Smackdown drew 2,596,000 viewers this week for the first episode of 2017, down 289,000 viewers from last week’s episode which beat Raw in the average viewership number. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Anthem Sports & Entertainment officially announces the TNA takeover
Anthem Sports & Entertainment officially announced that they have entered in a definitive agreement to acquire the majority control of TNA, forming Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions, LLC. Ed Nordholm will serve as president of Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions.
“We are thrilled to have acquired TNA IMPACT Wrestling,” said Ed Nordholm, Executive Vice President of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., which is also the parent company of Fight Network. “As we grow Anthem’s linear, digital and mobile platforms globally, top tier content with global appeal is key to that success and this acquisition is a perfect strategic addition to our portfolio. IMPACT has been a dominant wrestling brand around the world for more than a decade and we are confident that Anthem can leverage its assets and strategic partnerships to take IMPACT Wrestling to even greater heights.”
Mr. Nordholm, who has been the managing director of the IMPACT Ventures Board of Managers since October 2016, will assume the position of President of Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions, LLC. Dixie Carter will remain as a minority equity stakeholder but will hold no positions in the new TNA.
“Anthem has been a great partner for many years,” added Dixie Carter. “We have worked hard to find the right company who would acquire TNA, use its strategic influence and have a long-term commitment to the brand. TNA’s incredible fans, talent and staff deserved to see the brand continue to thrive after 15+ years of incredible growth. I’m excited to move to a new position and work with Anthem on their global strategic plan, and I am confident TNA IMPACT Wrestling is going to be a huge part of their success.”
Raw rating for 01/02/2017
The first Raw of 2017 drew an average of 3,046,000 viewers, up 191,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. It’s also the best number in a month for Raw.
Hour one started with 3,042,000 viewers and then had a rare increase in the second hour to 3,159,000 viewers, before dipping to 2,939,000 for the final hour with the return of Goldberg.
College football pretty much took the night and Raw was #8, #10, and #11 in the cable chart in the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Brock Lesnar gets a one year ban from USADA for UFC 200 positive drug test
After receiving a one year ban and a $250,000 fine by the Nevada Athletic Commission last month, former WWE and UFC champion Brock Lesnar was also suspended for a year by USADA, the UFC anti-doping partner. The announcement was made by USADA in a press release.
Lesnar, who won his UFC 200 fight against Mark Hunt, tested positive twice. He failed an out-of-competition drug test on June 28 and then an in-competition test on the day of the fight on July 9. Lesnar was popped for clomiphene, and got the maximum penalty under the UFC policy for that drug. Lesnar was tested seven times in total in the lead-up to his fight and passed the surprise drug tests on five previous occasions.
His win against Hunt was overturned into a no contest and now holds a 5-3-1 record with a return to the Octagon unlikely at this point. The ban is retroactive to July 15, 2015, so Lesnar technically can return to the UFC if he wants to after that date.
Former WWE announcer Todd Grisham joins the UFC
Former WWE announcer Todd Grisham has been hired by the UFC and will make his debut on the UFC Fight Night broadcast on January 15 live from Phoenix, Arizona.
Grisham had a 7-year career with WWE, starting with the company in 2004 doing commentary for Heat and Experience. He hosted the web show Byte This! as well as Bottom Line, before he became the play-by-play commentator for ECW on SyFy in 2008. In 2009, he was promoted to lead the Smackdown commentary team and later became the voice of NXT. He left the WWE in August 2011 and joined ESPN. At ESPN, Grisham was the co-anchor of ESPNEWS and then moved to anchor SportsCenter.
His role in the UFC will be to work as a studio host for FOX Sports 1 broadcasts as well as doing play-by-play of fights. It’s not known if he will replace the recently departed Mike Goldberg on pay-per-views as well.
Grisham wrote on Twitter that “2017 is going to be a great year,” changing his handle to @GrishamMMA in the process.
Total Divas episode preview for tonight: A Win-Wine Situation
After a one week absence, Total Divas returns on E! tonight starting at the new time slot of 8PM EST with episode seven of season six titled A Win-Wine Situation.
The synopsis for the episode reads, “Paige attempts to hide a serious neck injury and blows up at Eva when she suspects she outed her. Nikki wants to start a winery and is offended when Brie doesn’t take her seriously. Nattie’s wrestling character has to turn ‘bad’ and the crowd doesn’t know how to react.” Find more here.
Murder charges against Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka dropped
Judge Kelly L. Banach yesterday dismissed all charges against former WWE Superstar Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka in the 34-year homicide case involving Nancy Argentino, his mistress at the time who was found dead in a hotel.
Snuka’s attorney, Robert Kirwan, had been pushing for the judge to dismiss the case based on Snuka’s poor health. Snuka is suffering from cancer and dementia and was now deemed unfit to stand trial. “The medical evidence showed that he was not getting better, and in fact he’s getting worse,” Kirwan told reporters. “There is much that is not publicly known about this case,” he said. “My client would have liked to clear his name, and there was never a doubt in my mind that he would have been acquitted by a jury if he’d been well enough to stand trial.”
The Morning Call newspaper tried to reach out to Chief Deputy District Attorney Charles Gallagher but there was no immediate answer. A statement from his office said that they might appeal the decision.
Argentino’s older sister, Lorraine Salome, said she wasn’t surprised when she got the call. “We kind of expected it because there were so many ridiculous things going on with the defense,” she said.
“Superfly” – who was struck off the WWE Hall of Fame list after the case restarted – was charged in September of last year with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Snuka allegedly beat up Argentino in a hotel room and then left her in the bed to die back in May of 1983. The cold case only saw light again after two investigative reporters from the Morning Call newspaper uncovered new material in the case.
Smackdown! Live TV report for 01/03/2017
Welcome to 2017!
Last year (week, hehe!) left off with a bang and a major match set for the upcoming Royal Rumble on January 29 – A.J. Styles defending his WWE World Championship against John Cena! As well last week, American Alpha – Jason Jordan and Chad Gable – won the Tag Team Championships; will The Wyatt Family invoke a rematch? Will new contenders step up?
Alexa Bliss was able to hold on to her Women’s Championship, thanks to La Luchadore. Who is this mysterious woman and will we find out tonight?
Intercontinental Champion The Miz continues to antagonize announcer Rene Young over her relationship with Dean Ambrose; Dean did get the upper-hand last week though when he beat-up Miz backstage. Will this lead to an I.C. Title Match at the ‘Rumble? (Probably!) Could even lead to Rene and Ambrose wrestling Miz and Maryse? (Maybe!)
All this and much more, so read on to find out what’s in store for Smackdown’s! 2017 year!
Tuesday Night Smackdown! Live Television Report for January 3, 2016 – “The Champ(s) That Runs The Camp(s).”
Introduction: Welcoming and In-Ring Promo
Mauro Ranallo greets us, and “Awesome” blares over the speakers! Intercontinental Champion The Miz and his wife Maryse strut to the ring; he will be wrestling Dean Ambrose tonight for the I.C. Championship. Miz calls he and Maryse “the ‘it’ couple,” and proposes to be more forgiving in the New Year.
Miz wants to practice this with Rene Young, as he claims she needs to apologize to him. She does not answer, and Miz threatens to delay the show until Rene obliges. He blames her for causing the Intercontinental Championship Match for being unprofessional, and alluding her influencing her co-host on Talking Smack!, Smackdown! General Manager Daniel Bryan.
Instead of Rene, Miz gets a response from Dean Ambrose! He marches out, but Miz exits the ring and leaves Maryse in. She slaps Ambrose and then they walk away. “The Lunatic Fringe” tells Miz that Maryse “hits harder than you do!”
Later tonight, a contract signing for the WWE World Championship Match between Champion A.J. Styles and Challenger John Cena at the Royal Rumble will happen; GM Bryan will adjudicate.
Up next, Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler will wrestle!
Commercials.
Match #1: Single – Baron Corbin VS. Dolph Ziggler
Dolph ducks a clotheslines and slugs away with fists. He leaps but Corbin catches him; Ziggler hops out and tries a Superkick, but Baron catches Dolph’s leg. Ziggler goes for a dropkick, but Corbin fends him off and stomps away. He knees Dolph in the gut and presses on his face with his foot against the bottom rope. Dolph battles back but is hit with a hard elbow as he ran off of the ropes. Baron goes back to pressing on Ziggler’s head with his foot. He hits Dolph to the floor, and then runs him into the ring apron.
They go back into the ring where Corbin continues, but is elbowed and kicked out of the corner as he ran. Dolph avoids another run and Baron slides out-and-in of the ring but runs into another dropkick. He goes to the outside and glares for a break.
Commercials.
“The Lone Wolf” is back in control, fore-arming Dolph as “The Show-Off” leaped off of the second rope from the corner. 1 – 2 – Dolph just raises his shoulder! This gives Ziggler momentum, as he headbutts Baron into the corner and splashes him! He brings Corbin to the mat with a neckbreaker and then lands a jumping elbow-drop for two!
Dolph goes for The Famouser, but Baron hurls him off and hits a hard-clothesline for a very near-fall! Both struggle to get up and then Corbin shoves Ziggler into the corner; he follows with a run but eats the ring post shoulder-first! Dolph capitalizes with The Famouser! 1 – 2 – Baron kicks out! He tries his Leaping-DDT but Corbin tosses him away; Dolph comes back with a Zig-Zag! 1 – 2 – Corbin just lifts his shoulder! Ziggler runs in the corner but is caught and planted with The End of Days (Swinging Flatliner). Baron covers and receives the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Baron Corbin
Post-match, Corbin grabs a chair but is stopped by Kalisto who runs out and is fired up. Baron escapes as the “Lucha Dragon” eggs him on. Dolph gets to his feet and superkicks Kalisto! He yells at him repeatedly “I don’t need you; I don’t need anybody!” Ziggler storms up the aisle.
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Carmella is approached by James Ellsworth; he is sweet on Carmella but can’t get his words out properly. He hands her his t-shirt and then she invites him to be at ringside for her upcoming match.
Locker Room Promo
Dolph erupts into a locker room where Rhyno, Mojo Rawley, and Apollo Crews are. Ziggler starts tearing apart the place until Apollo tries to settle him. Dolph doesn’t want to hear it and they end up in a brawl until Rhyno and Mojo are able to pull Crews away.
Becky Lynch makes her entrance and will be wrestling La Luchadora next!
Commercials.
Match #2: Single – Becky Lynch VS. La Luchadora
Becky dominates this bout until La slides under the ring and re-enters on the opposite area. She puts Lynch to the mat and then dives off of the top turnbuckle with a twisting-splash, which is Alexa Bliss’ finisher! She does miss, however, and Becky locks on her Disarmer submission, forcing Luchadora to tap-out!
Winner via Submission: Becky Lynch
Post-match, Lynch tears off La’s mask, and it really is Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss! However, another La Luchadora enters to distract Becky, and Alexa takes advantage to drive Lynch to the canvas with a DDT! Bliss and Luchadora leave together.
Up next, the WWE World Championship contract signing!
Commercials.
In-Ring Promo
General Manager Daniel Bryan introduces the competitors for the WWE World Championship Match at Royal Rumble. John Cena is out first, and then WWE World Champion A.J. Styles. “The Phenomenal One” questions Daniel on why this is happening; he says that Cena is not like either of them because he’s gone away for four months while they would always be there and work. Bryan says he gets that point, but wants A.J. to understand the business part. Smackdown! defeated Raw in the ratings last week for the first time ever, and that was thanks to Cena and Styles! He wants this to carry on, and that is why he booked “the biggest match possible; the match that everybody talked about and the match that everybody’s gonna talk about – A.J. Styles VS. John Cena.”
Daniel questions why Styles is “worried” since he has pinned John in three matches in 2016; he wishes them luck and leaves. A.J. takes over and accuses Cena of getting the match because Bryan is “basically your brother-in-law.” Styles rubs it in John’s face that last year, Cena was telling A.J. he needed to get a big win, and now it’s A.J. doing the reverse.
“The Champ That Runs The Camp” says that Smackdown! can go on minus the former “Dr. Of Thuganomics,” and then rips on Cena for being a “has-been.” He tells John that he “will never be as good as The Rock” in movies, and “will never be as good as A.J. Styles” in the squared-circle. A.J. signs the contract and then Cena retorts.
“You’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life – you’ve pissed-off John Cena.” // “Well you pushed me A.J.; allow me to push back. I just lost all respect for you, and think you’re nothing but a punk-little-bitch! And you want to know why? Why everybody’s talking about John Cena VS. A.J. Styles at the Royal Rumble? Because everybody that has ever despised me actually believes that you are the guy to replace me. But deep, deep in the back of their mind they know I’ve made a career of shutting people’s mouths. And when they yap really loud, I just make them eat their words. So congratulations A.J. Styles; you finally had the courage to bull-up to John Cena. I’m about to make you feel as stupid as you look.
You say I’ve got no love for this place; you say I left it ‘high-and-dry;’ you say I’ve got no passion. I destroyed my shoulder, they said I’d be out for a year, I was back in four months; that’s passion. You, you only go where they tell you to go; I go so hard they tell me to stop; that’s passion. Every night, you walk down this ramp, you walk down the ramp because you have to. I walk down this ramp every night because I want to; that’s passion. And the reason chumps like you say ‘I’m going Hollywood’ ‘cause anybody else in my shoes woulda already gone but I’m … still … here ….; and that’s passion!
So now you’ve signed the contract, and it’s one signature from being official; A.J. Styles versus John Cena at the Royal Rumble. I need this match, you need this match, they need this match. ‘cause this is more, this is more than just you or me. Because you’re no different that any other person who’s ever said ‘Cena sucks’ or tried to knock me off. They chant ‘Cena sucks,’ they chant ‘has-been,’ they step-up to do their best, but realize, on their best day, they could never … beat … me. So here’s what you do. At the Royal Rumble, you bring your family, you bring your friends, you bring the noise, you bring your A-game, and I’m still gonna kick your ass and take that championship. Why? ‘Cus I’m John Cena. Recognize!” Cena puts pen-to-paper!
Unexpectedly, Baron Corbin saunters out and faces them to say that he will be in the Royal Rumble Match to win it, and declares that he will be WWE World Champion after WrestleMania, whether he faces Cena or Styles. Cena is fine with that, and even wants to go at it now with Baron, which “The Lone Wolf” fiercely accepts, but he is quickly hit in the back-of-the-head with an enziguri-kick by Styles! The WWE World Champion walks away and Corbin stands over a knocked-down John. “Maybe A.J.’s right, ‘your time is up!’”
Backstage Promo
Rene Young is walking through the hall when Maryse meets her. “On behalf of my husband,” she then slaps Young hard enough to knock her down. “Don’t you EVER touch my husband again.”
Commercials.
Match #3: Single – Aliyah VS. Carmella (with James Ellsworth)
Aliyah turns a headlock from Carmella around to begin and then snapmares her, but Carmella lands on her feet! Aliyah jackknife-covers but only gets one. She tries a roll-from-behind, but Carmella gets out of it and then mount-punches on the mat. She rips at Aliyah and then hits her with a Bronco Buster in the corner for a two-count! Carmella clamps on a grounding rear-chinlock, but Aliyah elbows out. She follows with a jawbreaker and Northern-Lights suplex, getting a near-fall!
Aliyah shoves Carmella into the corner and then runs into her. She climbs to the middle rope, but James pulls her off, saying “you shouldn’t be up there.” Carmella takes advantage with a superkick, and then drop-toe-holds into her “Code of Silence” leg-scissors headlock, making Aliyah give-in!
Winner via Submission: Carmella (with James Ellsworth)
Later tonight, the I.C. Title is on the line, but after the break, new Tag Team Champions American Alpha will be wrestling!
Commercials.
Match #4: Tag Team – Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) VS. Tag-Team Champions American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) (Non-Title)
Tyler hands Chad a fashion ticket to start, but gets a t-bone suplex in response! He tags in Jordan who runs at Fandango, and then they both finish Breezango with their Grand Amplitude finisher for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winners via Pinfall: American Alpha
Post-match, The Wyatt Family appear on the screen. Bray prophesizes that “nothing lasts forever,” and that while Jordan and Gable thought they have split The Family, they are stronger and will prove that next week when the two teams have a rematch for the Tag-Team Championships.
Up next, Nikki and Natalya will have a chat.
Commercials.
In-Ring Promo
Nikki Bella and Natalya hash it out over how they both got to where they are. Nikki accuses Natalya of using her family’s status while Natalya says that it was because of John Cena – Nikki’s real-life boyfriend – that she got as far as she has. Nikki slugs her with a forearm and walks away.
Backstage Promo
Dasha interviews Dean Ambrose about his “mindset” for his Intercontinental Championship Match. “I’m going to take away the most-important thing in the world to The Miz, and it’s not is wife. It’s the Intercontinental Championship.”
Dean’s music plays and he trudges to the ring before the break.
Commercials.
Video Promo
Jack Gallagher promotes himself and 205 Live, which airs on the WWE Network after Smackdown!.
It is announced that Nikki Bella and Natalya will wrestle, the Tag-Team Championship rematch is official, and Baron Corbin and John Cena will go one-on-one next week on Smackdown!!
Match #5: Single for the Intercontinental Champion – Dean Ambrose (Challenger) VS. The Miz (Champion) (with Maryse)
Dean chases Miz around the ring, and then unleashes furry punches and chops! He hops over the Champ in the corner and tries his DDT finisher, but Miz escapes to the outside. Ambrose has to run after Miz again, while Miz plays games. Dean kicks Miz and throws him out of the ring and over the timekeeper’s barricade! He crotches Miz on that barrier, and then runs at him with a forearm! He rolls Miz into the ring and coves but Miz kicks out quickly. “The Lunatic Fringe” hurls “The A-Lister” over the announcer’s table, but Miz hits back with a dropkick after Maryse distracts.
Commercials.
Miz runs at Dean in the ring, but is tossed over to the floor; Ambrose follows with a diving elbow! He hits a clothesline in the ring and goes for a bulldog out of the corner, but Miz tosses him away. He slams Dean’s left leg on his shoulder and tries the Figure-4, but Ambrose gets away from that and a Skull-Krushing Finale.
Dean goes to the top turnbuckle but Miz cuts him off. He meets at the top but can’t suplex Ambrose. instead, Dean headbutts him and jumps, but Miz avoids and plants with the Skull-Krushing Finale! 1 – 2 – Ambrose just raises his shoulder! Miz hits numerous kicks on Dean’s chest ala Daniel Bryan, but misses the final one and Ambrose capitalizes with a clothesline!
Dean tries Dirty Deeds but Miz slides out; Ambrose follows with a clothesline and a tope-suicida! Maryse marches right up to Dean and slaps him in front of the referee. He just about calls for the bell and a disqualification, but Ambrose convinces Referee Andrew to not and instead make her go to the back. He listens, but as he is ejecting Maryse, Miz hits Dean with the I.C. Title and covers! 1 – 2 – Ambrose just lifts his shoulder!
Miz grabs Dean for another Skull-Krushing, but Ambrose reverse into Dirty Deeds! He covers and receives the victory!
Winner via Pinfall and NEW Intercontinental Champion: Dean Ambrose
Post-match, Dean celebrates in the ring and on the commentary table to close the show.
End of Smackdown! Live.
Reporter’s Rumblings
I’m back/writing again! For the last while, I’ve been too tired or not much time to give my opinions, but I thought I’d start again and make much more of an effort with the New Year. I’m glad I picked this episode (although last week/year [hehe!] would’ve been great too!). I will continue with my “Excellent” and “Bogus” category, paying homage to my favorite movies of all-time, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey.
Excellence: promos by Miz, Cena, A.J., Baron, Dolph, Nikki, and Jack Gallagher. Matches between Corbin/Dolph, Aliyah/Carmella, and Miz/Ambrose.
Love Dolph’s turn, and while it seems we’ve seen it before in a different way, I think he can be a cross heel-face. Alexa Bliss is fantastic and is the best woman, both wrestling and mike-skills, other than Charlotte. She needs to/can “run with the ball” a long while; the same with The Miz. Glad American Alpha have the titles too/getting some love.
Cena and A.J.’s promo was “phenomenal” (pun semi-intended!); and I’m really liking this new attitude John has. So looking forward to their Royal Rumble match.
Bogus: promos by Baron Corbin (timing) and Nikki/Natalya. Matches between American Alpha/Breezango.
With the timing comment, I feel that Corbin’s promo should’ve been saved for next week. Cena/A.J. finish hot and I felt Baron ruined the epic-ness of it. I’m fine with Baron as he’s finally getting a bit of a better personality, but I think it would’ve been more effective if he declared that next week.
The match between Alpha/Breezango wasn’t bad, and I understand the purpose of them squashing, but I would’ve preferred Jordan and Gable to cut a promo on them winning the titles instead. I also think that The Wyatts should be challenging at Royal Rumble, and build the feud more on Smackdown!
I didn’t like Aliyah on Smackdown! just yet; she needed to be promo’ed and brought up later in the year. (Thankfully, she did have a decent-showing with Carmella, though.)
DO NOT CARE/DO NOT LIKE Nikki and Natalya’s feud. However, I actually do agree with Nikki about Natalya. Really distasteful/unnecessary comment about Bret Hart by Natalya regarding his tweet with about Nikki; really which they hadn’t insinuated the sexuality of that.
All-in-all, a great edition again of Smackdown!, and I can honestly say, I do love it so much more than Raw. Smackdown! is a bigger version of NXT – straight storylines, straight/passionate matches (for the most part), mostly making sense, and just plain good! Let’s hope they continue through 2017!
Until next week on Smackdown! (I am no longer writing for Raw, due to how long the show is and how tired I had gotten the near the end of 2016), Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Fans! I wish you and your Family Best-Wishes for 2017!
WWE fan who resembles Hulk Hogan moved from front row at Raw
A WWE fan who goes by the name of Tye Dye Guy got moved from his front row seat at Raw last night in Tampa because he resembled Hulk Hogan.
The self-proclaimed WWE super fan wrote on Twitter, “For all you fans that saw me get moved halfway through the show it’s because @wwe officials thought I looked too much like @HulkHogan.”
WWE security has the right to move anyone from their seat depending on what they are wearing, behavior, etc, and considering the former WWE Superstar is not on the company’s good books, it was not a surprise.
Hogan, who was tagged in the tweet, replied to him on Twitter as well. “Sorry about THAT my brother, they probably thought you might slam Strowman,” Hogan wrote.
Tye Dye Guy’s Twitter profile description states that he has sat ringside for over 500 live WWE, WCW, and ECW shows.
Monday Night Raw TV report for 01/02/2017
Happy New Year! Welcome to tonight’s Raw Report. Your main event is a United States Championship Match between Roman Reigns and Chris Jericho. I wanted to take a moment and thank The Coach (@TheCoachESPN) for his props on Twitter during UFC 207 coverage. Coach, you nailed it. Also, if you ever want to hit me up, don’t forget to do so @TheMagnumDA.
Mick Foley is out and he’s back with the tennis ball haircut! He’s written “Tampa” on his hand, presumably as a self-deprecating way to joke with himself about botching his recent lines.
He talks about the shark cage, which brings out Kevin Owens and the sexy piñata himself, Chris Jericho. They protest the use of this cage, and proceed to rip on Foley for his haircut. Foley wants to wipe the slate clean, and then gives us the debut of the Kevin Owens show. His first guest? GOLDBERG.
Stephanie McMahon comes out and books a match between Owens and Rollins, where the loser would be banned from ringside during tonight’s main event. Foley then flubs his line AGAIN, saying Jericho would be banned from ringside. Now…Stephanie’s reaction to this is something to behold. She sets the matches straight, but does it in such a way that she basically makes it known to everyone that Foley forgot his lines. As if Foley wasn’t already self-conscious about this. I fear that Foley’s time with WWE will not last much longer.
Match #1: Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens
Rollins gets in some right hands and two crossbody blocks from the top rope to start. They trade chops on the outside, and KO takes over by throwing Rollins into the barricade. Inside, Owens gets some kicks to the gut and they trade chops some more. The announcers are making each other laugh with Oprah jokes. Good lord. It’s 2017, guys. Get a clue.
Rollins works on the arm, but KO knocks him down. Owens looks especially well-fed tonight…if he’s not careful, Vince is going to notice. Seth turns things around with a Blockbuster, but it only gets two. After the commercial, Owens is back in control with a DDT, a senton, and a sleeperhold. Finish shows Rollins trying to hit the pedigree, but he gets thrown to the outside. Rollins attacks him and hits a suicide dive. While they’re outside, Owens uses a ringbell for the DQ, meaning that KO is banned from ringside for the main event tonight. Again, more of an angle than a match…but it was good while it lasted. **1/4
Match #2: Cesaro vs. Karl Anderson (non-title)
Sheamus is ringside on commentary, leaving his partner on his own. That really shows what a team player he is. Chain wrestling to start, and Cesaro tries to get a quick cover for two. Anderson drops Cesaro and whips him into the corner. Cesaro reverses him while Sheamus describes the differences between he and Cesaro (who cares if they wear different outfits outside of wrestling?)
Cesaro gets kicked to the outside, and we go to commercial. Out of the break, Cesaro breaks out of a sleeper and deadweights Anderson into the air. There’s been more camera time for Sheamus than Cesaro here…it’s kinda weird. Cesaro misses an elbow in the corner, and Anderson tries a cover for two. Finish shows Cesaro dropkicking Anderson right in the face for two, but he kicks out. As they go back up to the top rope, Gallows attempts to interfere but Sheamus holds serve. In doing so, he crotches Cesaro on the top rope, which leads to Anderson hitting a crushing neckbreaker from the top rope for ONE, TWO, THREE! Anderson’s biggest singles win during his WWE run. **1/2
Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman buildup video. This is going to be ugly.
Match #3: Last Man Standing – Braun Strowman vs. Sami Zayn
Sami uses his speed early on, and smacks Braun with a kendo stick on the outside. No DQ! Eventually, they go inside and Braun takes over. Zayn gets tossed across the entire building, but somehow he finds another kendo stick and goes to work. Zayn tries a moonsault, but he gets plucked out of mid-air and immediately dropped. Sami gets up at the 6-count and catches Braun by throwing him into the post. He tries the goofy corner DDT, but Braun hits him right in the face and drops him again.
Sami gets up again at 6, but Braun gets a running start and smashes Sami in the corner. They do a sequence where Strowman completely decks Sami with a lariat, but Sami is courageous enough to get up at the 4 and 5 count. Unfortunately, he keeps getting dropped every time he tries to get up. Makes for good drama, because the crowd is definitely getting behind him. After the commercial, they’re at the side of the stage brawling. Braun is throwing Zayn into anything nearby, screaming “HAVEN’T YOU LEARNED YOUR LESSON?!” God, Strowman would be a terrifying teacher.
Zayn is thrown to the backstage area, but he recovers and grabs a pipe. He whacks Braun with it, and throws him into the equipment case. Just as he’s building momentum, Strowman gets a counter. He tries to KILL Zayn by tossing a case over his prone body, but Sami moves and continues to fight against Braun. Sami holds a chair up over Strowman’s head, but Braun catches him and counters again. He eventually throws Sami Zayn into the background of the stage, but Sami fights back and grabs the chair again.
He hits a crossbody block onto Strowman, and both men go off the stage through the table. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…but Braun gets up! Zayn with another chairshot, but he GRABS THE CHAIR AND TOSSES ZAYN WITH IT. Corey Graves, who must be a Pantera fan, called this a “Vulgar Display of Power”. Zayn gets back up at 9, but he’s knocked back down. Strowman then starts interrupting the count to destroy Zayn further. He hits the Running Powerslam on the outside mats, and this time Zayn does not get up. Fun match, best of Braun’s career! **3/4 Stretcher job afterwards to really drive the point home.
New Day comes out for an interview, and declare themselves eligible for the Royal Rumble. This brings out…Titus O’Neil?! I love his New Day intro. Apparently, he wants to join the New Day…which goes over about as well as you think with the boys. The crowd is somewhat receptive to this. When Titus is rebuffed, he then challenges Xavier to a match…calling him the “weak link”. Oof.
Match #4: Titus O’Neil vs. Xavier Woods
Titus dominates to start, pounding Xaiver in the corner. Powerslam gets two, followed by a sleeperhold. Titus continues to jaw at the two New Day members ringside while holding Woods in a submission. He then tries tearing Woods’ face off! Titus misses a clothesline, and Xavier counters with kicks to the legs. He catches Titus with another kick to the face, and Titus is sent over the top rope.
Apparently, this was the part of the show where “Tye Dye Guy” was thrown out for looking too much like Hulk Hogan. So stupid of WWE to do that. Fans chant “Hogan” and forget about this match…which is convenient, because Woods catches Titus with the rollup for three. Eh…the promo was better than the match. *1/4
Bayley and Stephanie are backstage. They basically recreate the 2013 Daniel Bryan/Authority storyline, where Steph says that Bayley will never be the face of women’s wrestling. Steph then calls her “ordinary” to really drive the point home. Bayley says she belongs here, and that she’s simply “Bayley”…and that’s good enough for her. This leads to a #1 Contender’s Match vs. Nia Jax later tonight.
Match #5: Drew Gulak vs. Cedric Alexander
The comment Graves made about Byron scooping up Booty-O’s in the stands had me rolling. Chain wrestling and reversals to start, and Cedric his a monkey flip and an incredible dropkick for two. Drew hits a headbutt to the gut, and BODYSLAMS CEDRIC INTO THE ROPES. Gulak with a back body drop for two. Unique variation of the Octopus Stetch on the ground by Gulak. Cedric tries to fight back, catching Drew with a running forearm and a back elbow. Another wicked kick by Cedric. Tony Nese tries to interfere on Drew’s behalf, but Alicia Fox intervenes. As this is happening, Gulak catches Cedric with a quick one for the win! Short, but fine. *1/2
Match #6: United States Championship Match
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Chris Jericho (DQ/Count-Out Waived for Roman, meaning he can lose the title by pin, submission, c/o, or DQ)
Jericho catches Reigns first and sends him into the corner with rights. Roman counters with…you guessed it, a big clothesline. Samoan Drop gets two, as the battle of wits continue in the stands (“Let’s go Roman!” vs. “Roman Sucks”)…can’t they just be dueling chants without having to say someone sucks? Like…”Let’s go Roman vs. “Y2J” or something. I don’t know…I am not taking up for Reigns, but it just sucks that, seemingly, as long as WWE exists they will continue to have a #1 Babyface that is completely polarizing. I think the fans are craving for a universally loved babyface. They’ve not had one since Bryan. Anyway, rant over.
Reigns charges in the corner but Jericho kicks him in the mouth. Jericho smacks Reigns in the mouth with a dropkick off the top rope, but it only gets two. Jericho drapes Reigns over the ropes and puts a knee in the back of his head. He misses a dive attempt and gets caught in the ropes. Reigns regroups and drills him with the patented…clotheslines. Come on, Lex. Give me a comeback worth a damn. Jericho snuffs out another comeback with yet another dropkick to the chest. On the outside, Reigns goes for the drive-by but gets thrown face-first into the post. He comes back in at the nine-count! The finish is a classic Eddie Guerrero tribute: Jericho unties the turnbuckle and gets the ref to fix it.
While the ref is tidying things up, Jericho tosses Roman the belt and takes a dive. The ref is about to DQ Roman, but he has a change of heart. As this happens, Jericho catches Roman right in the face with a vicious Codebreaker. One, two, NO! Jericho kicks him a few more times in the corner, and charges towards Roman. He misses and hits the exposed turnbuckle! Reigns with a SPEAR! One, two, THREE! Reigns retains the title. You saw some of the spots coming, but it was still very good. ***1/4
Shot of Goldberg’s locker room. What, he can’t change with the boys? He must be embarrassed about passing on that Bar Mitzvah when he was 13.
Match #7: TJ Perkins vs. The Brian Kendrick
Kicks and European uppercuts by TJ Perkins early. Kendrick takes control with an awesome move…he takes control of an armbar, and holds the move while running to the outside. This propels TJ into the ropes and knocks him back. That was clever! Kendrick then hits a SWANK back cradle suplex for two. Kendrick tries to grab Perkins’ arms, but TJ gets out and hits him with some more kicks. Kendrick and Perkins fight on the top rope, but this leads to sweet hurricurana by TJ for two. Kendrick hits the facebuster into the ropes and goes for Sliced Bread #2, but TJ counters and hits the Detonation Kick! This leads to the Kneebar, and Brian taps in mere seconds! Again, good but short. *3/4 Ooo, a BROODING Neville is backstage watching all of this.
UK Tournament is coming soon to the WWE Network! Check it out, I know I will be.
Enzo and Cass are out to do their thing. I don’t know how he does it, but Enzo is still over even with the stupid wheelchair. Cass is out to fight both men, I guess.
Match #8: Handicap Match – Cass vs. Rusev & Jinder Mahal
Graves compares Enzo and Cass to “Krang” from TMNT. Honestly, I kinda looked at them like Bebop & Rocksteady. I mean, if we’re really being honest…they remind me of Chester and Spike. Boy, Mahal looks pretty…hmm…well, let’s just say he wasn’t drug tested before this match. Cass pounds Mahal in the corner, and then takes him to another corner to pound him. Blind tag to Rusev, and Cass has to fight them both off.
Cass hits a huge boot, but Mahal starts harassing Enzo on the outside. Rusev goes for the big kick, but gets blocked. Mahal starts to distract Cass, which leads to the big kick for Rusev. One, two….three? Wait, really? Just that one kick? What a crock of shit. * Methinks that Enzo is not in Vince’s good graces. You can hear it in Cole’s call…”There goes Enzo, running his mouth again.” Not a good sign.
Replay of Strowman vs. Zayn is shown.
Match #9: #1 Contender’s Match – Bayley vs. Nia Jax
Charlotte is on the outside for commentary. Bayley goes for the leg, but Jax powers her off. Bayley gets a headlock, and is sent to the top. She tries to counter but Jax powers her down. Nia hits the splash in the corner, and Bayley is just completely wrecked at this point. Nia gets Bayley in a pretty ugly camel clutch, but Bayley fights back with reverse elbows. Jax tries to take Bayley in the corner, but she’s thrown into the corner turnbuckle. This enrages her, so she runs full force into Bayley who moves out of the way. Jax sells an awesome crash landing into the corner post, and this gets a reaction from the crowd.
Bayley hits a knee to the face, and tries to go upstairs. Nia Jax pulls her down, and hits a wicked legdrop to the back of Bayley’s head. Jax goes to the top rope, but it’s BOSS TIME. Sasha comes out to distract Nia Jax, and Bayley hits an AWESOME Belly-to-Bayley for the miracle three-count! ** I liked it. I’m still not entirely sure if this could lead to a heel turn by Sasha on Bayley, but we’ll see.
Main Event Interview Segment – The Kevin Owens Show (w/Goldberg)
I don’t know why there is a guy behind this sign, but it’s kinda hilarious. The cheesy table set-up with chairs for KO and Jericho are great too. Owens talks trash and they high-five. Kevin Owens with a predictable, but great buildup for his introduction…to Chris Jericho! When the crowd turns on this, Jericho adds the ENTIRE CITY OF TAMPA BAY to The List!
Then Jericho declares himself an entrant to the Royal Rumble. Ooo, KO does not like this. Before they can work this out, here comes DA’ MAN! Goldberg comes out to massive chants from the fans. Man…again, I can’t say it enough. Having the old WCW music is such a crucial piece of the presentation.
Goldberg comes out and tells Jericho that he’s first. Kevin asks Bill to take a seat into a kid’s lawn chair, which is promptly thrown out. Goldberg and Kevin Owens go face-to-face, but Paul Heyman comes out to interrupt! No Brock with him. Fans are livid. Heyman is interrupted by Roman Reigns, who goes face-to-face with Goldberg.
Braun Strowman interrupts and declares himself to be the winner of the Royal Rumble. I like the idea of putting these guys in the ring to sell the Rumble. DOUBLE SPEAR TO STROWMAN outta nowhere. Goldberg celebrates as we go to credits.
Good first show of 2017! They’ve got a lot of time to build. I dug this show.
Five more join the Royal Rumble match
Five more WWE Superstars have signed up to enter the 30-men over-the-top-rope Royal Rumble match on January 29, sending the total number to seven so far.
Joining Goldberg and Brock Lesnar will be Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods of The New Day, as well as Chris Jericho and Braun Strowman. Kofi, for the past several years, managed to came up with creative ways to stay in the match after being thrown over the top rope while Strowman has the chance of being this year’s monster who throws the most Superstars out of the Rumble.
WWE usually leaves some empty spots for surprise entries and this year should be no different. Last year only one surprise entry made the list, AJ Styles.
Alberto El Patron and brother arrested in Austria following fight
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is carrying a story that originally appeared in the Austrian tabloid website Krone.at about Alberto El Patron and his brother Guillermo getting arrested over the weekend after a show on Friday night in the country.
The two brothers got into a fight with a local guy who ended up hospitalized due to the injuries he suffered. Police were called in and transported the two to a police station. After arriving at the police station, the two then started fighting each other, resulting in Alberto knocking out his brother cold. The 30-year-old Guillermo was then also taken to the hospital.
The report says that 10 police officers had to separate the two and eventually put Alberto El Patron in zip ties, zip ties that he eventually got out of easily. The only way to slow the former WWE champion down was to cuff his feet with shackles. Police officers originally tried to cuff El Patron but his hands were too large for the cuffs, which is why they used the zip ties.
Due to the fight between the two brothers, there was damage to the property at the police precinct as well as some blood spatter. Charges were filed against the two for assault and property damage but were released on bond and allowed to leave the country. The charges were forwarded to authorities in both men’s place of residence.
Alberto’s brother Guillermo wrestles as El Hijo de Dos Caras for the International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) promotion in Mexico.
Raw Women’s title match set for the 2017 Royal Rumble
The Raw Women’s title match for the Royal Rumble was set last night on Raw with current champion Charlotte defending the gold against number one contender Bayley.
Bayley won the right to face Charlotte after she defeated Nia Jax on the show thanks to some interference from fellow Four Horsewomen member Sasha Banks.
The white belt has flip-flopped hands several times over the past several months, with Charlotte and Sasha Banks trading three different wins each since their feud started in July. Ever since it was introduced at WrestleMania 32, the title has seen only two champions, but seven different title reigns in total.
Paige shows up backstage at Raw in Tampa
Former WWE Divas champion Paige was photographed entering the Amalie Arena in Tampa and was backstage at Raw however it looks like she has already departed. Paige was accompanied by Del Rio.
The young Brit has been in a fair share of trouble with her employer lately, failing a WWE Wellness Program test twice and her relationship with the man formerly known as Alberto Del Rio has raised many eyebrows. Paige recently underwent neck surgery and cannot wrestle for the next few months and is believed that she was at the arena to get checked by the WWE medical team. It has been a while since Paige was present at a live WWE event, dating back to her first Wellness violation in mid-August.
She was first suspended on August 18 for failing to undergo a surprise test because she was away and didn’t notify her whereabouts in time. She then underwent neck surgery in late September, before being popped the second time for a Wellness violation on October 10, this time for using a banned substance.
Ever since she started dating Del Rio, Paige had one of the biggest falls from grace within the company and her attitude and personal behavior dropped her further below in the women’s division.
ESPN’s Peter Rosenberg to host new show on WWE Network after Raw tonight
A new show on the WWE Network will debut tonight following Monday Night Raw hosted by ESPN radio host Peter Rosenberg.
The show is titled Bring it to the Table and will see Rosenberg being joined by Paul Heyman and John “Bradshaw” Layfield to debate controversial WWE topics. It’s scheduled to start at 11:08PM EST with a 30-minute running time.
It’s not clear if this will be a one-off or a regular show going forward on the WWE Network. Rosenberg – who has hosting duties on Hot 97, ESPN 98.7 FM, and the Cheap Heat podcast – is a huge WWE fan and was recently on the TLC pay-per-view Kickoff panel.
Goldberg on the first Raw of 2017 tonight
The first Raw of 2017 will start with a bang as former World Heavyweight champion Bill Goldberg will be appearing on the show to continue the build-up to the Royal Rumble.
Goldberg was the first man to throw his name in the 30-men over-the-top-rope Rumble match the day after the Survivor Series. After Goldberg announced his intentions to step in the ring again, Brock Lesnar also joined the Rumble, and so far they are the only two names which have been revealed to be part of the match.
The only match announced for tonight’s broadcast is a last man standing match between Braun Strowman and Sami Zayn.
New Orleans to host WrestleMania 34
New Orleans is getting the biggest pay-per-view of the year again as WWE has selected the city to host WrestleMania 34 next year.
The news was broken by ProWrestlingSheet.com and later confirmed by other sources. The last time WWE held WrestleMania in New Orleans was three years ago, where Daniel Bryan won the WWE World Heavyweight title. That night was also a memorable one, with the opening segment featuring Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock, and it was also the scene of the end of the Undertaker’s streak.
It’s very rare that WrestleMania goes back to a city so quickly after it had already hosted a previous WrestleMania, but New Orleans was a major hit with traveling fans due to the party atmosphere.
An announcement will be held very soon and a press conference is expected next Monday when Raw will be in New Orleans.
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, which hosted 75,167 fans for WrestleMania XXX, will obviously be the site for WrestleMania while the Smoothie King Center will host the Hall of Fame, Raw, Smackdown, and NXT.
Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker to appear on January 9 Raw
Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker are being advertised to appear on the January 9 Monday Night Raw in New Orleans, Louisiana. WWE.COM also added their graphics on the event page.
Shawn Michaels had been rumored to be part of the Royal Rumble for quite some time now since the show is happening in his home town of San Antonio, Texas. AJ Styles originally wanted HBK for a match but the WWE Hall of Famer has said that he had no interest in wrestling again after his retirement match against The Undertaker several years ago. His involvement at the Rumble is still a mystery at this point.
The Undertaker returned to WWE television on the November 15 episode of Smackdown which happened to be the 900th one. He said that Smackdown is his home and that he won’t be defined anymore by WrestleMania, suggesting that he would be making more appearances on television throughout the year.
NBCUnivesal extends talks with Charter, USA Network still on the air for now
NBCUniversal has extended its talks with Charter Spectrum, averting a blackout of their channels for Charter Spectrum cable subscribers which was supposed to start today.
The blackout, which would have effected millions of homes, would have meant that USA Network, which carries all WWE programming, would not be available for those subscribers. WWE embarked on a social media campaign involving its popular Superstars to call Charter and demanding that they want their channels.
“Negotiations with Charter Spectrum for the NBCUniversal portfolio of networks have been extended,” NBCUniversal said in a statement. “We will continue to negotiate in good faith so that Charter Spectrum customers can continue to receive NBCUniversal’s valuable networks and we hope to be able to reach a deal.”
TNA Impact Wrestling viewership overview for the year 2016
TNA Impact, now airing on POP TV, drew an average of 311,000 viewers for the year 2016, down from the 327,000 average of 2015. The show lost the majority of its audience compared to 2014 and 2013, where the average was 1.15 million and 1.26 million respectively.
Jumping to different networks and different days did not help TNA much. Ever since being dumped by Spike, the show went into a downward spiral and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
For 2016, the show surpassed the 400,000 viewer mark just once, with the July 5 episode that saw the much-hyped Broken Matt Hardy vs Jeff Hardy match at the Hardy compound in Cameron, North Carolina. That show pulled in 410,000 viewers, its best since May 2015. Impact had 14 episodes which did over 350,000 viewers, six episodes which failed to break the 250,000 mark and one episode which didn’t do 200,000.
The September 22 episode of Impact was the second most-watched show of the year with 377,000 viewers tuning in. That episode featured the Delete or Decay match between the Hardy brothers and The Decay, also filmed at the Hardy compound. The August 26 show also pulled in a good number, 373,000 in total, for a show headlined by Ethan Carter III vs Drew Galloway with the winner becoming the number one contender for the TNA title.
The Thanksgiving edition of Impact on November 24 was the least-watched show of the year, drawing 165,000 viewers, which was expected for a holiday. The December 22 show, which was a Best of episode, also drew a very low number, 209,000. The February 23 and June 14 shows were the least-watched non-holiday, first-run shows, drawing 210,000 viewers each.
You can see the weekly viewership chart below.
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