to catch! Adios from Texas!
Brock Lesnar is going to WrestleMania 33 in Orlando for another high-profile match.
The former WWE and UFC Heavyweight champion showed up on Raw last night, all pissed off from what happened the night before at the Royal Rumble, and his advocate Paul Heyman laid down the challenge. “My client hereby challenges Goldberg one final time…at WrestleMania,” Heyman said, as both he and Brock pointed to the WrestleMania sign hanging from the rafters.
Heyman said that most legends had at asterisk on their record, that “yeah but,” and mentions Andre The Giant was undefeated for 15 years…yeah but then faced Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III. He mentioned Ronda Rousey and her undefeated record…yeah but she “got her faced smashed in by Holly Holm.” Or how about The Undertaker who was undefeated at WrestleMania…yeah but then he stepped into the ring with Brock Lesnar.
Heyman said that he hates “yeah but” and he will eradicate it at WrestleMania.
WWE Superstar AJ Styles received a heartbreaking letter from a father of young son with ADHD which made the rounds via Twitter.
The father, Michael Bongiovanni, wrote to Styles saying that he was supposed to write this letter with his son, but now, he has to do it by himself and he owes it to his son to reach out and tell him how important is the photo he took at an airport last month with him.
Bongiovianni recounted how they were all set to go watch a WWE show but his mother passed away. His son offered his tickets to a friend, and despite wanting to watch his favorite stars, he knew he had to be with his family.
On December 26, they were at the Newark airport and his son saw Dolph Ziggler, but Ziggler had his earphones on and didn’t hear him. AJ Styles then walked by and the son reached out. “Your response was ‘What’s up, bud? I have to catch a flight for a show in Chicago,” the father wrote. His wife told Styles that they were on the way to his grandmother’s funeral, and Styles stopped and took some time to take a photo with the kid.
“It was a really nice gesture on your part. Now I know this must happen to you all the time but it was so very special to him. It was all he could talk about and we said we going write to let you know how special it was,” he continued in the letter.
Unfortunately, a few days ago, his son had a tragic accident that left him brain dead. He is donating his organs to save other people. “I promised we would write this letter together but we weren’t able to. I needed to write this for him. But from me I wanted to thank you for giving my Nicky a gift he was happy with,” the dad wrote. “My family would like to thank you! You could of just walked by but you stopped and made one special little boy so happy.”
The letter did make it to AJ Styles and he acknowledged it on Twitter, retweeting the photo he took with Nicky on the day after Christmas. “It’s not what you do inside the ring. It’s what u do outside of it. I am thankful for this moment with Nicky,” Styles wrote.
Nicky’s aunt, who originally posted the letter in hoping of getting Styles’ attention, then posted on Twitter that her nephew passed away shortly after AJ Styles made a phone call to the dad.
The family setup a GoFundme campaign to help with costs of the funeral, transport of the body and to cover the hospital costs. “Thank you to the #WWE community for your support, prayers and kind words all day,” said a tweet from the aunt. The $25,000 goal has already been surpassed thanks to many wrestling fans who donated.
The pre-sale for WrestleMania Axxess kicked off today on Ticketmaster.com and fans can use the code TWEETME to unlock tickets.
General admission tickets are at $55 each, VIP tickets are at $110 each, and Premium VIP tickets are $190 each.
The VIP sessions include Shinsuke Nakamura on Friday at 5PM, the only VIP session of the night. On Saturday there are five VIP autograph sessions, starting with Samoa Joe at 8AM, Nikki Bella at 10AM, Chris Jericho at 1PM, Bray Wyatt at 6PM, and Bayley at 8PM. There is only one signing on Sunday with Edge at 10AM. The Bayley session conflicts with the NXT Takeover show.
The more expensive Premium VIP sessions start with Seth Rollins at 7PM on Friday. On Saturday, there will be Roman Reigns at 10AM, AJ Styles at 1PM, and Dean Ambrose at 3PM. Kurt Angle will be doing the Sunday 8AM session. The Seth Rollins session on Friday night will conflict with the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on February 4 at 10AM EST.
UFC champion Connor McGregor told a packed crowd in Manchester on Saturday that there have been conversations with WWE about a possible appearance at this year’s WrestleMania in Orlando, Florida.
“Never say never. I know there’s been conversations. I know Triple H was at the show (UFC 205). I’d love to go to that WWE and have a real knock. Let one of them have a real knock and see what’s what. We’ll see,” McGregor said according to a report by FOX Sports.
“There’s conversations ongoing. I’ve turned down some things, conversations still ongoing,” the charismatic Irishman added.
McGregor managed to get several WWE Superstars worked up back in August during his build-up to the fight against Nate Diaz, saying that all the WWE Superstars are pussies and that he would slap the head off the entire WWE roster.
Back in November, his agent Audie Attar confirmed that if WWE wants him to appear, they’re listening to offers. “If WWE is going to come with an offer, we are willing to entertain it, we are here. Have their people call his people…which is me,” he said.
Ronda Rousey made an appearance at WrestleMania 31 and even got a little bit of action, tag teaming with The Rock in his segment facing Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Her appearance was kept as a surprise and came with the blessing of her boss, UFC President Dana White.
The fantastic series WWE 24 on the WWE Network returns tonight with a brand new episode.
Starting at 11:08PM immediately following the conclusion of Monday Night Raw, the new WWE 24 takes you backstage and behind the scenes at WrestleMania 32 from Dallas, Texas.
This is the ninth WWE 24 episode and the third one focusing solely on the making of WrestleMania. Other episodes featured Booker T, Roman Reigns, NXT Brooklyn, the retirement of Daniel Bryan, the return of Seth Rollins, and the women’s evolution.
The 2017 Royal Rumble lasted 1 hour, 2 minutes and 6 seconds officially with Y2J Chris Jericho going to distance more than any other Superstar in the Rumble, lasting an hour and 13 seconds in total before getting eliminated by Roman Reigns.
Braun Strowman was this year’s “monster,” throwing out seven Superstars – Big Cass, Kalisto, Mojo Rawley, Mark Henry, Big Show, Tye Dillinger, and James Ellsworth – before getting thrown out by Baron Corbin. The Undertaker was in second place with four eliminations, while Goldberg and Brock Lesnar tied with three each.
Out of 30 Superstars, only 12 managed to eliminate others, with Jericho, Mark Henry, Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, Sheamus, Cesaro, Randy Orton, Luke Harper, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, Undertaker, and Roman Reigns doing the heavy lifting.
Notable eliminations included Corbin throwing out Strowman, The Undertaker eliminating Baron Corbin and Goldberg, Goldberg eliminating Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns eliminating The Undertaker to a chorus of “bullshit” chants. Goldberg made quick work on Lesnar – again – delivering a spear and then throwing him out. Goldberg and The Undertaker had a face off and eventually the Dead Man threw Goldberg out.
The quickest elimination this year went to James Ellsworth, who came in at #11 and was the goofball of the show. Strowman threw him out in spectacular fashion in 15 seconds. Enzo Amore, who came in at #27, also had a quickie, lasting only 18 seconds before flying out thanks to Brock Lesnar.
The eventual winner, Randy Orton, came out at #23, lasted 20 minutes and 52 seconds, and only had one elimination…the one that matters the most at the end, eliminating Roman Reigns.
There were no surprises this year except for NXT’s Tye Dillinger, who came out in, of course, number 10. The other seven unannounced entries were Jack Gallagher, Kalisto, Mark Henry, Apollo Crews, James Ellsworth, Enzo Amore and Roman Reigns.
Meanwhile, while most Superstars walked or ran down the ramp when their number was up, the big guys had an extra hand – or wheels – to help them out. After appearing at the top of the ramp, Superstars such as Braun Strowman, Big Show, and Mark Henry, had a motorized cart to bring them down to the ring, and everything happened off camera.
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair acknowledged Cena’s impressive feat, tweeting a congratulatory message to the new champ.
“Congrats on #16 @JohnCena! Never Forget…To be the man, you gotta beat the man – WOOOOO!” He then posted a photo with Cena, who was holding the new title.
Flair was also interviewed by WWE.COM afterward. Flair said that he was one of John’s biggest fans, both as a human being and a wrestler. He said he’s been the flagship for the company for a very long time and if there was someone who was going to tie – and eventually break – his record, he’s glad that it is John Cena.
Cena celebrated his 16th title win by going among the fans and placing the WWE title on the shoulder of a young fan who was wearing the Make-A-Wish Foundation t-shirt. Cena is the Foundation’s most requested person and has granted more wishes than any celebrity on the planet.
John Cena made history last night at the Royal Rumble, becoming the second man to win 16 World heavyweight titles, tying the record of 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair.
Cena defeated AJ Styles at the Rumble in an epic 24-minute match, delivering one of his best – if not the best – performances in a WWE ring.
Out of these 16 title reigns, 13 of them were carrying the WWE Championship, while the other 3 were with the World Heavyweight title.
It all started at WrestleMania 21 when Cena beat JBL for his first major title. At the 2006 Royal Rumble, he regained the title from Edge and at Unforgiven 2006 he once again won the title from Edge in a TLC match. In June 2009 he won it from Randy Orton in an I Quit match, and again at Bragging Rights that year in a 60-minute Iron Man match. In February 2010, he won the sixth title in an Elimination Chamber, and in March at WrestleMania he beat Batista for his seventh. At Extreme Rules 2011, he won a triple threat steel cage match and on Raw a couple of months later won his ninth. At Night of Champions that same year he beat Alberto Del Rio for his tenth. At WrestleMania 29 in 2013 he went head-to-head with The Rock for the second time in a row to win his eleventh and in June 2014 he won his twelfth title at Money In The Bank. It’s been a two and a half year wait for Cena to put his hands back on the WWE title.
When it comes to the World Heavyweight title, Cena won his first one in November 2008 at the Survivor Series beating Chris Jericho, then defeated Edge at WrestleMania XXV in 2009 for his second, and in 2013 he beat Del Rio at Hell In A Cell for his third and final WHC reign.
