Smackdown will have a guest star next week as actor Ryan Phillipe will be joining to show to promote his television series Shooter which also airs on USA Network.
Phillipe was joined by Randy Orton on the latest episode of Shooter which aired earlier this week on USA. Orton filmed his scenes while he was out injured. This will be the second time that Phillipe will be guest starring on a WWE broadcast as he previously appeared on Raw to promote the MacGruber show.
WWE is once again integrating celebrities on their broadcasts and they’re also filling the PPV Kickoff shows with them as they join the panel.
Tribute to the Troops on Wednesday did a total of 1,383,000 viewers, the lowest number of viewers for a Tribute show so far. The number was good enough for third place on the top 50 cable chart in the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
In a article written by Bret himself for Sports Illustrated, the former 5-time WWE champion provided an update on his health following his battle with prostate cancer.
“My health is really good now. On my last visit with my doctor, he told me my PSA level was zero and I’d had a one-in-ten recovery. He said I was a miracle,” the 60-year-old Hart wrote. Bret said it was very difficult to go public with the diagnosis but hoped that his coming out would encourage other men to get checked. “The key to beating this disease is early detection with regular PSA-level testing. All men over the age of 40 should get their PSA levels checked. All that entails is a simple blood test.”
And while his cancer is now gone, the situation with his hand is not as good. Hart had wrist surgery in late 2015 and the surgeon who operated him severed a nerve by mistake, costing him the use of his finger and thumb in his right hand. “It’s been devastating because I love to draw and I love to write, and I now have trouble even holding a pen or signing an autograph. I’m using my middle finger now to write, so I don’t have the same control I used to have. Doctors are still trying to figure out how to help my hand.” Contact Mantality Health if you have any men’s health issues.
In his article for SI.COM, the Hall of Famer also touched on his departed parents, the Hart Foundation, Owen, and dreaming of wrestling Kurt Angle. You can read it in full at http://on.si.com/2gVoL1H.
Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com is reporting that Mick Foley will not be appearing on WWE television for the rest of the month and will be back on the first Raw of 2017 which falls on January 2.
Foley has not been suspended according to WWE and a statement given to PWS reads, “Mick is taking time off to spend the holidays with his family and do his volunteer work as Santa. He has not been released or fired.” Foley was part of one of the most heated exchanges on television last week with Sami Zayn, then granting him the match against Braun Strowman for tomorrow’s Roadblock. His time off means that we will not see the fallout from that segment, at least not until he’s back.
As all of you know, Mick Foley is a big Christmas fan and does a lot of work as Santa.
The Total Nonstop Deletion episode of Impact disappointed in the ratings, with 329,000 viewers tuning in, just an increase of 26,000 viewers from the previous week. The episode was hyped for a long time and was expected to at least bring in similar numbers of previous episodes filmed at the Hardy compound. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Insert the usual “another show already?!” comment – it’s time to look ahead to this Sunday’s final WWE PPV of 2016, and the second Roadblock of the year.
Yes, WWE’s recycled the name of March’s pre-WrestleMania Network special, and they’ve stuck “End of the Line” onto it to make sure we’re not confused. Much like NXT’s “TakeOver: The End of The Beginning”, the tagline suggests that we’ll be starting some new chapters after this show, with one particular match currently set to conclude a long-running storyline.
WWE Universal Championship: Kevin Owen (c) vs. Roman Reigns
Intriguingly, Roman’s United States championship isn’t on the line here, which creates a real chance of Roman leaving as WWE’s version of Connor McGregor. Except in recent weeks, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the US title has been retired, given how often Roman forgets to wear it. Or mention it… This is Reigns’ first big shot at the title since his Wellness suspension earlier in the year, and yes, they’re still persisting with Roman as the next big thing, in spite of crowd reactions. Logically, there’s no way Roman’s getting the belt on a throwaway show – this is the sort of PPV they’d take the belt off of him on (see Sheamus at TLC 2009; or even Alexa Bliss earlier this year!). This’ll be a win for Kevin Owens, which ties into our next match… Prediction: Kevin Owens
Number One Contender’s Match: Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho
I’d expect the Royal Rumble to be where this match is “cashed in” on, and looking at the options, this should be fairly clear cut. If Seth wins, that telegraphs Roman Reigns as a “dream” match… if Jericho wins, that signals the break-up of the best friends will blow-off at the Royal Rumble. Of course, not everything online is true, but Jericho is supposedly heading towards the end of his latest WWE run; which would mean that appearing in the Royal Rumble would be a waste, especially when they can spend that time building up to a high profile match instead. Plus, you can sort-of get away with a heel vs. sort-of-heel match when you’re headlining with the Royal Rumble… Prediction: Chris Jericho
30-Minute Iron Man Match for WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte
Tagged as the last match in the feud, WWE has two choices – end the Charlotte winning streak on PPV, or risk killing Sasha’s credibility… Had WWE not already done this last month, this could have been a fine match to main event with, especially had they advertised it as such. As it is, this just feels like one match too far in a feud that has up to now seen Sasha portrayed as someone who is capable of beating Charlotte… just not on the bigger stages.
For me, the winner of this match wholly depends on what’s going to happen next. At Survivor Series, they strongly teased Charlotte vs. Bayley in a feud that’s since been forgotten about. If Sasha wins, there’s no obvious next challenger, unless Emmalina’s given the Gail Kim push, which isn’t a bad thing, but also would be bad for that new character’s longevity. Of course, this could end in a draw, which serves both masters: keeps Charlotte undefeated, and keeps the title on Sasha. So I’m going to sit on the fence. Prediction: Draw
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Rich Swann (c) vs. TJ Perkins vs. The Brian Kendrick
Classic modern-day booking here, as the first, second and third champions have wins over each other, and should therefore create some degree of intrigue for this match. This may well be the first test of how effective 205 Live has been as a standalone show… but be warned, the PPV is in Pittsburgh, a city notorious for not reacting. Having another title change so soon after Kendrick dropped it would make no sense, but then again I can see WWE swapping the title back given that Swann’s win was done to create a memorable end to the start of 205 Live’s debut. Either way, turning the belt into a hot potato this early in its life isn’t going to be good… so I’m going for a successful defence. Prediction: Rich Swann
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) (c) vs. Sheamus & Cesaro
New Day have their record… so now we can easily slip back into booking as usual for WWE. Had Sheamus and Cesaro only just been formed, I could easily see WWE swapping the titles here. That’s not to say they won’t here, but a part of me feels that the title change won’t come so soon after the record was smashed. Most of the tag teams on Raw have been beaten handily, and that leaves the New Day almost in an Undertaker-like situation – you want the team to beat the streak to be memorable, and not some throwaway act that’ll dissolve weeks later. Simply for that reason, I’m going for the New Day to retain, ahead of a future dethroning… Prediction: New Day
Ten Minute Challenge: Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman
Officially added on the go-home Raw for this show, Sami Zayn finally got his wish to face Braun Strowman after Mick Foley trolled him by saying he was going to be traded to SmackDown for Eva Marie. Yeah… this isn’t going to be a standard match, with Sami Zayn “winning” if he can pin Braun… or make him submit… or if he lasts ten minutes. Given that Braun’s been on a tear, save for that Survivor Series spot where James Ellsworth caused for his elimination, I don’t see him squashing Zayn, but I can see them teasing going to the time limit, only for Braun to get his win. Prediction: Braun Strowman
Rusev vs. Big Cass
This pre-show outing comes as a pay-off to a polarising storyline that saw Enzo Amore get beaten within an inch of his life for trying to sleep with a married woman. Yeah… As a match, Cass winning does nothing for either guy, nor should they bring back Enzo unannounced, so the only result that we should see is Rusev going over. Prediction: Rusev
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Ian Hamilton has been a wrestling fan since 1992, and when he’s not watching WWE, New Japan or his latest wrestling love, PROGRESS, he’s usually suffering through Sunderland AFC and the New York Jets. He’s got a couple of books out on Amazon – “Wrestling’s Sinking Ship” and “Gone Too Soon”, and can be reached via his website, BackBodyDrop.com, or on Twitter @theianhamilton
Tickets for the NXT Takeover: Orlando went on sale to the general public this morning at 10AM EST. The event will happen on the eve of WrestleMania at the Amway Center.
Ticket prices for this show are $25, $35, $45, $55, $75, $95, and $125 for floor seats and the majority of the arena will be used apart from the section behind the stage. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.
NXT Takeover: Orlando is expected to be the hottest ticket in town during WrestleMania weekend and usually tickets for Takeover shows held at the major pay-per-view weekends are very hard to get, especially on WrestleMania weekend.
This show will take place on Saturday, April 1, swapping days with the Hall of Fame which is usually on the eve of WrestleMania while NXT is on Friday. The reason for the swap is to cut costs on crew and staging since once the Hall of Fame is done, the arena is transformed and pretty much stays the same for NXT, Raw, and Smackdown that will follow.
Ticketmaster is returning zero results when searching for tickets for the two-day WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament, and while the event looks to be sold out, other tickets might be available on third-party websites for a higher price. Prices were £16.50 and £27.50 for regular tickets and £55 for a VIP ringside ticket.
Announced yesterday, the tournament will be held at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool on January 14 and 15 and will feature 16 of the best British talent from the independent scene with Michael Cole and Nigel McGuinness calling the action.
The format will be similar to the Cruiserweight Classic tournament however this tournament will be airing live on the WWE Network at 8PM local time, which is 3PM EST. The winner will get the beautifully-designed WWE United Kingdom title.
Tonight TNA will air one of the most hyped episodes of Impact with Total Nonstop Deletion, an episode completely shot at the Hardy compound in Cameron, North Carolina.
Details of this episode have remained largely a secret. Matt and Jeff Hardy will defend their TNA Tag Team titles in a revolutionary match titled Apocalypto, a falls count anywhere elimination match featuring past and present tag teams that are not necessarily under a TNA deal. Other matches include Eddie Edwards vs Bobby Lashley, and Matt Hardy’s son King Maxel also makes his debut!
Those who had a glimpse of the final product called it a crazy broadcast and POP TV are marketing tonight’s episode as “the biggest Impact Wrestling event of all time.” All the craziness starts at 8PM EST on POP!
– Episode five of season six of Total Divas drew a total of 556,000, down just 7,000 viewers from last week’s episode. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
If Brock Lesnar has the itch to return to the Octagon, he has to wait at least till mid-next year as the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) earlier today issued former UFC and WWE Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar a one-year suspension following two failed drug tests related to his UFC 200 bout against Mark Hunt. The suspension is retroactive so his earliest return is July 2017.
Apart from the one-year suspension, Lesnar will pay a $250,000 fine and his win will be struck off the record and changed into a no contest. His MMA career now has a record of 5-3-1. The $250,000 fine is just a small part of the $2.5 million payout he received from the UFC for his three-round fight with Mark Hunt.
The mayor of Suplex City failed twice on the anti-estrogenic agent Hydroxy-clomiphene, administered by USADA on June 28 and then on the night of fight, July 9.
Zack Ryder is currently in Birmingham, Alabama and it looks like he is undergoing surgery following his knee injury during the Smackdown broadcast two days ago.
Ryder’s injury occurred when he attempted a Rough Ryder, and while his team The Hype Bros won the match, their tag team title opportunity against the Wyatt Family might not come now if he’s sidelined.
“We think he injured his kneecap or his patella. We think it popped out and then popped back in,” said WWE’s Dr. Chris Robinson following the broadcast.
Ryder wrote on Twitter, “Flew to Birmingham, Alabama this morning…and not for a vacation.” Birmingham is the home of the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, where the majority of WWE Superstars go to get their shoulders, arms, knees, and legs repaired.
UPDATE: Zack Ryder just tweeted, “Getting knee surgery 2day & missing #RogueOne…but everything happens for a reason…I’ll be back…WrestleMania 32 was just the beginning!”
Former Ring of Honor commentator, match-maker and TNA star Nigel McGuinness will get his first WWE job as a commentator for the WWE UK Championship tournament.
The 40-year-old Brit, now residing in Los Angeles, has been a fixture on the independent scene, working for ROH and other smaller indie promotions before going to TNA.
In 2009 he was supposed to start with WWE however he failed a physical test and the deal fell through. He returned to TNA after that under the name of Desmond Wolfe but his career came to an end in 2012 after he contracted hepatitis B.
McGuinness will be calling the action with Michael Cole, who introduced him at the press conference earlier today as the newest member of the WWE broadcast team. There were rumors that he was about to start as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center before this whole UK project came to life.
John Pollock from Live Audio Wrestling is reporting that TNA co-founder Jeff Jarrett met with officials from Anthem Sports & Entertainment last week although no specifics from this meeting were revealed.
Anthem now is the company which is pumping money to keep TNA alive and pretty much is considered the majority owner of TNA for all intents and purposes.
Pollock says that as of today, there’s no agreement for Jarrett to return to TNA although him returning is not out of the question at this point. Jarrett mainly met with the man who’s running day-to-day operations at TNA, Anthem Executive Vice President Ed Nordholm.
Jeff Jarrett had quite a history with TNA, first co-founding the company with his father in 2001, then resigned in 2012. In 2015, while still a minority owner, he returned for a few weeks to promote his Global Force Wrestling company. Jarrett’s return came with a price though as he sold his minority share to Dixie Carter.
WWE has announced the creation of a brand new championship – with a two-day, 16-man elimination tournament being held to crown the inaugural WWE United Kingdom champion.
London’s O2 Arena played host to a press conference announcing the tournament, to be held on Saturday and Sunday January 14th and 15th, 2017. Michael Cole, Triple H, William Regal and Finn Balor were all present for the announcement, which included a tip-off from Triple H confirming that WWE had been working with companies like PROGRESS Wrestling out of London, Kent’s Revolution Pro Wrestling, ICW from Glasgow, Scotland and Dublin’s Over The Top Wrestling for this next stage of their “content and development strategy”.
Former Ring of Honor commentator and match-maker Nigel McGuinness was a surprise announcement as the co-host of the two-day tournament alongside Michael Cole. McGuinness had only just left ROH earlier this week from his storyline role, and there had been speculation over him taking a role with the WWE Performance Center.
No word was given on what would happen after the tournament, or whether the winner would automatically become a part of WWE or NXT, or whether the belt would just float around “WWE-friendly” promotions in the UK. It’s worth noting that the announcement of this tournament comes after British talents had been reportedly offered contracts with WWE – where WWE would pay a retainer, whilst getting first-refusal on dates (and a rumored ability to reject proposed bookings). Given that this comes against the return of ITV’s World of Sport – whose pilot airs in the UK on New Year’s Eve – it’s clear to see that WWE are finally taking steps to scoop up talent before they’re tied down to potential ITV deals, should the World of Sport reboot be picked up and turned into a touring show.
In addition, Triple H announced that WWE intends to create a weekly show based in the UK, with the WWE UK title as its centerpiece – much like how 205 Live was spawned from the Cruiserweight Classic, only without the awkward few weeks of purple ropes on Raw.
During the press conference, William Regal announced the following names for the tournament:
PROGRESS World champion, PROGRESS tag team champion and OTT champion Pete Dunne (Birmingham, England)
PROGRESS tag team champion and CHIKARA Campeonatos de Parejas (tag team) champion Trent Seven (Wolverhampton, England)
Jordan Devlin (a native of Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland; a stand-out in the OTT Wrestling promotion)
Insane Championship Wrestling champion Wolfgang (Glasgow, Scotland)
Tucker (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
After the press conference, all sixteen competitors appeared on-stage, adding the following names to the list:
T-Bone (Worcester, England)
“Bodyguy” Roy Johnson (London, England)
Joseph Conners (Nottingham, England)
James Drake (Blackpool, England)
Dan Moloney (Birmingham, England)
HC Dyer (Peterborough, England)
Chris Tyler (Northampton, England)
Ricky McKenzie (Blackpool, England)
Jack Starz (Leicester, England)
Tiger Ali (Swindon, England)
Saxon Huxley (Hartlepool, England)
Ringo Ryan (Liverpool, England)
The tournament will be held at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England, and both nights will air live on the WWE Network at 8pm GMT (12 noon Pacific, 3pm ET). Tickets are on sale now via livenation.co.uk
Smackdown this week drew 2,361,000 viewers, down from last week’s 2,479,000 viewers. This is the second week in a row that the viewership decreased for Smackdown. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
W-O reader Geoffrey attended the NXT live event last night in Sydney, Australia and sent in the following results.
Akira Tozawa defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas; Billie Kay and Peyton Royce defeated Liv Morgan and Aliyah; Oney Lorcan defeated Wesley Blake; DIY defeated The Revival; TM-61 defeated Tino Sabatelli and Riddick Moss; Asuka defeated Ember Moon; Shinsuke Nakamura, Buddy Murphy, and Tye Dillinger defeated Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe and The Drifter.
Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, and Asuka got the biggest pops of the night while The Drifter and Patrick Clark – who challenged Lorcan after his match against Blake, got the biggest heat of the night. The main event was swapped from a 4-way match for the title to a 6-man tag match which didn’t go over well with the crowd.
This was the final stop of the tour in Australia and everyone is already back in the United States.
A photo that Big E posted on Twitter got some negative reaction with racism involved following the photo – which includes The New Day, Rich Swann, and Sasha Banks all posing with their titles – was tagged with the hashtag #BlackExcellence.
“It does not come from a place of malice, spite, or gloating. It comes from a place of joy and a place of happiness,” fellow New Day member Kofi Kingston wrote in a reply to the criticism. Kofi said that they all have a very strong sense of pride in being a group of black people simultaneously holding championships in WWE.
“Historically in our nation, there was period in time where this would not have happened, followed by a long period of time where it became possible, but had not actually materialized. Now, we are in the time in which the possibility has become a reality,” he added.
Kofi wrote that this matters because while some find it hard to accomplish things because of the skin of their color, nothing is impossible and you can always reach your goals. “We are a shining example who want to be a source of motivation for others to believe in themselves and do the same,” Kingston said.
Regarding the hashtag used, the tag team title holder said that black excellence is not meant to me supremacy or divisive. “For even if you do not fall into the specific category, you can still take enjoyment in our pride, because in the biggest picture, in a society that often focuses on the negative aspects of race relations, what has transpired with the 5 of us speaks positively to the progress we’ve made as a nation,” he concluded.
WWE will be airing Tribute to the Troops tonight on USA Network, a show that was taped yesterday in conjunction with Smackdown Live from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.
This was a dual-brand show with Michael Cole, JBL, and Byron Saxton on commentary and both Stephanie and Shane McMahon doing the introductions. Former Raw ring announcer Lilian Garcia was brought back to sing the national anthem to kick things off.
Taped matches for tonight include The Shining Stars vs Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs Golden Truth vs Sheamus and Cesaro; Apollo Crews vs The Miz; American Alpha and Dolph Ziggler vs Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, and Luke Harper; Dana Brooke vs Bayley; Rich Swann, TJ Perkins, and Jack Gallagher vs The Brian Kendrick, Drew Gulak, and Tony Nese; Roman Reigns and Big Cass vs Kevin Owens and Rusev.
The WWE Superstars spent the whole day with the troops around the DC area and visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Coast Guard Station Washington, and Home of the Commandants. You can see several photos of the Superstars with the troops courtesy of the Defense Video Imagery Distribution System below.
Total Divas returns tonight for episode five of season six on E! at 8PM EST with an episode titled Mother of the Groom.
The synopsis for the episode reads, “Maryse and Mike panic when their home is invaded, cultural differences cause a family feud as Lana, Rusev and his mother argue over whether their wedding should be in Malibu or Bulgaria, and Renee has a meltdown when the Bellas visit her and Dean Ambrose in Vegas for the first time.”
The show has not faired well in the ratings compared to previous seasons and is pulling on average around 100,000 less viewers than season five.
