Nashville Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle will be hearing the temporary injunction case against TNA today at 1PM EST according to the Davidson County Chancery Court website.
It’s highly unlikely that a final decision will come today, although if the court sides with Billy Corgan, that means TNA under the leadership of Dixie Carter is over. As previously stated, Corgan entered into an agreement with Carter and TNA where if the company was insolvent or defaulted on payments, he would take complete control by getting Carter’s percentage, which currently stands at 92.5.
Despite the financial situation that the company finds itself in, it seems that Billy Corgan wants complete control regardless and looks like he is willing to pump in more money once he takes over. MCC Acquisitions, owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, gave TNA a big financial injection late last month which is listed as a capital loan. Anthem already has a minority stake in the company and has also offered to repay Corgan the money he invested in TNA to go away.
Corgan took over day-to-day operations and given the title of TNA President this past August although final decisions are all made by Dixie Carter.
The Undertaker made a rare appearance at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ opening night championship celebration last night, showing up in his full wrestling gear for his first public sighting since WrestleMania.
Taker was accompanied by Dana and Mattigan Warrior, the wife and daughter of the late WWE Hall of Famer The Ultimate Warrior at the Quicken Loans Arena and all of them met the Cavaliers team. Super WWE fan LeBron James sported an Undertaker t-shirt during one of the practice sessions last season during the NBA finals and then wore an Ultimate Warrior t-shirt when he got off the plane with the NBA title.
Taker’s appearance got several publicity on sports websites. A few weeks ago several photos surfaced online of the Undertaker walking with crutches after undergoing some sort of hip surgery. The crutches were absent yesterday and he was seen walking normal.
The remaining documents of the lawsuit between Billy Corgan and TNA were unsealed yesterday, shedding more light over what happened between the two parties. The documents were obtained by Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com.
The documents revealed that Billy Corgan twice saved TNA from being taken over by Aroluxe, the production company which TNA works with, run by the Harris twins. TNA had a deal with Aroluxe which is similar to what they have with Corgan now, where if TNA defaulted on their payments, Aroluxe would get control of the company.
“On or about August 11, 2016, Impact Ventures again needed funds to continue to operate and to avoid immediate foreclosure or all of its assets by Aroluxe. Specifically, the company required funds to pay Aroluxe so that Aroluxe would proceed with its production of TNA Impact Wrestling episodes upcoming in August,” the lawsuit states.
Carter then entered into a similar agreement with Corgan shortly after he bailed her. She pledged 100% of her equity in the company as a security if she defaults on payments to Corgan or if the company becomes insolvent. As things stand now, Carter owns 92.5% of the company while Aroluxe have a 5% stake and Anthem Sports & Entertainment has 2.5%.
Under the same agreement, Corgan would have complete authority over the company, firing and hiring anyone he wants and ability to control the day-to-day operations of the company without any outside interference. Through his attorney, Corgan informed Carter and TNA that he would be exercising his right for a takeover after Carter had to take a loan from MCC Acquisitions, owned by Anthem, to run Bound For Glory and the week-long tapings that took place afterward.
Corgan is also claiming that Carter and TNA Chief Financial Officer Dean Broadhead told the talent at Bound For Glory that they were negotiating with WWE for a takeover although the two denied saying that when discussing with Corgan.
A hearing is set for today to see if the court will turn this lawsuit into a trial by jury as Corgan is requesting, extending his temporary restraining order and blocking any potential sale of the company, or certain assets, to other outsiders.
WWE World Champion A.J. Styles continues to get messed around by Dean Ambrose; will this happen again tonight or will he find a way to turn the tables?
Becky Lynch is back in action and in two weeks, puts her Smackdown! Live Women’s Championship up for grabs against Alexa Bliss, on November 8th. Will the “Irish Lass Kicker” be in the house tonight, and if so, what will she have to say? How will Bliss respond?
The Miz and Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler are keeping on with their rivalry; what will be the next chapter?
Since there are no Smackdown!-exclusive Pay-Per-Views before Survivor Series on November 20th, will we start to see which wrestlers be on the Smackdown! Live teams that are going against Raw’s teams at the annual “fall classic?”
Read on to find out!
Tuesday Night Smackdown! Live TV Report for October 25th, 2016 – “Twisting and Turning To ‘Survive’”
Introduction Segment: Video Promo
A recap of last week’s Smackdown! Live with the WWE World Championship on the line is shown. The announcement from Talking Smack! that Dean Ambrose and WWE World Champion A.J. Styles will wrestle tonight, where if Dean wins, he earns a WWE World Championship Match is also played.
Segment #2: Locker Room Promo
We see Dean Ambrose immediately chatting with an assistant. James Ellsworth joins and wants to be in Ambrose’s corner tonight; Dean actually denies him the opportunity and James looks disappointed.
Match #1: Single – Bray Wyatt VS. Kane
(Stipulation: No Disqualification Rules)
They both slug away to begin and then Kane whips Bray off of the ropes. He hits Wyatt with a clothesline, but Bray comes back with punches and a clothesline. Wyatt hits back some more but Kane punches. He climbs the turnbuckle, but changes his mind and they both fight on the outside. Bray grabs a steel chair, but Kane throws him into the steel steps. “The Big Red Machine” tears off the cover of the announcer’s table, but The Wyatt Family’s video plays and Luke Harper is suddenly standing on the table! He boots Kane and then hits him with a discus clothesline!
Commercials.
“The Eater of Worlds” is in control until Kane hits him with a big boot after Bray posed. Kane follows with a running-DDT and then a diving clothesline from the top turnbuckle! Harper pulls Bray out of the ring, but Kane follows and punches Luke off of the apron. Bray takes advantage of the distraction but can’t take this overall. He signals for Sister Abigail, but Kane counters with a Chokeslam-try. Bray kicks him and runs off the ropes with a semi-crossbody!
Harper re-enters, but Randy Orton’s music plays and he charges down! He fends off Luke, and then he and Kane setup Bray. Suddenly, Randy R.K.O.’s Kane! Orton slides out of the ring as Bray looks on in disbelief and then covers Kane for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Bray Wyatt (with Wyatt Family member Luke Harper)
Segment #3: Backstage Promo
WWE World Champion A.J. Styles is interviewed about his match with Dean Ambrose later tonight.
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Segment #4: Arena Promo
Smackdown! Live Women’s Champion Becky Lynch returns. She is “fired up” to be back, until Alexa Bliss interjects. She insinuates that there was something more to Lynch not competing a few weeks ago at No Mercy for the Smackdown! Live Women’s Championship. Alexa asserts that “this is no fairytale” and that she will come out on top.
Both start to brawl, and Alexa gets the better of it, and then sprays Becky on her back with yellow spray-paint.
Commercials.
Match #2: Tag-Team – The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) VS. The Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder)
(Stipulation: Survivor Series Qualifying Match)
The Ascension dominate most of this bout before Ryder and Rawley “hype-up,” and finish off Konnor and Viktor with their “Hype-Ryder” top-turnbuckle double-team.
Winners and Qualifying for Survivor Series: The Hype Bros
Segment #5: Backstage Promo
Randy Orton is questioned on why he turned on Kane; “if you can’t beat ‘em … join ‘em.”
Segment #6: Office Promo
General Manager Daniel Bryan is talking on his cell-phone when Natalya walks up. She wants to be Team Captain for the Women; Bryan makes it so the winner of her versus Nikki Bella will be the Captain; the loser will not be on the team at all, as there are many women competing to be on it.
Nikki makes her entrance for their match, next!
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Match #3: Single – Nikki Bella VS. Natalya
(Stipulation: Whoever wins is Team Captain for Survivor Series and the loser is not going to be a part of the team whatsoever.)
They lockup and trade a few moves, and then Nikki is yanked from the ring apron, face-first. Natalya follows with a discus clothesline and takes control in the ring. she covers a couple of times but can’t take this. She locks on an abdominal stretch, and modifies it by pulling on Nikki’s right leg. Bella reverses into a roll-up for a near-fall!
Natalya stretches Nikki again with a surfboard, but Bella reverses again. Natalya regains dominance quickly and twists her into a Sharpshooter! Nikki struggles and manages to clasp the bottom rope for a break! Natalya misses a jumping leg-drop, and Nikki gains some momentum. She hits Natalya with a springboard-kick, but can’t take this! Natalya plants her with a Michinoku-Driver! 1 – 2 – Nikki kicks out!
Natalya traps Nikki in another submission called “The Romero Special,” but Bella powers out and turns Nattie around into an STF, much like John Cena’s! Natalya soon gives-in!
Winner and Team Captain for Survivor Series – Nikki Bella
Post-match, Carmela attacks and plants Nikki with a sit-down facebuster! She mocks John Cena and Nikki with Cena’s “you can’t see me,” and walks away.
Segment #7: Backstage Promo
Ambrose is asked about Styles’ comments from earlier; Dean reminds A.J. that “payback’s a ‘female dog.’”
Up next, The Miz, Maryse, and The Spirit Squad will address Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler.
Commercials.
Segment #8: Arena Promo
The Miz, Maryse, and The Spirit Squad – Kenny and Mikey – strut to the ring. The Miz is still in a sombre mood because Dolph Ziggler is the Intercontinental Champion. Dolph interrupts and tells Miz he is ready to fight, so why not have a rematch for the IC title now!?
The Tag Team champions – Heath Slater and Rhyno – join, and Miz puts it to them to put their titles on the line against The Spirit Squad. Heath does try to give a reason, but Miz goats him into the bout.
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Match #4: Tag-Team for the Smackdown! Live Tag Team championship – The Spirit Squad (Kenny and Mikey) (Challengers) (with The Miz and Maryse) VS. Heath Slater and Rhyno (Champions) (with Intercontinental Champion The Miz)
(Note: Dolph and Miz are on commentary.)
Heath has Mikey locked in a grounding headlock; Mikey pushes Slater into The Spirit Squad’s corner, and then tags in Kenny. He works over Heath for a bit, and then aides Mikey in a moonsault! 1 – 2 – Slater raises his shoulder! Kenny is back in and prevents Heath from getting the tag, and then switches with Mikey again. He whips Slater off of the ropes, but Heath hits back with a smacking-knee! Mikey tags in Kenny, but Kenny is unable to stop Slater from making the hot-tag to Rhyno!
“The Man-Beast” cleans house until he is distracted and rolled-up by Kenny but only for two. On the outside, Miz and Dolph argue loud enough,
Segment #9: Backstage Promo
Ellsworth tries to convince Dean again to be by Ambrose’s side; “The Lunatic Fringe” relents and agrees.
Commercials.
Match #5: Single – WWE World Champion A.J. Styles VS. Dean Ambrose (with James Ellsworth)
(Stipulation: If Ambrose wins, he gets a WWE World Championship Match.)
Dean mudhole-stomps A.J. in the corner right away, and then hits him with a running-kick. He punches Styles a few times in the corner.
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They are in the midst of trying a test-of-strength, and then A.J. continues to control. Dean gets some drive with a Tope Suicida through the ropes and then a fisherman’s-suplex for two! “The Lunatic Fringe” turns A.J. over into a Texas Cloverleaf, but Styles manages to crawl to the ropes for a break. Styles
Commercials.
A.J. has Dean in the corner and props him up atop the turnbuckle. He sets up for a superplex, but Ambrose punches away. Styles headbutts and tries again, but Dean tosses him off and then rockets with an elbow! Both punch back-and-forth, and then Ambrose plants him with a neckbreaker for two! “The Phenomenal One” comes back with a springboard-reverse-DDT for a near-fall! A.J. hits Dean again, but “The Lunatic Fringe” hits back with a hard clotheslines, and then brings him to the canvas with a superplex!
A.J. turns a fireman’s-carry into his calf-crusher submission! Dean battles, slamming Styles against the mat, but A.J. holds on. Ambrose resists to the bottom rope. Styles baseball-slides James hard, knocking him out! Dean dumps A.J. to the floor, and then Ellsworth starts to wake up. He sees an opportunity and superkicks Styles! Referee Mike Chioda and Ambrose look on stunned, and then Chioda calls for the bell, signalling a DQ!
Winner via Disqualification: WWE World Champion A.J. Styles
(Note: Dean Ambrose does NOT get a WWE World Championship Match)
Dean and Chioda continue to look on in wonder, as Ellsworth appears extremely apologetic, and A.J. holds his WWE World Championship high to close the show.
End of Smackdown! Live.
Until next week’s Raw, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Fans!
The Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar match was officially announced today for the Survivor Series on WWE.COM.
The match has been a lock for quite a few weeks now and the company decided to go ahead and pull the trigger now instead of WrestleMania so it coincides with the release of the WWE 2K17 video game, where Lesnar is the cover Superstar and Goldberg was the pre-sale downloadable character.
The whole thing started on television when Goldberg appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter and said that he’d love another match with Lesnar. The next week on Raw, Paul Heyman issued a challenge to Goldberg, telling him to step out of fantasy and face the beast again. Goldberg accepted the challenge when he came back on Raw last week and fans in Denver gave the former WCW champion a dream return.
Lesnar and Heyman were supposed to reply to what Goldberg said on Raw yesterday however their segment ended abruptly.
The Survivor Series takes place on November 20 from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. It’s sponsored by WWE 2K17, Mattel, and Hulu.
Raw this week with the first televised appearance of Brock Lesnar since late August drew a total of 2,819,000 viewers, down 310,000 from last week’s show with the return of Goldberg.
Hour one drew 2,983,000 viewers, then 2,806,000 in the second hour, before dropping off to 2,669,000 in the third and final hour. This week’s number was on the upper part of what the show has been doing since football came back on television although obviously it’s not a great number. Raw was #4, #5, and #6 in the cable chart in the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
The Brock Lesnar segment on Raw last night seemed like it was cut short after what was designed to solidify Lesnar as the heel, the crowd turned on Goldberg and following a few pauses from Heyman, the WWE production team hit Lesnar’s music to end the segment out of nowhere.
Perhaps this outcome could have been predicted since the show was from Minneapolis, and Lesnar attended the University of Minnesota and has strong ties to the city. With some fans chanting for Goldberg, Heyman said that Brock didn’t come home so half the arena chants for Goldberg. That prompted quick “Goldberg sucks” chants which effectively killed the whole segment.
Heyman could be seen talking to Lesnar somewhat discreetly towards the end of segment and the cameras caught them a couple of times however quickly cut to crowd shots. After a whole minute of “Goldberg sucks” chants, Lesnar’s theme hit the speakers and Heyman threw the mic, with both exiting the ring leaving many scratching their heads as to what the purpose of this appearance was supposed to be.
WWE today announced that a new class of nine recruits, including a former NFL player, collegiate wrestler, U.S. Army veteran and talent from independent wrestling circuits, has begun training at the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
“WWE is constantly scouting the world for the most talented athletes and entertainers,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “This new class will have every opportunity to fulfill their dreams of becoming a WWE Superstar, as they train out of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.”
The new training class includes six men and three women.
The men are: Alvin Abitz from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, a US Army veteran who stands 6’6” and weighs 285 pounds; Theophilus Agbi from Brooklyn, New York, a former member of the NCWA All-American team in 2013 and 2015 and who’s 6’5” and 270lbs; Demitrius Bronson from Gilbert, Arizona, a former running back for the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins. He’s 5’11” and 215lbs; Tom Budgen from Amsterdam, Holland, an indie wrestler who goes by the name of Tommy End and who wrestled for ICW, PROGRESS, wXw, Evolve, PWG, and others; Chris Lindsey from Tampa, Florida, who is better known to fans as Roderick Strong. He already made his NXT debut. He was trained by Jim Neidhart and has more than 13 years of experience on the indie circuit; Damian Mackle from Belfast, Ireland, who trained with Finn Balor and WWE PC trainer Robbie Brookside. He wrestled for ICW, NJPW and TNA in the past.
The three women are: Sarah Bridges from Sellersburg, Indiana, better known as Crazy Mary Dobson. She has wrestled for ICW, wXw, and has trained out of the Kaientai Dojo in Japan; Taynara Melo de Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a 5’6” 125lbs black belt in Judo. She has participated in the 2016 Olympic trials in Rio; Victoria Gonzalez from Harlingen, Texas, another indie wrestler whose father, Ricky Gonzalez, worked with Shawn Michaels at the Texas Wrestling Academy.
The new class will join a group of more than 65 men and women training at the WWE Performance Center.
The regular Raw video plays, the pyro explodes in the arena of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and we are greeted by Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, and Corey Graves. They announce that Brock Lesnar will be in the building to answer Goldberg’s challenge for a match. As well, there will be a Triple-Threat Match between Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins, and Universal Champion Kevin Owens, albeit non-title.
Segment #2: Arena Promo
Chris Jericho walks out, and Cole says that Enzo Amore VS. Karl Anderson was to start off Raw. Jericho is in a dark mood tonight, as the triple threat match has been cancelled. This is due to the absence of “The List.” Chris’ many-weeks of jotting down who has offended him has gone. He vows not to let Raw go on until it is returned.
Universal Champion Kevin Owens joins him. At first, he says he “doesn’t care” about “The List,” but will stand by Jericho anyway. Commissioner Stephanie McMahon struts out; she sympathizes but needs the main-event to happen. Seth Rollins now saunters out, with his left arm behind his back. Jericho and Kevin yell at him to give “The List” back, and after Seth plays a couple of games, he reveals it. Rollins tries to cause tension between Chris, Stephanie, and Owens by saying that both McMahon and Kevin are on Jericho’s “List.” The trio in the ring don’t fall for it, but Seth moves on anyway;
Commercials.
Segment #3: Backstage Promo
Stephanie and Seth argue about the list and the potential loss of the triple threat match tonight.
Match #1: Single – Enzo Amore (with Big Cass) VS. Karl Anderson (with Luke Gallows)
(Note: Enzo and Cass try their usual intro, but Anderson and Gallows cut their microphones off. Cass and Amore do it anyway with the help of the fans!)
Karl kicks Enzo right away and then elbows him off of a run. He punches away in the corner, but Enzo turns him around and rapidly delivers some fists to Anderson’s gut. Enzo climbs the top turnbuckle but is distracted by Luke, and then dives off into a spinebuster by Anderson!
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Karl is still in control with a couple of vicious kicks. He is bleeding himself from his nose, but continues to work over Amore. He runs in the corner but Enzo pushes him away; Amore punches and ducks a clothesline, and then lands on top with a crossbody off of the ropes. Karl tries a suplex, but Amore hops down. Anderson rolls up Enzo, but both Cass and Gallows are on the apron. The referee goes over to Luke, allowing Big to boot Anderson. Amore punches and covers to receive the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Enzo Amore (with Big Cass)
Commercials.
Segment #4: Video Promo
Rusev warns United States Champion Roman Reigns what will happen to Reigns at Hell In A Cell this Sunday when they meet for the Championship inside the Hell In The Cell.
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Match #2: Tag Team – Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Big E.) (with Tag-Team Champion/New Day member Xavier Woods) VS. Cesaro and Sheamus
Kofi and Cesaro begin, trading twists until Cesaro uppercuts Kingston. The Tag-Team Champion leaps into Cesaro’s arms and is planted with a powerslam! Cesaro switches with Sheamus, and both double-elbow Kofi! Sheamus gives Kingston an uppercut and then throws him into the turnbuckle. He follows but Kofi moves and kicks Sheamus from the apron. Kingston puts Sheamus into The New Day’s corner and they double-team him with the Unicorn Stampede.
Commercials.
Cesaro and Sheamus are now dominating, double-teaming Kingston in the corner. Kofi works his way out into a roll-up, but only gets two! Sheamus holds Kingston on the apron and delivers “10 Beats of the Baron.” Sheamus tries to suplex or pickup Kofi, but the New Day member reverses into a small-package for a near-fall! Both Kingston and Sheamus tag-out, and Big E. slams Sheamus in the ring. the referee counts anyway, both for and against Sheamus, however neither get a three.
Sheamus jawbreaks Big with the ropes and then both Cesaro and Kofi are back in. They impressively counter each others moves and almost get falls out of them! Big and Sheamus conclude this; after Big tosses Kofi over the ropes, Cesaro counters Kofi with an uppercut, and in the ring, Sheamus Brogue Kicks Big E. to finish!
Winners via Pinfall: Cesaro and Sheamus
Segment #5: Locker Room Promo
Chris Jericho is still looking for “The List,” asking The Shining Stars (Epico and Primo), Titus O’Neil, and Jinder Mahal where it is. He doesn’t get a response, so walks away angrily.
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Match #3: Single – Dana Brooke VS. Bayley
Prior to the bout, Dana has taken umbrage with “The WWE Universe” calling her win over Bayley on last week’s Raw an “upset.” She is happy that she got a rematch, but changes it to an arm-wrestling match.
Match #3: Arm-Wrestling – Dana Brooke VS. Bayley
Brooke beats Bayley soundly, as Bayley has a hurt right shoulder.
Winner via Slamming: Dana Brooke
Post-match, Dana challenges Bayley again and quickly slugs her with a forearm. Bayley fights back with a Bayley-To-Belly Suplex.
Segment #6: Backstage Promo
Jericho is still searching for his “List;” Stephanie meets him and forces him to wrestle, or he will be suspended, whether or not he gets his “List.”
Commercials.
Match #4: Single – Curtis Axel VS. Bo Dallas
Before this, Curtis Axel claims he has been “reborn” and goes back to acknowledging his heritage. He cites his grandfather – Larry “The Axe” Hennig – and his late father, Curt Hennig, and their roots in Minnesota. He claims that he will show Bo Dallas what they are/were all about.
Curtis is aggressive early but Bo gets an upperhand. Axel reverses Dallas’ move into the Perfect Plex, a tribute to Curt Henning. 1 – 2 – Bo just kicks out. Dallas tries to shortcut, but Curtis fires himself back up. He uses another of his late-great father’s moves with the necksnap-snapmare and then knees Bo against the middle rope. Dallas quickly counters into a roll-up for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Bo Dallas
Segment #7: Video Promo
Highlights of the Cruiserweight Division are shown. Later tonight, Rich Swann will wrestle Brian Kendrick!
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Segment #8: Backstage Promo
An assistant tells Jericho that he has seen someone with “The List;” it is true, but in the hands of Braun Strowman. The big man does give it over, but wants Chris to put Sami Zayn on it. Jericho also adds Braun, since he had his property.
Segment #9: Video Promo
United States Champion Roman Reigns tells us what he will do to Rusev at Hell In A Cell and what the experience is like.
Commercials.
Match #5: Tag-Team – The Golden Truth (Goldust and R-Truth) (with Mark Henry) VS. The Shining Stars (Primo and Epico) (with Titus O’Neil)
This is an even bout for a bit until Titus gets involved. He and Henry face-off on the outside, and in the ring, Golden Truth pick this up after a double-flapjack onto Primo!
Winners via Pinfall: The Golden Truth (with Mark Henry)
Up next, the Women’s Championship Hell In The Cell Match contract signing will take place!
Commercials.
Segment #10: Arena Promo
General Manager Mick Foley is in the ring and puts over the prestige of the Women’s Hell In The Cell Match. He brings out Charlotte first and then Women’s Champion Sasha Banks. The GM puts over the significance of Sasha and Charlotte’s HIAC Match and asks them to put pen-to-paper. Both agree to do so, but Charlotte is more demanding in her approach. Foley takes over and cautions them what having this match will do to them.
“Look at me, look at me and understand the future you both might be looking at. Because it’s me! I walked in a man and I walked out a shell of the person I had been. You see I walk, you see how difficult it is for me getting around, you see the look of pity that the superstars – both male and female – have. And you know why I walk that why? Because it hurts. Because it hurts! Every step I take hurts; and there’s no matter of weight I can lose, no exercise that I can do that can make up for the fact that I’ve got no hip-socket. That it’s just a bone grinding on bone; that there’s no build to cure a curvature of my spine. And so I suffer because of the decisions I made; because of the things that that structure did to me. So make no mistake about it when you look at me; you’re looking at your future.”
“Charlotte, I’ve known you since you were a little girl. At your 1991 little playhouse; matching suits with your brother. You know the history that’s gone on between you (really meaning him) and your dad, and there’s not one thing in this world that we can agree on except our belief in you. Sasha, my children took a photo of Eddie Guerrero signed to them, and gave it to you, because they knew how much it would mean to you. And now that photo has a place in your home. You’re part of Eddie’s legacy now; it’d mean so much to him to know how much he inspired you, and it means so much to me. I was a chained-cynical fan, and then the two of you – the Women’s Revolution – took me, and reminded me, about what I loved about WWE. So before I make you sign this, before you sign away the better part of your life, I need you both to look me, look me in the eye, look me in the eye, and let me know that you know the risks that go hand-in-hand with making history this Sunday night at Hell In The Cell.”
Charlotte signs and tells Banks, “see ya in Boston.” Sasha does the same and proclaims “and I’ll see you at Hell.”
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Segment #11: Video Promo
Still-pictures of Emmalina are shown, and her “makeover” will be here soon.
Match #6: Single – Brian Kendrick VS. Rich Swann
(Note: Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins is on commentary.)
Brian slows it down with a kick and standing side-headlock. Rich quickens up and 450-leaps over and then hits a smacking-dropkick!
Commercials.
Kendrick is now wearing down Swann, but Rich battles back. He ducks a clothesline and hits a couple of his own. He jumps from a run off the ropes with a double-stomp, but is kicked as he ran to Brian in the turnbuckle. Swann comes back with a Tiger-Bomb into a Jackknife cover for two. Kendrick goes for his Captain’s Hook submission, but Rich wiggles out of it, and reverses into an Oklahoma-pin to surprisingly take this!
Winner via Pinfall: Rich Swann
Segment #12: Backstage Promo
Tom Phillips is with Universal Champion Kevin Owens. The Champion talks about tonight’s main-event and Hell In A Cell this Sunday. “Chris and I are on the same page, and together we will break Seth Rollins tonight. And then whatever’s left of Seth Rollins will hobble into Hell In The Cell and make a pathetic attempt at taking my WWE Universal Title.
I heard Seth talk about how this is my first time inside Hell In A Cell, like he thinks he’s got some sort of advantage on me, but… You see the truth is, I’ve been waiting for that moment for twenty years. Ever since I saw that first Hell In A Cell Match, and thought ‘man, that was the craziest thing I have ever seen.’ I’ve wanted to be a part of it, because as daunting and dangerous that structure is, it’s still very exciting to be a part of that. That’s why, that’s why Charlotte and Sasha practically begged to be put inside Hell In A Cell.
But after Sunday, let me tell you this, there will not be any kids talking about how ‘cool’ Hell In A Cell is. There won’t be any aspiring superstars dreaming of their first Hell In A Cell Match because they’re going to see what happens to Seth Rollins inside that cell. I am going to dismantle ‘The Architect’ piece-by-piece. I am going to put Seth Rollins through the kind of ‘hell’ that people talk about twenty years from now. I am going to leave a ‘permanent scar’ on Seth Rollins and anybody watching. Because, in case people haven’t noticed, it doesn’t matter what anybody says or thinks about me. The only thing that matters to me is this – the WWE Universal Title – and there is nothing I won’t do to keep it. On Sunday, Seth and I are going to Hell together, but I’m the only one coming back.”
Up next, Braun Strowman meets Sami Zayn!
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Match #7: Single – Braun Strowman VS. Sami Zayn
Before this starts, Strowman dismisses Zayn as “real competition” and walks away, but Sami hits him in the back. He follows with a slap, and then runs out of the ring as Braun charged. They run around the ring, and then Sami hits a couple of dropkicks before being caught and hurled into the crowd barrier. Strowman goes to the back.
Winner: None due to No Official Start
Post-match, Sami climbs back in the ring and looks ready to go again, but Braun walks up the ramp.
Segment #13: Locker Room Promo
Brian Kendrick and Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins talk about their Cruiserweight Championship Match at Hell In A Cell. Brian mopes that he needs this and wants Perkins to give him the win.
Paul Heyman knocks on Brock Lesnar’s locker room door; they will be out next!
Commercials.
Segment #14: Arena Promo
Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar make their way to the ring. Heyman does all the talking but becomes frustrated with the fans’ decisions on choosing both Goldberg and Lesnar. He flips the mike, and he and Brock leave.
Segment #15: Backstage Promo
Owens and Jericho talk about their match with Rollins, and their relationship with each other.
Seth Rollins makes his entrance and the triple threat main event is after the break!
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Match #8: Triple-Threat – Seth Rollins VS. Chris Jericho VS. Universal Champion Kevin Owens ((Non-Title)
All three square-off, and then Owens leaves. Jericho follows and they talk. Rollins tries to take them both on, but this soon turns into Kevin and Chris double-teaming Seth for a long while. Rollins manages a small comeback until Chris drives him with the Codebreaker. 1 – 2 – Seth raises his shoulder!
Jericho tosses Owens into Rollins in the corner with a Cannonball Splash. They both setup for a double-suplex from the turnbuckle but Seth reverses into a double-roll-up for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Seth Rollins
Post-match, Jericho and Owens attack Rollins with punches and then a chuck into the steel steps. “Security” runs out and separates Chris, Kevin, and Seth. Team Kevin and Chris back up the ramp in happiness as “security” helps Rollins up. Seth pushes “security” away, runs up the ramp, and launches himself onto Owens! They brawl with “security” attempting to hold them back but Kevin is able to powerbomb Rollins onto the ring apron! He marches back, yelling “you want to see who ‘the man’ is” and holds his Championship high on the turnbuckle as referees tend to Rollins.
End of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings
This was a pretty-good Raw in building Hell In A Cell; there were only a few moments I found it lagged, but overall flowed well-enough. Onto the particulars:
Excellence: promos by Jericho, Owens, Rollins, Amore, Cass, Rusev, Dana, Axel, Foley, Sasha, Charlotte, and Strowman.
Matches between Enzo/Karl, New Day/Cesaro & Sheamus, Dallas/Axel, and the Triple-Threat
Bogus: promos by Emmalina, Kendrick, and Heyman.
Matches between Golden Truth/Shining Stars, and Kendrick/Swann (should’ve been longer.)
Hell In A Cell Predictions: Reigns over Rusev to retain his United States Championship; Enzo/Cass to beat Anderson/Gallows; Kendrick wins the Cruiserweight Championship; Cesaro and Sheamus take the Tag-Team Championship; Owens keeps his Universal Championship; Sasha and Charlotte main-event, and Sasha just gets the victory to hold onto the Women’s Championship
Until Smackdown! Live tomorrow night, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Fans!
John Cena turned a Q&A panel at the Phoenix Comic Con this past weekend in an R-rated one after a young fan asked the former champion what his favorite food is.
Sitting down along with Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, and Daniel Bryan on stage, Cena decided to give the fan an answer that no one else probably expected. “Well, if I were to have Nicole stand up this time, I couldn’t show you,” Cena said as the crowd erupted in laughter and Nikki put her head down and covered her face.
“Don’t worry, you’re gonna get that in a few years. I’m kidding…totally kidding,” he added. Brie Bella then said that “Bryan would have said that too, right?” Her husband immediately agreed. “I would have said that same thing if you had asked me,” he added, as the crowd continued to laugh.
Nikki Bella, clearly embarrassed, then grabbed the mic and said, “He loves steak and vegetables!” Cena said that that was the right answer. “Oh man I’m an idiot! Thank you guys for dealing with me, I appreciate it,” he continued.
Brock Lesnar will be making his first WWE televised appearance since SummerSlam tonight live on Raw from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The former WWE and UFC Heavyweight champion was last seen opening up Randy Orton’s head with two vicious elbow shots and tonight he will be responding to Bill Goldberg, who last week accepted Paul Heyman’s challenge for a match. The two will be headlining the Survivor Series on November 20 from Toronto.
Also set for tonight’s Raw is a triple threat match featuring Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho, and WWE Universal champion Kevin Owens. The New Day will also be facing Sheamus and Cesaro.
Finn Balor is going back to his old stomping grounds at ICW on November 20 as a replacement for Mick Foley who was supposed to appear on the show.
Due to Foley’s involvement at the Survivor Series, WWE kept its promise on sending somebody else to replace him for ICW’s Fear & Loathing iPPV event and former WWE Universal champion Finn Balor was selected as the special guest enforcer for the show.
The announcement was made by Mark Dallas who runs Insane Championship Wrestling and he broke the news to the live crowd at an event yesterday. Needless to say, the crowd went absolutely ballistic when Balor showed up on the screen, saying that he told them he’d be back. Balor under his Prince Devitt gimmick, wrestled frequently for ICW prior he started his NXT/WWE career.
ICW’s Fear & Loathing IX will take place from The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.co.uk.
You can see the whole video of Balor’s announcement below.
The Wrestling Observer is reporting that BankDirect Capital Finance filed a lawsuit against TNA on September 29, asking for the company to return the $207,612.29 that it owes them. The lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court in Cook County, Illinois.
The case dates back to November 30, 2015 when TNA and BankDirect Capital Finance entered into an agreement where they would loan $400,146 to TNA to cover insurance premiums. TNA agreed to pay the sum in 10-monthly installments of $41,032.45 each.
Up until the end of September 2016, TNA paid only $192,534 out of that sum, leaving $207,612 in an unpaid balance. That means that TNA paid less than half of the sum in a 12-month period when they had to pay all of it in 10 months.
BankDirect Capital Finance is a division of Texas Capital Bank, N.A., a diversified financial services business. It’s based in Lake Forest, Illinois.
This is the fourth lawsuit TNA is facing in a span of a few months, with Audience of One, Billy Corgan, and American Express having filed lawsuits already against them.
WWE Smackdown Women’s champion Becky Lynch returned to action last night at a non-televised live event at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
“Thank you #WWESiouxCity you were Sioux amazing,” she wrote on Twitter after the show was over. She wrestled Alexa Bliss.
Lynch has been on the sidelines for most of the month after she suffered a non-wrestling related injury which kept her off the No Mercy pay-per-view. Lynch was supposed to defend her WWE Smackdown Women’s title for the first time against Alexa Bliss on the show but was replaced by Naomi after she couldn’t get cleared to compete. Later that night during the PPV she posted a photo from a hospital saying she’d be back soon.
Bliss will get her title match on the November 8 episode of Smackdown from Glasgow, Scotland.
The Women’s champion will be appearing this Tuesday on the live Smackdown, a week earlier than her targeted return date.
The Twitter account for the BMO Bradley Harris Center in Milwaukee announced that WWE Fastlane will be held there on Sunday, March 5.
What’s interesting is that usually there are no pay-per-views in March unless WrestleMania falls on a date towards the end of the month. This, if our history is correct, is the first ever WWE pay-per-view in the month of March which is not a WrestleMania. Tickets for this show go on sale on Friday, December 9 at 10AM at Ticketmaster.com.
Fastlane was a February pay-per-view and was the last stop before WrestleMania. The February PPV is being replaced by the Elimination Chamber. It’s not clear yet which brand will perform the Fastlane PPV.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to bring Tom “Dynamite Kid” Billington back home from a care home with a target goal of £20,000, or close to $25,000.
The campaign was started by his wife Dot who wrote that for the past 13 months, Tom has been in a care home due to recent strokes and health issues. “We have tried everything possible to get him back home, however unfortunately as we can not afford the full time care and the facilities to assist with his mobility he is unable to leave the care home,” she wrote.
Dot explained how they never received any royalties from WWE and the company never reached out for help and support. “We have never ever asked for help from anybody, but we have been left with no choice. This will save his life,” she added.
Bobby Lashley co-main evented last night’s Bellator 162 and defeated Josh Appelt, moving to an eight-fight winning streak.
Lashley tapped out Appelt after he locked in a rear-naked choke in the second round, remaining undefeated in his Bellator career. The former TNA champion has an MMA record of 15-2.
After the fight was over, Lashley didn’t challenge any fighter, but went the wrestling route, saying he wants Eddie Edwards next, the reigning TNA champion and the man who defeated Lashley for the belt.
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler was at the event since the show was in Memphis, Tennessee, and was shown on screen sitting at cage side. Lashley also did some workouts in front of Jerry Lawler’s bar and grill on Beale Street the day before the show.
Former WWE manager Frenchy Martin passed away yesterday at age 66, a year after he was diagnosed with bladder cancer.
Martin, whose real name is Jean Gagné, made his WWE debut in 1986 as a wrestler but then transitioned to a managerial role, aligning himself with the late Dino Bravo. After Bravo replaced Martin with Jimmy Hart in 1989, he once again he resumed his wrestling career as an enhancement talent. He retired from wrestling a year later.
Freelance reporter David Bixenspan got his hands on the unsealed court documents in the Billy Corgan lawsuit against TNA which were published yesterday night.
The restraining order is what we initially thought it would be about, preventing TNA from continuing to either sell parts of the company or the whole company to anyone. It also prevents TNA from taking any action without Corgan’s approval since he’s also a minority stake owner and pumped quite a bit of his own personal money.
“Neither the Plaintiff nor the Defendants shall sell, assign, transfer and/or pledge Impact Ventures, its tape library and/or assets (except for transactions in the ordinary course of business) of Impact Ventures until further order of the Court,” the restraining order says. Corgan put in a $25,000 bond with this temporary restraining order.
In the lawsuit, Corgan is calming that TNA is insolvent (unable to pay debts owed), and Carter, as a majority owner, would have to give up her company shares to Corgan and then take over as a majority owner. Corgan loaned a lot of his money to Carter for the TNA business and that’s why he became TNA President and also a minority stake owner.
Corgan informed TNA on September 29 that he would be exercising his rights under the equity pledge agreement signed between the two on August 11. The power move by Corgan however did not materialize as Anthem Sports & Entertainment came to the rescue, giving Dixie Carter another loan to continue TNA operations and preventing Corgan from ousting Carter from her majority ownership position.
TNA denied that the company is insolvent and said that their assets are far more valuable than the debt they are in. This pretty much was the last communication between the parties before Corgan filed his lawsuit.
Corgan also requested documents from TNA which include information about Carter’s dealings with World Wrestling Entertainment this year and any other third party that showed interest in either taking over or purchasing certain TNA assets. Carter objected to this request on the grounds that Corgan already had access to them. During media interviews Corgan denied knowing that Carter was dealing with WWE although he admitted that if Vince McMahon decided to buy it, there’s nothing he can do to outbid him.
Attorneys representing Carter, TNA, and other defendants have handed over around 17,000 pages of documentation to Corgan’s attorneys for review.
Impact on POP this week drew 353,000 viewers, up 69,000 viewers from last week’s 4-month low of 284,000. Impact was headlined by Eddie Edwards vs Cody for the TNA title. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
