John Cena has been pretty busy lately and his out-of-the-ring activities have kept him away from WWE. But the wait will be soon over as the 15-time World champion will be making his WWE return on the December 27 Smackdown, live from Chicago.
Cena was last seen in a WWE ring at the No Mercy pay-per-view this past October, participating in a triple threat match for the WWE title against Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles.
Following that match, Cena went on to film season two of American Grit, the reality TV series for FOX and also hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time ever this past weekend.
Cena is no longer working a full-time schedule with WWE but is expected to be part of the lead-up to the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.
We may have a WWE World Championship Match tonight on Smackdown!, as James Ellsworth may be wrestling WWE World Champion A.J. Styles! Can the little man (Ellsworth, for the record!) upset A.J. for the fourth time? Or, despite, Styles’ injury, will he still remain WWE World Champion? Or will “The Phenomenal One” even wrestle or find a way out?
The Women’s Championship scenario is also “hot” right now, with Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch battling it out. What’s next for the fierce rivals?
These two major stories and more, so read on!
Tuesday Night Smackdown! Live TV Report for December 13th, 2016 – “Pretenders and Contenders”
Introduction Segment: Backstage Promo
Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan are watching the ending to last week’s Smackdown! with the Intercontinental Championship Match between Dean Ambrose and Champion The Miz.
James Ellsworth is in the room and appears sick. As Shane and Daniel are berating him for his interference in the match above, he keeps sneezing and coughing. They decide that James is unable to compete against A.J. Styles for the WWE World Championship tonight, so he sneezes on them and walks away.
Segment #2: Video Promo and Arena Promo
The regular Smackdown! Live video plays and then we go to the ring, where Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Maryse are. They gloat and then invite their guest to the ring, WWE World Champion A.J. Styles. They both make fun of James Ellsworth and Dean Ambrose until “The Lunatic Fringe” marches to the ring. He is backed up by Dolph Ziggler, who jaws at both Styles and Miz., and then the four fight until Luke Harper appears!
They are booked to wrestle in a Fatal-4-Way later tonight
Commercials.
Segment #3: Office Promo
A.J. walks in, displeased at Bryan and McMahon. They tell him what’s what, and he storms off.
Match #1: Single – Natalya VS. Carmella
(Note: Nikki Bella is on commentary, and Nattie tries to convince her that Carmella is lying about Natalya attacking Nikki.)
This begins as a brawl between the two.
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Natalya snap-suplexes Carmella and then slaps her, yelling at her “you’re a liar!” Natalya hits her in the corner, but Carmella counters and hurricanranas out of it. She mudhole-stomps in another corner and then locks on a leg-scissors. Natalya works her way out, but Carmella turns it into a grounding-guillotine choke! Natalya powers out into a scoop-slam, and then tries The Sharpshooter; Carmella fends her off, but is given a baseball-slide afterward!
Nattie faces-off with Nikki, and then shoves Carmella to the ring apron. She jaws at Nikki and then turns around to pick up Carmella, but “Fabulous” turned her into a small-package for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Carmella
Commercials.
Segment #4: Backstage Promo
“Fluffy” – a famous stand-up and television comic – is walking through the hallway and stops to chat with Apollo Crews. I.C. Champ The Miz and Maryse interrupt, and childish jokes ensue. Miz walks away to get ready for his Fatal-4-Way.
American Alpha and The Hype Bros make their entrances for the Battle Royal!
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Match #2: Tag-Team Battle Royal – American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordon) VS. The Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder) VS. The Ascension (Viktor and Konnor) VS. The Vaudevillians (Aiden English and Simon Gotch) VS. Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) VS. Heath Slater and Rhyno
(Stipulation: #1 Contender’s Match for the Tag-Team Championship)
Simon Gotch is tossed first! The rest fight it out for a while until Viktor, Chad, and Rhyno are dumped, with Rhyno being hit accidentally by Heath!
Commercials.
The battle (no pun intended) continues, with Aiden hitting the floor, officially eliminating The Vaudevillians. Fandango is also out, along with Mojo.
Winners and NEW #1 Contenders: The Hype Bros
Up next, Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss will be wrestling!
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Segment #5: Video Promo
A montage in black-and-white of Baron Corbin airs.
Match #3: Single – ? VS. Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss (Non-Title)
Prior to the bout, Alexa says she doesn’t “do ‘charity cases,’” and then harshly forearms her opponent.
Winner: None due to No Official Start
Post-match, Becky Lynch walks out. She challenges Alexa to a Women’s Championship Match right now. Alexa denies, until Commissioner McMahon changes it up, and makes this match happen!
Commercials.
Match #4: Single for the Women’s Championship – Alexa Bliss (Champion) VS. Becky Lynch (Challenger)
They circle each other, with Becky trying to grapple Bliss. They lockup and Lynch armdrags, and goes for her Disarmer submission, but Alexa escapes to the ropes. Becky waistlock-slams Bliss a couple of times and then gets a two-count. She runs in the corner and springs, but Alexa counters with a kick. She misses a double-kneedrop and gets rolled-up but kicks out at two!
Lynch hits a couple of clotheslines and then a forearm in the corner. she goes for her Disarmer again, but The Champ makes it to the ropes again! She soon rolls to the floor and appears to have hurt her knee; she hobbles around the ring, taking a count-out.
Winner via Count-Out: Becky Lynch (but STILL Women’s Champion, Alexa Bliss)
Post-match, Becky charges out and begins another fight; Alexa gets the better, and then hops away again.
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Match #5: Fatal-4-Way – Dolph Ziggler VS. Intercontinental Champion The Miz VS. Dean Ambrose VS. Luke Harper (Non-Title)
(Note: WWE World Champion A.J. Styles is on commentary.)
Harper dismantles Dean and Dolph, and then uppercuts Miz and gives him a Michinoku-Driver! He kicks Dean, but Dolph comes back and he and Dean double-team Luke.
Miz soon takes over after DDT-ing Dolph, and then front-dropkicking both Harper and Ambrose. He kicks away at Dolph in the middle of the ring, and then hits two dropkicks before getting clotheslined and bulldogged by Dean!
Luke regains dominance, working over Ziggler mainly for a while.
Commercials.
Dolph and Dean are now wrestling, with Miz gone and Harper resting on the outside. Ambrose traps Dolph in the Regal-Stretch and then snap-suplexes him. They trade pin combinations and then double-crossbody each other. Harper plants Dean with a tornado-sidewalk-slam, and then Ziggler with a sit-down powerbomb, both for near-falls! Dolph and Ambrose double-team Luke shortly after, and Dean pins him for an elimination!
Ambrose and Ziggler are left; they go back-and-forth until Miz appears at ringside. He gets their attention, but they both take him out. Miz holds on to Dean’s ankle, and then Dolph superkicks Ambrose as he gets back in. Ziggler covers and receives the victory!
Winner and #1 Contender to the WWE World Championship: Dolph Ziggler
We go to a promo from Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann, putting himself over. A.J. and Dolph gab at each other to close the show.
Monday Night Raw slipped in the ratings compared to last week, with the show from last night getting an average of 2,758,000 viewers, down 218,000 viewers from the December 5 episode.
Hour one started with 2,929,000 viewers, then went down to 2,713,000 viewers, before closing the night with 2,632,000 viewers. Raw saw a drop of 297,000 viewers from hour one to hour three. This was the least-watched Raw since the October 31 episode. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Booker T formally announced his intentions to run for mayor of Houston, Texas earlier today, with the election set for 2019 and not 2020 as stated before.
“My love for our city and my desire to be a positive change agent for Houston is not new, in fact, it has been a significant motivator in my life for decades,” the press release stated. Booker also noted how he had a difficult upbringing, from losing his father before his first birthday and his mother at the age of thirteen, struggling in poverty and the life of crime he chose at the time.
“The choices I have made have provided me with an opportunity to live a truly privileged life as a global personality for World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., and have afforded me the honor of acting as an ambassador for our community. Houston, Texas, is my home and regardless of the city, state or country, I may find myself in around the world, I honor my bond with our community and represent Houston to the best of my ability,” the statement continues.
Booker said that in the coming weeks and months ahead he will be making additional announcements regarding his campaign and the team and vowed to fight for the voters of Houston just as hard as he fought for himself and his family over the past 30 years.
Matt Hardy sent “formal invitations” to several tag teams on Twitter for the Apocalypto match that will air this Thursday on Impact on POP. The only problem is that the match has already been taped and some of those “invited” had no chance in hell of showing up at the Hardy compound.
Hardy sent invites to The Day of New, The Family of Wyatts, The Man with 3 Hs & The Kid who Breaks Hearts, The X Degenerates, The Express that Rocks & Rolls, Bautista and the Obsolete Evolution, and The Connection of The Rock & Sock. Out of all the invites, only Ricky Morton of The Rock & Roll Express accepted and Bray Wyatt replied to Hardy telling him that he knows where to find him.
“I do. And if #BrotherNero & I have to come there to make this MANDATED war happen, WE WILL,” Hardy replied back to Wyatt.
The Apocalypto match is part of the Total Nonstop Deletion episode of Impact which according to those who saw a preview of it, will blow everything TNA did before away. The whole episode was taped at the Hardy compound in Cameron, North Carolina a few weeks ago after it was delayed due to funding issues.
Hey! It’s time for another Raw…this is the go-home show before Roadblock. We have the debut of Emmalina tonight, as well! What are we waiting for?! LET’S DO THIS.
We open LIVE from Philly…and we’re not wasting any time! It’s the moment of truth for The New Day.
Match #1
Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match
The New Day (c) vs. Gallows & Anderson vs. Cesaro & Sheamus
Xavier says that tonight is for everyone that’s cheered for the New Day, and everyone who’s been part of their journey. This includes his Grandma, who’s no longer with us. This gets a respectful response. Kofi says it’s time for the other teams to come out and allow New Day to take their place in history. Holy cow…there’s a locker room celebration ready for New Day if they win. THERE’S UNICORN BALLOONS! Where do you even get those things? I just hope that the celebration room doesn’t jinx them.
Kofi and Sheamus to start. Kofi headscissors Cesaro, and he cartwheels out of it. Cool. From a seated position, Cesaro literally muscles Kofi up for a suplex. Sheamus tags in, and after a double-team move, Sheamus tries an axe handle off the top for two. Kofi hits a dropkick into the New Day corner and tags in Big E. They double team Sheamus, but they’re unable to make the cover. Anderson comes in and hits a hard lariat on Kofi for two. Gallows tags in and this is some SERIOUS gaijin violence. Out of the commercial, Anderson has Kofi in a sleeper hold. Kofi breaks out but gets immediately laid out for two.
Gallows tags back in and hits a boot. This is followed by a double team running elbow. Big E tries to come in, but he gets laid out too. This isn’t looking good for New Day. Gallows tries a suplex on Kofi, but gets thrown into Cesaro and dropkicked. Sheamus tags off of a prone Kofi and is a HOUSE OF FIRE. Irish forearms to Gallows, and a powerslam gets broken up by Big E. MAGIC KILLER but Cesaro breaks up the pin at TWO~! Cesaro gets another hot tag and is the second HOUSE OF FIRE tonight! 619 (?!) followed by the double boot, cross body on Anderson gets one, two, TH-NO! Giant Swing into the Sharpshooter on Anderson! Xavier breaks up the pin, but Cesaro knocks Big E for a loop.
Sheamus and Cesaro hit their finish, but Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise OUTTA NOWHERE for the pin! We have NEW TAG TEAM CHAMPION…RECORD HOLDERS! I loved the Demos when I was a kid, but New Day deserve it. Good stuff at the end. ***
Rollins Report is tonight with Kevin Owens. Nothing could go wrong there, right?
Cole announces that over 7,000 hours of content is now available on the WWE Network. They’ve got nearly 50-100 thousand hours that will probably never be seen. For example…WCW toss-offs (Pro, Thunder, Saturday Night). Personally? I would love to see that.
Tonight…BEHIND CLOSED DOORS featuring Rusev and Lana. Gross.
Party Time! The Champs are here! The New Day show up to a hero’s welcome backstage. Stephanie makes a toast to the longest reigning WWE Tag Team champions, and Xavier gets champagne in her eyes…uh oh. Enraged, Stephanie knocks a bowl of Booty-O’s into the air, killing the party dead. She always makes it about her, doesn’t she?
Recap of Strowman vs. Zayn from three weeks ago. Zayn wants a match tonight…OR ELSE!
Match #2
Braun Strowman vs. Curtis Axel
Before the match, Stephanie gets a towel while Kevin Owens asks for a minute. That boy is scheming up something. Corey Graves calls Axel “Paul Bunyan” as Strowman completely destroys him with one shot. Axel tries to make a comeback, but gets clotheslined in midair. Strowman hits an inverted power bomb (from the wheelbarrow position) for the finish. Talk about a demolition. 1/4*
Byron pees his pants in the ring while trying to interview Strowman, and appropriately Braun yells at him. Apparently, nobody can last with him for two minutes. You sure it isn’t the other way around, big boy?
After the match, Sami Zayn confronts Mick Foley and says he has the power to give Zayn the match, but Foley won’t do it. Foley says Zayn’s career is at stake, and he’s sure Zayn cannot beat Strowman. Zayn makes it known he wants to leave Raw, and Foley tells Sami that he’ll make a call to Bryan and set up a trade. So this is where it ends, eh? I still could see this simmer down the road…like Zayn eliminates Strowman in the Royal Rumble or something.
Match #3
Ariya Daivari vs. Lince Dorado
Dorado wears a cape to the ring. Any man who makes an entrance with a cape is bound to have a malfunction. See Dragon, Ultimo. Daivari with a headlock to start, followed by an armbar. Dorado counters with a headscissors and a heel kick. Byron says, “Dorado was once a 7th Grade Teacher.” Corey says, “Did he wear the mask to class, Byron?” Corey is winning me over. We continue the match as JACK GALLAGHER comes out and grabs a microphone, announcing his intentions to do a run-in! Crowd loves it. This guy has a Daniel Bryan feel to him. Fans dig him. Match ends in a DQ. Gallagher hits a drop kick as Daivari flies to the outside. What a weird thing. Wasn’t even a match, really.
Seth Rollins is on his way to the ring.
Rollins comes out to a great cheer from the Philly crowd. This is the Rollins Report. He wants Triple H. He wants Chris Jericho, too. He wants to know if Kevin Owens is going to get involved with their match next Sunday. This brings out Kevin Owens…who then walks to the back. He returns with a stool and sits from a distance. Rollins rips on him for sitting so far, and Owens rips the show apart. Rightfully.
Rollins asks how things are going with Y2J. Owens starts to spin things, but Rollins interrupts and brings the conversation back to Jericho. Owens interrupts HIS interruption to say that he and Jericho will have each other’s back this Sunday. They bicker like fourth graders, and KO says that New Day have another title defense tonight against Owens and Jericho. Whoa.
This brings out Jericho, who asks if Owens really thinks that he would team with him again. Owens tries to sell him one more time on the Tag Title shot, and Rollins starts pushing both their buttons. He calls Jericho and Owens “Bon Jovi and Meatloaf”, and the crowd erupts in laughter. Jericho threatens and says SETH ROLLINS, YOU….are going on the disabled list this Sunday.
They both come down ringside and destroy Rollins outside the ring. Jericho slaps him around as KO holds him. Reigns comes out for the save, but he gets dropped too. Rollins and Reigns clean house, as Owens saves Jericho from the Pedigree. Reunited and it feels so good…
Interview with Rich Swann leads to recap from last week’s finish to 205 Live. TJ Perkins got involved and The Brian Kendrick lost his stack. Triple threat match is announced for Roadblock. Kendrick arrives and gives Swann some food for thought, which brings TJ out. He calls Kendrick out to the ring for their match.
Match #4
TJ Perkins vs. The Brian Kendrick
Perkins refuses a handshake to start, and then tries to kick his head off. Kendrick takes advantage with armbars and a shoulder tackle. TJ misses a wrecking ball drop kick as we go to commercial. After the break, Kendrick has the advantage with a headlock. Kendrick tries the Captain’s Hook but TJ counters with a kick. TJ mounts some more offense, and dropkicks Kendrick in the legs. Perkins hits the dropkick from the Tree of Woe, and follows this up with a dropkick off the top for two. TJ Perkins is to dropkicks as Scott Steiner is to suplexes. Perkins tries the chickenwing, but Kendrick counters with a suplex for two. Kendrick tries another Captain’s Hook, but TJ gets him in the kneebar submission. Kendrick gets the ropes and posts TJ. Kendrick hits Sliced Bread #2 for the win! Like Michael Scott’s breath…good, not great. *1/2
Rollins and Reigns are backstage with Foley. Mick gives both guys a chance to get in the Tag Team championship main event. That means New Day has to go through two triple threat matches to retain their titles. Holy smokes.
Recap of Banks vs. Charlotte feud. Come on guys, call it an “Ironwoman” match. Bayley is backstage hugging everyone. Jeez, get a grip, kid.
Match #5
Bayley vs. Alicia Fox
This is over a Bayley Bear. God help us all. Bayley with a headlock to start, and brings Fox down. Bayley smashes Fox with a running back elbow. Fox finally mounts some offense with a scissors kick for two. Fox hits a suplex, followed by a Northern Lights suplex for two. She looks lost on offense. Belly to Bayley finishes outta nowhere for the win. 1/2*
Rusev and Lana are on their way to the ring.
We come back with “Behind Closed Doors” with Lana, who introduces Rusev. That new entrance isn’t working, Alex…sorry, bud. Rusev declares that last week, he “TOOK OUT AN AMERICAN TRASH.” Good, he’s cleaning up after himself. He says the “G” in “Certified G” stands for garbage. Rusev then says, “After I took out the garbage, Lana and I did our thing…you know what I am talking about!”
Rusev warns everyone that the footage is a little bit edgy. His Russian accent is fading. They both ask youngsters to cover their eyes. Then they recap last week’s hotel escapade. Apparently, that was the footage. Chorus of boos from the audience. Lana says that they wouldn’t show the fans what they do, and Rusev explains that the whole thing was a plan.
Big Cass shows up and says this isn’t the hotel room. He marches to the ring and Rusev attacks him. Big Cass gets the advantage, and the brawl spills to the outside. They’re beating the crap out of each other! Rusev gets a kick and tries to walk away, but Cass catches him. Rusev then throws Cass into the post and runs off with Lana.
Owens and Jericho are backstage. Owens is doing all the talking. Jericho stands up and says they need to concentrate on the Tag titles. Zayn is making his entrance.
…and apparently Emmalina isn’t debuting tonight.
Match #6
Jinder Mahal vs. Sami Zayn
This could be Zayn’s last match on Raw. Zayn with a dropkick early on, and hits a front flip into a clothesline. Mahal hits a hotshot and a running knee for two. Mahal with forearms, a back elbow, and a running dropkick to the back of the head for two. Mahal hits a kneedrop, and goes into a modified crossface. Zayn hits a clothesline and an exploder suplex into the corner. Zayn hits the Heluva Kick for three! Total squash match. 1/2*
Afterwards, Foley comes out and makes the trade to Smackdown official. Sami Zayn asks once more if he can have the match with Strowman, and Foley says no. Foley then announces that this trade is to a wrestler of equal value, which happens to be Eva Marie. Ouch. Zayn loses his mind, and says “I’M SICK OF PAYING FOR YOUR MISTAKES.” Foley then caves in after Zayn gets in his face and announces Strowman vs. Zayn in a ten-minute match for Roadblock..oh, and the whole trade this was a ruse. Whatever. This will probably play out like Dustin Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase from the early 1990s.
Recap of John Cena on SNL. He was great. Big Cass vs. Rusev is confirmed for Roadblock.
Match #7
WWE Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match
The New Day (c) vs. Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho vs. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins
At one point, Rollins and Reigns were fantastic tag champs. Go back and watch their pre-show match with The Usos from Money in the Bank 2013. Fantastic stuff. New Day plays it smart by having Xavier Woods in Kofi’s place for this match. One benefit of the “Freebird Rule”, no doubt.
Woods gets a headlock and a shoulder block on Rollins to start. Woods tries multiple sweep kicks and finally hits one, but then gets caught up in a neckbreaker for a one-count. Reigns gets the tag, and Woods tags in Big E. BIG DOG VS. BIG E. Reigns gets the early advantage, countering the shoulder block and hitting a clothesline for two. Jericho tags in as Owens beats up Big E in the corner. Owens and Jericho celebrate in the corner.
Owens comes in the ring and beats down Big E for a two-count. Owens hits shoulder blocks in the corner and tells Kofi to shut up. This guy doesn’t miss a single detail, I swear. Jericho comes in and slaps Big E around. Jericho grinds his forearms into Big E’s face, and hits a rolling back elbow off the top for two. Jericho tags in KO, who hits a senton bomb for two. Owens misses a clothesline, and both men clothesline each other. Woods comes into the match and catches Owens with a forearm. Woods hits a dropkick as Owens is draped over the middle rope. One, two…no! Jericho distracts Woods and Owens catches him on the top rope. Owens goes to hit a superplex, but Jericho joins him to help. Rollins runs around the corner, as Reigns and Big E come under the four guys at the top. SUPER SPLASH MOUNTAIN! We go to commercial.
After the break, Owens has Woods in a sleeperhold. How many times have we come back from commercial and there’s two dudes in a sleeperhold? Mix it up, guys. Owens misses a senton and Woods looks for the tag. HOT TAG to Big E, who catches Jericho in a belly to belly suplex. Make it two. Make it three. Rollins tags in while Big E doesn’t pay attention, hitting a running dive to Jericho on the outside. Then Reigns tags in Rollins during a high knee from the top rope. Reigns hits the power bomb on Jericho for one, two….no! Superman punch to Owens, but Jericho rolls up Reigns for two! Walls of Jericho attempt and Woods tags himself into the match. Woods hits an incredible top rope elbow, launching the length of the ring to hit Reigns! One, two, NO! This is getting good.
Reigns gets up and catches Woods with a right. They exchange haymakers and Rollins makes the tag. Great double team move by Rollins and Reigns gets two! Rollins climbs to the top rope, and Jericho stops him in his tracks. Lionsault on Woods gets a CLOSE two! Jericho puts Woods in the Walls of Jericho. The longest tag reign of all time is on the line! Woods tries to roll up Jericho, but only gets two! Woods gets sent to the outside, and when he’s brought back in, Owens and Jericho hit a double team Codebreaker, but Rollins breaks up the pinfall by pushing the teammates into each other!
DISSENSION between Jericho and Owens! Rollins hits the Pedigree but gets pulled to the outside. Woods rolls over! ONE, TWO, THREE! HISTORY! The New Day do the impossible and win TWO triple threat matches with their titles on the line. Great stuff. ***3/4
After the match, Owens stands over Jericho…asking, “What the hell, man!” Owens and Jericho bicker at each other like quarreling lovers one last time, and Reigns catches Owens with a spear as Jericho walks away.
Roadblock could be great! Don’t miss it. See you next week!
The New Day broke Demolition’s 478-day record as Tag Team champions after they successfully defeated Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows and Sheamus and Cesaro in a triple threat tag team match for the titles on Raw and later in the broadcast in another triple threat tag team match defeated Owens and Jericho and Reigns and Rollins.
The celebrations started immediately following their win in a backstage segment with several WWE stars, employees, Raw GM Mick Foley and Commissioner Stephanie McMahon. Unfortunately Xavier Woods sprayed champagne all over McMahon and you can imagine how that ended.
This is The New Day’s second title reign with the titles, having previously won them from Tyson Kidd and Cesaro at Extreme Rules in April 2015. Their first reign came to an end two months later to The Prime Time Players at Money In The Bank however the trio regained the titles at SummerSlam in August 2015 in a fatal four-way tag team match. They have been champions ever since and the two reigns combined bring the total number of days to 525 and counting.
Demolition has three title reigns to their accomplishments. They won their first titles at WrestleMania IV in March 1998 beating Strike Force. They held on the titles for 478 days, losing their titles to The Brain Busters on an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event in July 1989. Ax and Smash regained the titles three months later on an episode of Superstars in October 1989, beating The Brain Busters for their second reign. Their second reign only lasted 72 days as they lost the titles to The Colossal Connection on an episode of Superstars in December 1989. Demolition, now joined by Crush as well, won the titles again at WrestleMania VI in April 1990, defeating The Colossal Connection for a third reign that lasted 148 days. This was their final reign, losing out to The Hart Foundation in August 1990 at SummerSlam. Over the three reigns, Demolition has a total 698 combined days as champions.
Randy Orton spoke for the first time publicly about the fight that happened backstage between Chris Jericho and Brock Lesnar after the SummerSlam main event, where he ended up in a pool of blood following two vicious elbows to the head by Lesnar which cut him wide open.
Talking to Sports Illustrated, Orton noted that his family was ringside and Jericho knew that and he wanted answers “as to whether my best interests were in mind as far as my health and safety.”
The former champion added that he doesn’t think that Jericho wanted to start a fight with Lesnar but he went to make sure everything went according to the plan.
“It’s unfortunate that in that small space, with the dozen bodies in there, somehow that leaked and everybody knew about it. That’s very unfortunate. It was blown way out of proportion, and Jericho just wanted to check on one of his fellow boys in the locker room,” Orton said.
In the rest of the interview with SI, Orton also discusses his appearance tonight on USA Network’s original series Shooter, John Cena, and working with the Wyatt Family in the current storyline. You can read the interview in full at http://on.si.com/2gvV3LK.
WWE taped 205 Live yesterday prior to Monday Night Raw so tonight’s broadcast will not really be live.
The reason why the taping was held yesterday is because tonight, apart from broadcasting Smackdown live, WWE will also tape the Tribute to the Troops episode which airs tomorrow night on USA Network.
The double tapings take place in Washington, DC at the Verizon Center. Several of Raw’s top stars will also be appearing on the Tribute to the Troops show tomorrow.
During a non-televised live event in Lowell, Massachusetts last weekend, Kevin Owens had an exchange with a little kid who was wearing a Roman Reigns shirt and the kid’s mother is now crying foul over Owens’ behavior.
In full heel mode, Owens saw the kid when doing his entrance and told the kid to go buy a Kevin Owens shirt instead. Then he changed his mind and told him he doesn’t ever want him to wear his shirt and not to touch him as the kid was about to give him a high-five.
“My heart is shattered. What started off as an amazingly awesome night ended in my 7 year old being completely heartbroken,” the mother wrote. The mom continued on her Facebook post writing that they go to many WWE events and none of the wrestlers ever did something like Owens did, calling him a jerk.
According to the mom, after Owens lost to Reigns, Owens walked back up to the kid and told him that, “I am your father.” The mother didn’t get it and wrote “…which made no sense but with the sudden movement and loudness made all of us jump and my son almost fell of his seat.”
She continued to exaggerate the whole thing and added that her son is crushed and cries when they talk about it. “I can’t believe a wrestler would actually treat a 7 year old fan this way. Shame on you Kevin Owens and WWE.”
Meanwhile, Owens addressed the situation on Twitter, posting a photo of him lying face down on the entrance ramp and writing, “A wrestler told my son not to not to touch him. I’m completely heartbroken…Well, not really but if I complain maybe I’ll get free stuff!”
Dave Meltzer of the Observer is reporting that veteran indie star Chris Hero will be heading back to WWE after a failed first stint between 2011 and 2013.
The 37-year-old Hero wrestled in Florida Championship Wrestling as Kassius Ohno and then on NXT as well where he was part of the class which included Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, Corey Graves, Leo Kruger, Derrick Bateman, Neville, and others.
Ever since leaving NXT, Hero took the indie scene by storm and wrestled all over the place. He is considered to be one of the best independent wrestlers who has not been signed to a WWE deal yet.
Hero, after the reports came up that he was going back to WWE, went on Twitter and wrote, “I can’t help but to be disappointed by irresponsible journalism.”
The trailer of the eighth installment of the Fast & The Furious franchise, titled The Fate of the Furious, was unveiled yesterday in Times Square with all the cast – including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – present.
Johnson reprises his role as DSS agent Luke Hobbs but this time he finds himself in a maximum security prison, along with one of his arch rivals Deckard Shaw, played by Jason Statham. The plot revolves around Cipher, a criminal played by Charlize Theron, who recruits Vin Diesel’s character to turn on his crew, causing a round-the-world race by his “family” to get him back.
Jerry “The King” Lawler, who recently found himself out of a television job from WWE, said this weekend that he will still be hosting the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony and he intends to sign some kind of new deal with WWE when his current one expires in the beginning of 2017.
Lawler, who was talking on Sports 56 WHBQ in Memphis, added that it was Kevin Dunn who informed him he was getting axed from the pre-shows due to a cost-cutting measure. The WWE Hall of Famer also said that Vince McMahon called him to reassure him that he will still have a place in the company in some form.
The WWE Hall of Famer has been working full-time with WWE since 2001 and in his first stint he was there from 1992 to 2001, making him one of the longest-serving employees of the company.
Raw General Manager Mick Foley wrote on his Facebook that he is trying to help Joanie “Chyna” Laurer’s mother to regain control of her estate following her untimely demise.
Foley noted that Chyna had been estranged from her mother for much of her adult life including her full WWE run, however the two became very close in the months leading up to her death.
He added that there’s not much Chyna owns, “but Chyna’s mom is attempting to do the right thing by allowing whatever personal effects she did leave behind to stay with the family and not with her manager.” There were rumors that her manager, Anthony Anzaldo, was fired by Chyna before she passed away but he still controlled everything. He was the one who discovered her dead body back in April of this year.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T announced during his radio show on Sportsradio610 that he will be running for mayor of Houston in 2020.
“You heard it, 2020 I’m preparing. I’m preparing myself to run for mayor of the city,” Booker said.
There have been many wrestling stars in the past who tipped their hat in the political scene, perhaps no bigger name than Jesse “The Body” Ventura who was elected Governor of the state of Minnesota. And starting next month, a WWE Hall of Famer will be in the White House as President of the United States and former WWE CEO Linda McMahon will be running the Small Business Administration under Trump’s team.
“Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” And with those words, John Cena will kick off his SNL hosting gig tonight.
This will be the first time that Cena will be hosting the popular show on NBC and the gig is not the easiest one for anyone since all the skits are done live. However, Cena has the upper edge in this department as he’s used to performing in front of thousands of fans live on television every week at WWE live events.
“This has been a goal of mine, to perform with elite performers in a medium that is not my shtick,” Cena said, adding that he wants to be able to say that he gave it his all, that he was creative enough to add something to the broadcast, but humble enough “to know, hey, this ain’t my house.”
The 15-time world champion is not the first WWE Superstar to host SNL throughout the years. Hulk Hogan was the first one to host SNL in the lead-up to WrestleMania I with Mr. T and then The Rock hosted the show during the height of the Attitude Era. A couple of other WWE Superstars joined The Rock on the broadcast that night, including Triple H and The Big Show. The People’s Champion went on to host SNL a total of four times so far.
Saturday Night Live airs on NBC starting at 11:30PM EST.
Former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes is the newest member of the Bullet Club. The announcement came at the NJPW World Tag Team Finals which took place yesterday and Kenny Omega, the leader of the group, was tasked with the reveal.
A very good promotional video was shot to reveal Cody’s addition to the group. “You know me as the son of a plumber, you know me as Dashing, and the Prince of Dark Matter. The star that left them in the dust,” Cody says as he is sitting down smoking a cigar. He then revealed his new nickname.
“Is the world ready for the American Nightmare?” he questions, before putting out the cigar on a Wrestle Kingdom 11 logo, suggesting that he will make his NJPW debut on the annual show which takes place on January 4 at the Tokyo Dome.
The Elimination Chamber pay-per-view set for February 12 will be a Smackdown-only event. The show will take place at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona with tickets going on sale on December 16.
The general assumption now is that someone from the Raw brand will be winning the Royal Rumble. During the first brand split, the winner of the Elimination Chamber match got to be the number one contender for the other title that the Rumble winner was not challenging. This will be the last Smackdown pay-per-view prior to WrestleMania.
Dave Meltzer of the Observer is reporting that Tom Casiello, WWE’s head writer, was fired by the company yesterday. In a post on Twitter, Casiello wrote that “it’s all good” and “I believe they call this feeling weightless.’”
Casiello has been writing since 1998 on shows such as Another World, As The World Turns, Days of Our Lives, One Life to Live, and The Young and the Restless before joining WWE in April 2011.
In December 2015 he was promoted to his latest position where he oversaw the writing teams of all original shows for WWE, as well as multiple projects for the WWE Network, WWE Publications, long term stories through the year, and scripts for all weekly televised programming.
Casiello is a two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner for his writing on As The World Turns in 2001 and 2002.
Challenge, the TNA broadcaster in the United Kingdom, announced that the final TNA show on their network will be on Sunday, January 11 at 9PM.
Leading up to the final show, Challenge will also air a One Night Only special tomorrow at 11PM, Best of 2016 special on Sunday, December 18 at 9PM, Explosion back-to-back final episodes on Saturday, December 31 at 9AM, and a Hardy Boyz special on Sunday, January 1 at 9PM.
Challenge, which is owned by Sky, announced several weeks ago that they would stop broadcasting TNA come January 2017. TNA is still without a new home in the United Kingdom, one of their largest markets.
