Episode eight of season six of Total Divas which was titled Pain in the Neck drew a total of 584,000 viewers, a considerable drop from the 734,000 viewers the show pulled in last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Goldberg advertised to appear at the Fastlane pay-per-view
The BMO Harris Bradley Center, the site for the Fastlane pay-per-view, is advertising that Goldberg will be on the show, his first time in Milwaukee in over a decade.
There are rumors that Goldberg will be wrestling at Fastlane, although against whom remains to be seen. Fastlane takes place on March 5, and it becomes the first ever WWE pay-per-view in that month which is not a WrestleMania.
WWE does not usually put a PPV on the calendar for March, leaving enough build time for their biggest show of the year.
Former USWA/WWE wrestler Rex King passes away
Timothy Smith, better known to wrestling fans as Rex King and Timothy Well of the Well Dunn tag team passed away at age 55. Smith passed away from kidney failure at his home in Kentucky on January 9.
Smith made his debut in 1987 and started his career at the Pacific Northwest Wrestling. In 1990 he moved to the USWA and then in 1993 he joined the WWE with his tag team partner Steven Dunn where together they formed the Well Dunn team. Their time in the WWE didn’t last long and the duo left in 1995.
He retired in 2001 due to injuries and last year, his name was part of the class action lawsuit against WWE which was filed by attorney Konstantine Kyros.
A GoFundMe.com campaign was set up by his mother to cover the costs of the funeral. The original goal was $2,500 and that was easily surpassed when WWE Superstar Chris Jericho donated the whole sum yesterday, writing, “Rex was a good guy who was always good to me! Hopefully he has found peace and is with the Lord now.”
The goal was now raised to $15,000 without explanation.
Smackdown rating for 01/10/2017
Smackdown Live yesterday did a total of 2,533,000 viewers, down 63,000 viewers from last week’s show. The second hour of Smackdown went head-to-head with President Obama’s final address which drew nearly 24 million viewers across all networks. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
TNA finishes week-long Impact TV tapings tonight
TNA wraps up their first set of television tapings of the year today with one final tapings starting at 6PM inside Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
TNA crew had a busy schedule since Thursday, taping a live Impact, then a live pay-per-view on Friday, two sets of Impact tapings on Saturday and two on Sunday, interviews and backstage segments on Monday, and two more sets of tapings yesterday and today.
These tapings are spearheaded by new owners Anthem and TNA now has enough footage to go through end of March.
13 WWE Superstars so far in the 2017 Rumble match
13 WWE Superstars have so far declared their intentions to enter the 2017 Royal Rumble match, leaving 17 empty spots to be filled.
Eight of those Superstars are from the Raw brand, with Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Big E, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Braun Strowman, Chris Jericho, and Seth Rollins representing the red brand.
From Smackdown so far there are Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, and Dolph Ziggler while The Undertaker, who appeared on both Raw and Smackdown, is the other entrant.
There are two and a half weeks left till the Rumble and the big question is who will be this year’s surprise entry or entries.
Total Divas episode preview for tonight: Pain in the Neck
Total Divas is back on the air tonight on E! with episode eight of season six with an episode titled Pain in the Neck.
The synopsis for tonight’s broadcast reads, “Brie is torn when Bryan receives a new job offer that may interfere with her plans to start a family, while Paige finds out the results of her MRI that will determine the outcome of her career. Meanwhile, Nattie pulls out all the stops to get fired from planning Lana’s wedding and Renee is stuck as a third wheel when Dean cancels on a couples’ trip.”
Ever since E! changed the time slot for Total Divas, the show has been doing better in terms of viewership and saw a significant increase over the past two weeks.
Mark Hunt sues Brock Lesnar, Dana White, and the UFC
Brock Lesnar was sued along with UFC President Dana White and parent company Zuffa LLC by Mark Hunt seeking millions in damages following the news that Lesnar failed two drug tests leading up to the UFC 200 fight.
Filed in Nevada District Court on Tuesday, ESPN.COM reports that the suit alleges the defendants “affirmatively circumvented and obstructed fair competition for their own benefit.” It accuses all responsible parties of racketeering and fraud among other allegations.
“I want the UFC to understand it’s not OK to keep doing what they’re doing,” Hunt told ESPN.com. “They’re allowing guys to do this. They had a chance to take all the money from this guy, because he’s a cheater, and they didn’t.”
Hunt has been threatening to sue ever since the news came out that Lesnar was juiced-up unless the UFC gives him Lesnar’s full purse from UFC 200. Hunt said that it wasn’t fair that Lesnar did not undergo the proper anti-doping testing before the fight was announced and UFC signed off on the waiver citing “exceptional circumstances.”
The former WWE and UFC Heavyweight champion pocketed $2.5 million from the fight and the Nevada Athletic Commission only fined him $250,000. Hunt received $700,000 for the same fight.
Smackdown! Live TV report for 01/10/2017
To kick off Smackdown! 2017, we had an Intercontinental Championship Match that made a new champion! Dean Ambrose won the title for the second time, defeating the Miz last week. Will they have a rematch soon down the road?
Another championship match was made official, as A.J. Styles and John Cena signed the contract for their WWE World Championship bout at Royal Rumble on January 29th. Tonight, Cena takes on Baron Corbin, who also wants to be in the WWE World Championship scenario; will tonight’s match have any impact on that?
Lastly, we will have another rematch tonight, as Tag Team Champions American Alpha look to defend their newly-won titles against The Wyatt Family, who they defeated two weeks ago. The only question is, which of the three Wyatts – Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, or Luke Harper – are going to team?
All this and much more, so read on!
Tuesday Night Smackdown! Live Television Report for January 10th, 2016 – “A Bayou Battle.”
Introduction: Video Promo
A recap of The Miz and new Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose’s rivalry plays.
Arena Promo
We go live to the arena, where Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose is welcomed by the ring announcer. Mauro Ranallo, David Otunga, and John “Bradshaw” Layfield greet us from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The IC champion has brought back his “Ambrose Asylum” talk show and announces that he will be entering the Royal Rumble Match. He tries to introduce his guest, his rival The Miz, but “The Awesome One” cuts him off.
Miz pronounces that he is too going to be in the Royal Rumble Match, but goes back to seven days ago, where he claims that Ambrose “stole” his championship via shenanigans with the referee. He wants “The Lunatic Fringe” to give him back the IC title, but instead, Ambrose gives Miz a “Miz Participation Award!”
Miz acts in appreciation at first, but then starts to beat-down Dean. He holds him up so Maryse can slap, but Ambrose moves and she hits her husband! Dean drives him to the canvas with his Dirty Deeds DDT, and then gives Maryse the “Miz Participation Award.” Mauro says that Maryse was fined $5,000 for slapping Rene Young – a non-competitor.
Video Promo
A montage of Nikki Bella’s and Natalya’s feud airs.
Nikki is shown walking through the halls but is suddenly hit by Natalya. “See you out there, Nikki,” she quips.
Commercials.
Match #1: Single – Natalya VS. Nikki Bella
Natalya is out first and waits for a bit, but Nikki is able to make it. They engage in a huge brawl until referees are finally able to pull Natalya away after she applies The Sharpshooter on the floor.
Winner: No Contest due to No official start
Backstage Promo
Dasha is with Dolph Ziggler, who had a change of attitude last week; clips of his attacks are shown. She says that Kalisto wanted a bout with Dolph, and she wants to know why he did what he did. He doesn’t say anything and walks away.
Commercials.
Match #2: Single – Kalisto VS. Dolph Ziggler
Kalisto starts off hot with quick kicks and a hurricanrana (thanks, Mauro!). Dolph goes to the floor and then back in the ring to measure Kalisto. They square off and Ziggler tries a pin twice with combos. Dolph takes over after a neckbreaker. He goes for another, but Kalisto reverses into a backslide for two! Ziggler hits back hard with an elbow! He eats a kick from Kalisto on the apron, but then uses the top rope to jawbreak Kalisto to the floor!
Commercials.
Dolph is now stretching Kalisto in the ring and wearing him down with a grounding rear chinlock. Kalisto manages to reverse into a jawbreaker. He counters a superkick into a roll-up, but only gets two! Dolph hits back with a dropkick and lazily covers, but Kalisto reverses and receives the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Kalisto
Post-match, Ziggler clotheslines Kalisto hard in frustration. He then struggles for a bit, and then collects a chair to hammer away on Kalisto’s back. Apollo Crews charges out, but can’t make much of a difference. Dolph wails on him with the chair too, and then gives one more shot to Kalisto.
Locker Room Promo
Tag-Team Champions American Alpha are questioned by Dasha about their rematch with The Wyatt Family. Jason Jordon says proclaims that they “are the only ‘alphas’ in the Smackdown! Tag-Team Division.” Chad Gable concurs, and both declare that no one will be able to snatch their championships.
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Rene Young inquires John Cena about Baron Corbin. The former “Dr. of Thuganomics” wonders who Baron really is. He actually agrees with WWE World Champion A.J. Styles and Corbin when they called him a “has been,” however John turns it around into how long it’s been since he had to battle to show he is on the main-event level. He threatens that what A.J. will see tonight between Cena and Baron is a “taste of what’s to come at ‘The Rumble.’”
Video Promo
“American Alpha, I hope you relished your time as Smackdown! Tag-Team Champions. Because unlike the bonds of this ‘family,’ nothing lasts forever. And now, ‘the devil’ is at your doorstep. Knock, knock, knock.” “We’re here,” the Wyatt Family warns.
The Wyatts and American Alpha make their entrance; a clip of American Alpha winning the Tag-Team Championships on December 27th airs. They face-off and will be wrestling, next!
Commercials.
Match #3: Tag Team for the Tag-Team Championship – The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton) (with Wyatt Family member Luke Harper) (Challenger) VS. American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) (Champions)
Bray and Chad are going at it, with Bray headbutting Chad a couple of times. Gable manages a tag and Jason hits a couple of dropkicks, and then rams his shoulder into Bray’s gut in the corner. He takes him down with a waistlock-slam and then rolls him over for a pin for two. Jordan rolls around with Wyatt, but “The Eater of Worlds” is able to push Jason into The Wyatt’s corner and switch with Randy.
“The Viper” tries, but Jason gets the better and tags in Chad. He waistlocks Orton, but Randy elbows out and switches with Bray, but Gable is too quick for Wyatt! He avoids and tosses him to the floor, and then follows with a somersault-splash from the apron! They run at each other in the ring, with Bray ending up on the better side after a double-crossbody. 1 – 2 – Chad kicks out!
Orton is back in and chucks Chad to the outside and then drops him on the barrier. In the ring, Wyatt takes control again with a swinging rib-breaker, and then grounding him with a rear chinlock. The Wyatt Family dominates for a bit over Chad in their corner, but Gable counters with a jawbreaker and rolls into the hot-tag to Jason! He cleans house on both Bray and Randy and almost gets this after shoulder-ramming Bray in the corner. Jordan is soon slung off of the top rope to the floor with a suplex by Randy to stop the momentum.
Commercials.
The Family is back in domination for a bit, but Jason nails a hard running-clothesline from the corner on Bray! He tags in Chad who also dominates The Family. He lands German Suplex pin on Orton, but Bray breaks it up before 3! Wyatt is dumped to the outside, and then Gable soars off of the top turnbuckle with a clothesline for a very near-fall! He measures Orton but Luke gets referee Charles Robinson’s and Chad’s attention; Randy takes advantage with a Draping DDT from the second rope. He gears up for an R.K.O., but Harper hops the apron! Gable shoves Orton into Luke, and then rolls him up in an O’Connor position (thanks again, Mauro!) to get the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winners via Pinfall and STILL Tag Team champions: American Alpha
Post-match, Harper and Orton begin to argue until Bray tries to split them apart. Luke kicks at Orton as Randy ran at him, but he hits Bray instead! Randy and Harper glare at each other, and then Wyatt walks right through them and gets up in Orton’s face but walks away instead.
Video Promo
Baron Corbin’s “attitude” is shown.
Video Promo
John Cena’s shocking return at the 2008 Royal Rumble in the Royal Rumble Match is recapped.
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Becky Lynch is going over her match with Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss/La Luchadora with General Manager Daniel Bryan. The Women’s Champion walks in and claims this as a “miscommunication” and tries to tell Daniel not to “fall” for her explanation. Lynch and Bliss argue until Bryan decides to have them wrestle next week for the Women’s Championship inside a Steel Cage! Alexa is not pleased and walks off, and Becky gives props to Daniel for his booking.
Match #4: Single – C.J. Lunde VS. Carmella (with James Ellsworth)
Carmella picks this one up quickly with a (botched) flatliner and then her leg-scissors hold.
Winner via Submission: Carmella (with James Ellsworth)
Video Promo
The Undertaker’s return to Raw, in which he announced his participation in the Royal Rumble Match. So far, we have 12 wrestlers in the match on January 29th.
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Carmella is happy with her “winning streak,” and then promises James something. He thinks it’s a kiss, so he freshens up with mouth spray, but Carmella says it will be a new wardrobe, which she is excited for.
Backstage Promo
Baron Corbin is interviewed about his bout with John Cena; he can’t say too much as WWE World Champion A.J. Styles walks up. He tells Baron that he will be on commentary, and then to be like Styles and “beat up John Cena!”
WWE World Champion A.J. Styles makes his entrances and joins the commentary booth.
Commercials.
Match #5: Single – Baron Corbin VS. John Cena
(WWE World Champion A.J. Styles is on commentary.)
They ci8rlce each other and then Corbin takes a swing, but John ducks and hits a punch. Baron tries again, but Cena ducks and hits a few more punches until he is booted down. “The Lone Wolf” takes over and bullies John around the ring, and then points at A.J. and chucks Cena to the floor for a break.
Commercials.
Cena is trying to work his way out of a move and pick up Baron, but he drops to the mat and Corbin punches away. He then jaws at Styles again, but John stop shim and they fight on the outside. Baron points at A.J. and then elbows at John’s head against he corner of the barricade.
Corbin throws Cena back in the ring but tumbles to the floor as he runs when John pulled the top ropes down. He tries to run at Cena against the steps, but John moves and Corbin eats the steel! Back in the ring, Cena runs again but is caught in a World’s Strongest Slam for a two-count!
John tries again but is side-walk slammed, and then run over with a running-punch. He catches Cena off of the ropes in a bear hug, but Cena works out of it and manages a tornado DDT out of the corner! The crowd is firing up Cena, who plants Baron with a backdrop and the Five-Knuckle Shuffle. He finishes with the Attitude Adjustment and covers for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: John Cena
Post-match, Cena poses on the turnbuckle and stares at WWE World Champion Styles as Ranallo hypes up their Royal Rumble Championship Match to close the show.
End of Smackdown! Live.
Reporter’s Rumblings
This was another great addition to 2017 for Smackdown!. The show moved along smoothly, and except for the Carmella/CJ bout, the rest of the show all made sense and kept my attention. Onto the particulars.
Excellence: matches between Kalisto/Dolph, the Tag-Team Championship, and Cena/Corbin. Promos from Dean/Miz, American Alpha, The Wyatts, John Cena, A.J. Styles, Dolph Ziggler, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, and Carmella/Ellsworth.
While I wrote last week that I didn’t like/didn’t care for Nikki and Natalya’s beef, they did change my mind this week with the fight. Their promos leave a lot to be desired with content, but tonight’s scrap and their eventual match will be much better, and have/will intrigued me.
I love Dolph’s new character; I’m interested to see where he goes and if the crowd will fully boo him/they turn him full-heel, or he’ll be a “go-between,” doing heel-tactics and still having the fans loving him.
The Wyatt Family’s storyline is intriguing; I’m not sure if I like or dislike it fully. I actually like the paring of James and Carmella; they work!
So looking forward to Miz/Dean, Cena/Styles at The Rumble, and Bliss/Becky next week; they have built these feuds very well and I hope they continue.
Bogus: Carmella/CJ – I slightly understand why, but it really was pointless and could’ve been left off in favor of a longer Dolph/Kalisto or Cena/Corbin.
Overall, a great edition and I want three-in-a-row next week! I know they can do it! Until next week, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Fans!
Raw rating for 01/09/2017
Monday Night Raw drew an average of 2,907,000 viewers for this week’s show, down 139,000 viewers from last week’s show.
Hour one started with 3,014,000 viewers, followed by a slight increase to 3,019,000 in the second hour, and then down to 2,689,000 viewers in the third and final hour.
Raw faced some stiff competition from college football on ESPN, which drew 24.3 million viewers. Raw was #7, #8, and #9 in the 18-49 demo in the cable chart. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Kenny Omega with high praise for John Cena
In comments given to Sports Illustrated, Kenny Omega described John Cena as one of the great WWE talents that he respects the most.
Cena put more fuel to the fire after posting two photos about Omega on his wicked Instagram account, first a photo of Omega, and another one of Kenny from Southpark. Then he followed him on Twitter.
“If I were to end up there, working with someone of his caliber would certainly be a goal and jive with my mission of changing wrestling. I’m glad to be on his radar, but I haven’t made any decisions regarding my future yet,” Omega told Justin Barrasso of SI.
According to many, his contract with NJPW ends at the end of January, and Omega has said that he hasn’t signed any new contracts yet, but feared that everyone took his words “too literally.”
He said that he’s only interested in changing the business so he’s careful about where to go next. “I still have more to share with the wrestling world, so let’s change the business together even more in 2017,” Omega concluded.
Brackets for the WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament unveiled
The brackets for the WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament was unveiled by WWE ahead of the start of the tournament this weekend.
The left side of the bracket has Tyler Bate vs Tucker, Jordan Devlin vs Danny Burch, Trent Seven vs H.C. Dyer, and Wolfgang vs Tyson T-Bone.
The right side has Mark Andrews vs Dan Moloney, James Drake vs Joseph Conners, Pete Dunne vs Roy Johnson, and Saxon Huxley vs Sam Gradwell.
The tournament kicks off at 8PM GMT on Saturday, January 14 and will continue at the same time the following day. It will take place from the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool with Michael Cole and Nigel McGuinness doing commentary.
Jericho and Owens get chokeslammed by The Undertaker after Raw goes off air
After Raw went off the air and Chris Jericho celebrated with the United States title along with his friend and Universal champion Kevin Owens, The Undertaker’s theme song hit the speakers and the “Dead Man” hit the ring one more time.
Jericho told Taker that the last time they were in the ring together, he beat him for the World Heavyweight championship. He said that since he’s been gone, Y2J “became the man around here” and told Taker to get out of their ring.
As the comedy between Jericho and Owens continued, Owens grabbed the microphone and with The Undertaker staring at both of them, he said, “I don’t know him well but it looks like you upset him. So maybe just…” and then he pushed Jericho straight into a chokeslam.
Owens then said, “I’m really sorry for him but…I’m thrilled to meet you sir,” and extended his hand for a handshake as the crowd laughed. The Undertaker didn’t feel like shaking hands and instead chokeslammed Owens as well.
You can see the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c33d4zvYIIc
WWE holds press conference at the MB Superdome for WrestleMania 34
WWE held a press conference at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome earlier today to formally announce that WrestleMania 34 will be coming back to New Orleans next year.
Governor Edwards introduced WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon to kick off the festivities, who applauded the efforts of the organizing committee, calling them a championship-winning team.
McMahon said that it wasn’t necessarily the video from the Governor, or the fact that the event will be part of New Orleans’ tricentennial celebration that clinched the deal, but the passion that the whole team used in the presentation to persuade WWE to bring back WrestleMania again to the city.
Stephanie mentioned that last time WWE were in town for WrestleMania, fans got to witness Daniel Bryan’s incredible win, The Undertaker’s streak coming to an end, and The Rock, Hulk Hogan, and Steve Austin segment that kicked off WrestleMania XXX.
She added that it’s hard to describe the feeling, the emotional connection that exists between their fans, the audience, and the Superstars themselves and they’re here to create memories that last a lifetime.
Stephanie also singled out Jarrius Robertson, calling him an incredible champion who just like the city of New Orleans, overcame the odds of biliary atresia, a rare liver and bile duct disease that affects his physical growth. She said they are there to put smiles on everyone’s faces.
McMahon concluded by saying it’s an honor to be welcomed back in New Orleans and thanked everyone for greeting them with open arms.
WWE Superstars Charlotte, Roman Reigns, The Miz, Maryse, The New Day, Triple H, The Undertaker, Alexa Bliss, The Big Show, Mark Henry, Alicia Fox, Vince McMahon and many others were in attendance and some even spoke to the audience. The Undertaker closed the press conference by coming out in full wrestling gear and saying, “I guess there’s only one more thing left to say…let the good times roll!”
Prior to the conference, the New Orleans Mayor said that partnerships are what matters in rebuilding the city and thanked everyone who made WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans possible.
Monday Night Raw TV report for 01/09/2017
Welcome to tonight’s RAW Report. I am @TheMagnumDA. Follow me on Twitter!
We are LIVE in Nawlins! That’s New Orleans for our international friends. We open with Stephanie doing a performance review with Mick Foley. Seth Rollins comes in and declares himself eligible for the Royal Rumble. This is interrupted by Braun Strowman, who wants either Roman or Goldberg. Of course, this leads to a fight between Rollins and Strowman. Foley’s haircut is even shorter than last week! So is his leash.
Match #1: United States Championship – Handicap Match
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho
Whoever gets the winning fall becomes the US Champion. Right before the bell sounds to start the match, BRAUN STROWMAN appears and fights Roman on the outside. Braun takes control, and throws Roman into the ring, where Jericho and Owens are waiting. All three men beat down Roman until Seth Rollins appears! They clear the ring and start teeing off on Strowman with steel chairs. As Strowman paces around outside, Stephanie McMahon comes out and says that this handicap match will take place later tonight. As for right now? Seth Rollins gets Braun Strowman one-on-one.
Match #1 (really, we mean it this time!)
Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman
Rollins hits a dropkick to start, and continues the offense on the legs. Braun tries to power Rollins up, but Seth gets out and continues to attack the legs. Braun finally catches Seth, and tries to lift him by his leg. Awesome agility for Seth to kip up from this, but he’s immediately smashed into the ground. Braun hits a running splash, and continues to kick Rollins in the ribs. Strowman hits a lariat and the crowd is already asleep. Rollins tries to fight back, but Strowman stops him with a single forearm. Seth is selling the ribs and back.
Strowman hits a brutal pointed elbow and continues to stomp Rollins into dust with boots. Rollins grabs Strowman’s beard, and somehow a jawbreaker spot comes out of this! Rollins catches Strowman with a hotshot over the top rope, followed by running clotheslines and kicks. Rollins runs to the ropes, but gets caught with a spinebuster. Rollins goes to the apron, but Strowman is waiting to deck him with a shoulder block. I actually like this dynamic more than last week. After the commercial, Rollins hits an enziguiri on the outside, followed by a suicide dive! He tries some kicks on Strowman, but he only gets a one-count.
Rollins tries two knees from the top rope, but Strowman catches him on the second try and props him on the top rope. Strowman INTERCEPTS A BLOCKBUSTER IN MID-AIR and places him back on the top rope. That was unreal. Rollins hits a kick from the top, and catches Braun with some headbutts. Braun tumbles down and Seth hits the Frogsplash! ONE, TWO, NO! That’s the closest anyone has gotten. Crowd cheers for Rollins as he drills Strowman with a running knee on the apron. From the top, Seth tries to hit a splash outside on Strowman, but Braun moves out of the way.
Strowman tries to carry Rollins’ carcass back to the ring, but he doesn’t get there by the ten-count. Wait, WHAT?! All that for this finish? *3/4 After the match, Strowman tries to get back in the ring and finish Rollins, but Seth grabs a chair and holds him at bay. I tell you what…they gave Seth a lot of offense, including being the first guy (post Draft) to knock Brauny the Strowman off his feet.
Drew Brees is in the house! You blew it for me in Fantasy, dude.
Bayley and Sasha are backstage getting psyched for the Royal Rumble. Then they tease Sasha vs. Bayley at WrestleMania. You never know! This brings out Charlotte, who tells both women that she’ll stay unbeaten on PPV. Then, suddenly…Nia Jax comes in and drops Sasha. Meanwhile, Bayley is caught off-guard by Charlotte, who nails her with the title belt. Charlotte thinks that she and Nia are on the same page. Charlotte is definitely wrong.
Recap of last week’s 205 Live segment. I love this Gallagher dude. He’s like Conan O’Brien and Daniel Bryan rolled up into a little package.
Match #2: Drew Gulak vs. Jack Gallagher
They lock up to start, and Gulak catches Jack with a spinning leg lock. While Gulak tries to get his balance, he attempts to slap Gallagher in the face but falls down. Gulak takes advantage with an AWESOME body slam into the ropes, and hits a vicious clothesline for two. Gulak wraps Jack’s arms around his neck, and keeps him locked by placing a knee on his back. Crowd tries to get behind Jack.
Gulak throws him into the ropes, but the headstand leads to a series of offensive moves by Jack. Gallagher hits the trademark headbutt, followed by the running dropkick in the corner! One, two, three! Good, but short. *1/2
Afterwards, Jack wants to settle his feud with Ariya Daiviri with a “parlay”. Well, if nothing else…he’s an honorable gentleman. Austin Aries just can’t wait to see this tomorrow. When he’s disingenuous, he’s even more hilarious.
Foley is walking around backstage when Stephanie stops him. Stephanie says she can’t rely on Foley, and says that the job performance hinges on whether or not The Undertaker can arrive. Foley has one hour. Let the countdown begin. By the way…why does his job suddenly hinge on this appearance?
Here’s Shawn Michaels! It’s Mr. WrestleMania! The Rock of Christian movies! Okay, I made that last one up. He comes out to the ring and the fans are pleased to see him. I think. Shawn tries his 90’s humor on everyone but nobody responds to it. He tells the fans he misses them, and then he says that this time of year is the best time of the year. Michaels talks about “Remembering the Rumble” in 1997, in his hometown of San Antonio. He puts over the entire roster, and the crowd boos pretty much everyone. A big “ONE MORE MATCH” chant breaks out, and then Michaels plugs his movie…? This isn’t going over well. Apparently, this movie is called “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone”.
Before we go further, the IHOP KING Rusev comes out with Lana and Jinder Mahal. Rusev tells HBK to let Lana in his movie. Hilarious moment…Rusev stops everything to listen to the crowd, asking “What?” They chanted “Sweet Chin Music!” Rusev puts himself and Lana over as beautiful movie stars. Their improv is wonderful, but their scripted stuff is bogus. Somehow, this brings out Enzo and Cass. Apparently, now Enzo has a joystick with his wheelchair. Vince must really have it in for this guy. Enzo gets his digs in, and the crowd loves it. They start doing some improv, and Rusev stops them by calling them American pigs. Cass steps up and challenges Rusev, and we have a match! Wait, against Jinder Mahal. That’s a letdown. SOMEONE GET MAHAL OFF THE JUICE.
Match #3: Jinder Mahal vs. Big Cass
The match is joined in progress, where Cass is clubbing Mahal. Mahal gets a kick, but gets dropped by the knee to the guts. Cass hits a huge shoulder block. Cass tries to grab Mahal, but Mahal counters and kicks Cass in the face. Cass is draped over the ropes as Mahal holds him down. Dropkick gets two. Mahal has Cass in a sleeperhold. This is a lot of offense for Mahal. Running stomp to the back by Mahal, followed by kicks in the corner. Michaels is really a non-factor on the outside. Cass hits the big splash and the toss across the ring. Rusev distracts Cass, and Mahal takes control. On the outside, HBK DROPS Rusev with Sweet Chin Music. Back inside, the Empire Elbow by Cass! One, two, three! Cass gets the victory. Cass, Enzo, and HBK celebrate in the ring afterwards. *
Match #4: Lince Dorado vs. Neville
Neville gets some offense early, but Dorado responds with a dropkick and a nearfall. Great springboard stunner and a legscissors sends Neville outside. Great splash by Dorado! Dorado heads up for a crossbody! One, two, NO! Neville grapples him in the corner and cheapshots him while the ref is distracted. Neville keeps up the aggression and puts Lince in an armbar. Dorado tries to fight up, but Neville immediately drops him. Neville with a nasty stomp in the ribs. Neville with a great armbar into a Northern Lights Suplex. Crowd tries to cheer Lince on, but Neville knees him in the guts and counters a frankensteiner into a FACE FIRST PLANT. Neville with a variation on the Rings of Saturn gets the submission! *3/4 I like it…more layers to Neville. He beats the living hell out of Dorado after the bell for shits and giggles. Rich Swann tries to intervene, and gets the better hand of Neville! Awesome kick to the face by Swann. He goes for the back leg reverse side kick, but Neville retreats.
Bayley and Sasha talk to Stephanie McMahon backstage. Of course, Steph dresses both of them down. What did you expect? Tag Match is announced for later tonight…Bayley/Sasha vs. Charlotte/Nia Jax.
Match #5: Sheamus vs. Luke Gallows
Both Karl Anderson and Cesaro are on commentary for this match. Gallows takes advantage to start. Gallows is in full Tensai mode with those chaps. Shoulder tackle by Sheamus, but Luke counters with a knee, and clubs Sheamus in the corner. Sheamus hits a shoulder tackle of his own for two. Gallows once again takes advantage, but Sheamus catches him and hits the rolling senton and a running knee. Outside, Gallows hits the lariat while Cesaro recites speaking German. They go to commercial, but not before you can audibly hear Cesaro SIGH on air. I bet Vince loved that.
After the commercial, Gallows has Sheamus in a chinlock. They trade headbutts and forearms, and Sheamus hits a series of forearms. Sheamus drills Gallows with a Brogue…Knee? Followed by the forearms on the apron. Sheamus hits a top rope clothesline, but it only gets two. Gallows counters an Irish Cross with a side kick to the back for two. Gallows tries hits finish, but Sheamus counters with a powerslam for two. This crowd is lifeless…but still not quite as lifeless as Cesaro’s commentary. Meanwhile, THE ANNOUNCERS ARE FIGHTING. Anderson and Cesaro start to brawl onto the entrance ramp. Gallows becomes distracted…leading to a Brogue Kick by Sheamus for the three. Honestly? Dumb. 1/4*
Foley is still looking for The Undertaker. Ugh.
Roman is backstage with Charlie. Roman says tonight won’t be any different from any night…he’ll spill their guts out.
Foley is finally in the ring, asking for The Undertaker once more. Foley starts to tell a story, and the lights go out! Oops, it’s Stephanie. She starts to provide a PUBLIC performance review. Stephanie actually does a good job explaining Foley’s setbacks, but before Foley can apologize…the Dead Man Cometh. The Undertaker finally arrives, greeted by huge “Undertaker!” chants. He claims that he’s back, and he’s ENTERING THE ROYAL RUMBLE! Whooo! CAN’T WAIT. Taker tells the world, “Nobody controls The Undertaker. No one.” and shoots a DEATH GLARE at Stephanie. I love it. He mentions The Streak, and says that his journey will continue at the Rumble.
Charlie is backstage with KO and Chris Jericho. Owens is angry about surprises, and is going to take it out on Roman Reigns. Jericho declares themselves the “International Treasures”. Whatever you say, Chris.
Match #6: Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair & Nia Jax
Bayley and Sasha argue to start, but Bayley lets Sasha start…and then she is immediately destroyed. After the commercial, Sasha fights out of the corner and uses her injured knee to attack Charlotte. Brilliant. Bayley tags in and nails Charlotte with forearms and a running clothesline. Bayley hits a weak Stunner with Charlotte draped on the ropes. Bayley misses the Whirly Whirl and gets kicked in the mouth by Charlotte.
Flair then splatters Bayley’s face into the mat and tags in Nia Jax. She hits a press slam, a splash, and beals Bayley across the ring. Charlotte gets tagged back in and hits a nasty chop on Bayley. Another sleeperhold on Bayley, which she tries to fight out of. Nia Jax is tagged in and after slamming Bayley, destroys Sasha in the corner. Charlotte is tagged back in. She nails another chop and a suplex on Bayley. Jax gets the blind tag and splatters Bayley with a standing body splash, followed by a huge leg drop by Jax for three! Way to promote your #1 Contender. *1/2
Backstage, Noam Dar gets a kiss from Alicia Fox. Someone get that boy some clean underwear.
The New Day are here! They’re now pouring cereal down fans’ throats. Literally. Wow. Apparently, they have an offer for Titus O’Neil…but FIRST! A commercial. After the break, Titus is in the ring apologizing to the New Day. He wants another chance with the New Day. They end up showing a video from him in NXT back in 2010…they reference his classic “Make It A Win” promo and his keg tumble. New Day gives Titus one more chance to carry the keg and win the contest he blew six years ago. Titus makes great time running the barrel across the ring, but he drops the keg before getting to the finish line! Oh man…Kofi teases Titus, and this somehow leads to a match!
Match #7: Titus O’Neil vs. Kofi Kingston
Titus dominates early to start, but Kofi counters with kicks and a dropkick. SOS is countered into a Dominator! Titus pounds Kofi in the corner. They trade chops, and Titus catches him with a bodyslam. O’Neil puts him in a sleeper/arm, and hits an awesome boot out of the ropes. Titus tries to hit the Clash, but Kofi fights out. They go to the corner, and Kofi is caught into a double backbreaker. Kofi rolls outside, and Titus follows him. When they go back inside, Kofi hits the Trouble in Paradise for the win! Whatever. *
Main Event: United States Championship – Handicap Match
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho
Roman attacks them outside to start. Reigns takes Jericho up the ramp and into the shark cage that’s on display. Owens interrupts and throws Reigns into the cage. The cage flies off the stage! KO and Jericho take Roman back to the ring and throw him into the steps. Roman is beaten down, but he tells the ref to start the match. Owens capitalizes and brutalizes Reigns in the corner. Jericho tags in and catches Roman with a back elbow. Jericho hits an elbow and puts Reigns in a sleeperhold. Roman escapes, and catches Jericho while he’s trying to go to the top rope. Reigns hits lariats to both KO and Jericho. This crowd is just completely flat.
Reigns throws Jericho into Owens and hits the Samoan Drop on Jericho. Reigns hits the lariats in the corner, but KO counters with a clothesline of his own. Reigns counters THAT with a clothesline. Roman goes for the Superman Punch on Jericho, but KO clocks Roman and Jericho hits a Lionsault! One, two, No! Jericho tries the Walls of Jericho, but as Roman gets out…KO tags in and tries to direct traffic. Superman punch to both KO and Jericho! Reigns goes for the Spear, but Jericho catches him with a kick. Roman hits a Spear on Jericho, but KO pulls Reigns off! Outside, Reigns counters a Power Bomb from Owens into a Drive-By.
Jericho tries a springboard drop kick, but he gets hit with another Superman punch! As this happens, Owens catches Reigns and drills him with a powerbomb onro the apron. Reigns is not moving. They carry the deadweight back into the ring, and Jericho hits another Codebreaker for the victory! JERICHO FINALLY WINS THE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP. ** Fans are actually appreciative of Jericho’s victory!
That’s all we have for this week. The Royal Rumble’s only 3 weeks away! I’ll be there…WATCH IT.
The Undertaker enters the 2017 Royal Rumble match
It has been a while, but The Undertaker will be one of the 30 participants in this year’s Royal Rumble.
Taker came out on Raw and told Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley that he is throwing his name in the list and his journey will continue at the Rumble because he has 29 holes for 29 souls and after he wins the Rumble, he will once again main event WrestleMania.
The Undertaker last wrestled at a Royal Rumble pay-per-view in 2010, defeating Rey Mysterio to retain the World Heavyweight title. You would have to go back to 2008 to find The Undertaker in the 30-men over-the-top-rope Rumble match. On that night, Taker came out #16 and was eliminated #26 by The Big Show. He spent over half an hour in the ring and eliminated three guys.
WrestleMania 34 to be held on April 8, 2018
WrestleMania 34 next year will take place on April 8, 2018 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The April 8 date makes WrestleMania 34 the “latest” WrestleMania in history, although a couple of them came close. Usually WWE holds the event either on the last Sunday of March or the first Sunday of April but this time they’re going for the second Sunday of the month because Sunday, April 1 happens to be Easter Sunday.
As things stand, the Hall of Fame will be on April 6, NXT on April 7, Raw on April 9, and Smackdown on April 10. All these events will be held at the Smoothie King Center while Axxess will be at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Trailer for The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania animated movie released
The trailer for The Jetsons and WWE animated movie titled Robo-WrestleMania was released today by Warner Bros Animation and WWE Studios.
The story revolves around The Big Show, who is brought back to life after 100 years frozen as he takes over the World Wrobot (the W is silent!) Entertainment and the Jetsons’ world. In order to save their city, George, Elroy, and the rest of the Jetsons travel back to earth to enlist the help of several WWE Superstars including Sheamus, Seth Rollins, The Usos, Roman Reigns, Alicia Fox, Mr. McMahon, and others.
The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania will be available on Tuesday, February 28 on Digital HD and on Tuesday, March 14 on DVD, just in time for WrestleMania.
WWE Superstars have already teamed up with The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, with WBHE Vice President of Family & Animation Marketing Mary Ellen Thomas calling them a great success. “Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is proud to add The Jetsons, another iconic franchise, to this collection of adventures alongside the WWE Superstars fans love,” she said.
All the Superstars who are in the movie did their own voicer overs which adds more authenticity to the animated flick. You can check out the trailer below.
How New Orleans convinced WWE to bring back WrestleMania to their city
The committee and the city of New Orleans hit a home run with WWE officials when they presented their pitch to WWE to return to the city for WrestleMania 34 said John Saboor, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Special Events.
The committee was headed by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Deputy Major Ryan Bernie, President/CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Jay Cicero, Vice President of the Sports Foundation Sam Joffray and others, along with the support by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards. The group went to Stamford early last year to present their case which also included a video recorded by the Governor according to The Times-Picayune. The decision to give New Orleans WrestleMania was only taken a few weeks ago.
The Mayor said that what sold the city to WWE was that he mentioned incorporating WrestleMania into the city’s tricentennial celebration in 2018. In total, 15 other cities were vying to get WrestleMania.
“I’m very passionate about the city,” Landrieu said. “It’s my view that New Orleans is one of America’s great comeback stories. For the past 10 years, we have become the nation’s most immediate laboratory for innovation and change. It’s just a great, great, great story. I wanted WWE to be part of our birthday celebration. We talked about where we’ve been and where we’re going and what the city is going to be. It’s going to be a great, great, great event,” he added.
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon said that New Orleans was is perfect setting for WrestleMania and Saboor added that the company is very honored that the event will serve as one of the cornerstones of New Orleans’ tricentennial celebration next year. “That was a theme that resonated with us in very powerful fashion,” Saboor said.
The original Times-Picayune story is located at NOLA.COM.
WWE officially announces WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans
WWE today officially announced that WrestleMania will return to New Orleans next year for WrestleMania 34.
The “breaking news” was given to The Times-Picuyane newspaper, who announced the deal today. A press conference will be held tomorrow morning in New Orleans with WWE Superstars in attendance.
New Orleans became the third city in WrestleMania history to host the big event twice within a five-year span.
Only Atlantic City and Anaheim managed to host WrestleMania twice in such a small period. WrestleMania IV and V were at the Trump Plaza while WrestleMania 12 and 16 were at the Arrowhead Pond, now renamed the Honda Center.
Only a handful of arenas and stadiums had the privilege to host WrestleMania more than once. Madison Square Garden, SkyDome, and the Sun Life Stadium, now Camping World Stadium, are the only other locations which hosted Mania on multiple occasions.
The vibrant tourist destination city of New Orleans hosted WrestleMania XXX in 2014 and packed over 75,000 fans inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The event generated $142.2 million in economic impact for the region and $24.3 million in federal, state, and local taxes. Cities now get in a bidding war to host WrestleMania considering the amount of money the show generates throughout the week.
For WrestleMania XXX, 79% of the fans who came for the show were from outside the greater New Orleans area, with the majority of them staying in hotels. In fact, $22.5 million were spent on hotels and accommodations during the event with fans staying an average of 3.7 nights. Restaurants in New Orleans also enjoyed the business that a gigantic show like WrestleMania brings with it and fans spent $10.7 million on food and drinks.