The former members of The Shield will be taking on each other in five weeks time at the Battleground pay-per-view with the WWE World Heavyweight title on the line in a triple threat match.
Rollins and Reigns had a match to determine the number one contender for Ambrose’s title however their match ended in a double count-out. After the match, Shane McMahon took Ambrose’s suggestion to make him wrestle both his former tag team partners.
This is the first match announced for Battleground which takes place on July 24 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.
After Raw went off the air last night, the new WWE World Heavyweight champion Dean Ambrose addressed the fans and thanked them for their support.
“I couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you people who stuck behind me,” Ambrose told the Phoenix crowd who showered him with ‘you deserve it’ chants. “This is as much yours as it is mine,” Ambrose added.
The champ stayed in the ring taking it all in as the fans continued to give Ambrose a standing ovation. You can watch the video below.
Former WWE and UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has been tested five times already by USADA, the UFC’s official anti-doping agency.
Lesnar was supposed to give USADA a four month notice of his intention to return to the UFC but UFC waved off the policy for him and is treating him as a new fighter considering it’s been a long time since he stepped into the Octagon.
His UFC 200 opponent, Mark Hunt, has been tested six three times in 2016 according to the USADA website however no tests have been done in Q2.
Memphis-based The Commercial Appeal reported that Jerry “The King” Lawler and his girlfriend Lauryn McBride were ordered to stay away from each other yesterday during a court sitting, with the next court date set for July 1.
Staying away from each other means that the couple should not call, text, or talk to each other or else they will breach bail conditions.
The two were arrested in the early hours of Friday morning after both presented different stories to the police and the cops could not figure out who was saying the truth. They were released later in the day and Lawler said that it was a misunderstanding and hopes it will be resolved soon.
WWE suspended Lawler indefinitely immediately following the arrest.
Monday Night Raw TV Report for June 20th, 2016 – “Battleground Affirmed!”
Introduction Segment: Video Promos, Welcoming, and Arena Promo
A taxi pulls up and NEW WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose exits. He chucks some money to the driver, and stops the cab right after it started to drive away; he forgot his title! Ambrose collects, and then the regular Raw video plays. The pyro explodes in the arena and Dean’s music starts. He walks out, to the dismay of commentator John “Bradshaw” Layfield; both he and Michael Cole recap the Money In The Bank Ladder Match and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match at Money In The Bank last night.
“The Lunatic Fringe” stands in the ring and soaks in the “you deserve it” chants from the fans; he gives them props too and tries to recall his Sunday night. He quotes karma for Seth Rollins and that “hard work pays off,” and to call him “The Champion!”
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns walks out and joins Dean. He admits “last night, it wasn’t my night, because last night was your night. And I just want to say ‘congrats,’ man; I’m happy for you.” He asks Ambrose how it felt to “cash in” on Seth Rollins, but Dean says he would’ve “cashed in” on him (Reigns) as well. However, Roman wants to know when he is going to give him his obligated rematch.
Seth Rollins marches out angrily and says that he is supposed to be next. Roman issues a subtle challenge for a match against Rollins to determine who will face Ambrose but Raw Co-Runner Shane McMahon dances out to decide that. He agrees, and despite Seth’s objections that Stephanie should be included, but because she is not at Raw, Shane makes it so that Rollins will wrestle Reigns tonight to settle Ambrose’s first challenger at Battleground, on July 24th!
Layfield, Cole, and Byron Saxton talk about the Draft that will happen on the live Smackdown!, July 19th. Later tonight, Paige will challenge Charlotte for the Women’s Championship, and up next, Kevin Owens wrestles Sami Zayn!
Commercials.
Match #1: Single- Sami Zayn VS. Kevin Owens
Both punch away right away, and then Kevin rolls to the outside for a break. Sami follows with a clothesline and slams Owens’ head on the apron. Kevin tries to escape again, but Zayn counters with a moonsault from the barricade! On the floor, Owens kicks Sami a couple of times, and then tries to leave through the crowd; Zayn follows and hurls him over the corner! Kevin takes control after running Sami into the ring post and giving him a senton-splash in the ring for a two!
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Owens is still dominating with a rear chinlock, but Zayn gets his knees up as Kevin went for another senton-splash! Sami sends Owens back to the floor and then soars over with a swanton-dive! Both meet on the top turnbuckle and battle, with Sami getting the better because of a headbutt. He dives off, but Kevin ducks and hits a superkick. 1 – 2 – Zayn just raises his shoulder! Owens sets up Sami for the Pop-Up Powerbomb, but Zayn reverses into a full-nelson suplex! Kevin hits another superkick, but Sami reverses another Pop-Up Powerbomb into a Victory-Roll for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Sami Zayn
Post-match, Owens assaults Zayn, but Sami sweeps up Kevin and mount-punches him until numerous referees break them apart.
Commercials.
Segment #2: Backstage Promo
Kevin and Sami are still fighting, until former wrestlers and now agents Brian Armstrong and Fit Finlay divide them.
Segment #3: Arena Promo
Former Raw (and Smackdown!?) General Manager John “Big Johnny” Laurinaitis surprises us in a lively-red suit. He makes his case to be General Manager of Smackdown!, but Shane interrupts and denies him the opportunity. Laurinaitis leaves with his statement of “People Power.”
Enzo Amore and Big Cass enter and rip on “Big Johnny.”
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Match #2: Tag-Team – Enzo Amore and Big Cass VS. The Vaudevillians (Aiden English and Simon Gotch)
Enzo and Aiden begin with a side-headlock by Amore, but Aiden takes control soon. He punches Enzo’s head and presses against his face with a knee against the ropes. Gotch is tagged in and arm/facelocks Amore, and then slings him into his corner. Simon runs, but is tripped into the middle turnbuckle.
Enzo makes the hot-tag and Cass cleans house; they finish The Vaudevillians with their top turnbuckle Rocket-Launcher Splash double-team!
Winners via Pinfall: Enzo and Big Cass
Up next, A.J. Styles is out to discuss his bout with John Cena at Money In The Bank!
Commercials.
Segment #4: Arena Promo
A.J. Styles makes his entrance and shakes his head in the ring. He says that he “dreamt” about his match with John Cena, and reiterates that he defeated Cena. However, he demands that Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson publicly apologize for interfering and making him win, when they should not have and it was supposed to be just Cena versus Styles.
The Club members answer his order, but A.J. tells him the consequences that they have presented with their actions. He asks them again to say their sorry; Karl does, as does Gallows after a little verbal-coaxing. Styles then says they have to also say they’re sorry to John Cena too; he asks him to also meet them.
Cena walks out and doesn’t want to accept, but Luke and Karl express their “sorries.” John doesn’t buy anything all three are saying, and warns A.J. that he doesn’t have any “balls” or is a “man of his word” because his win is soiled from The Club’s interference.
A.J. tries to make amends by telling Cena he can wrestle any member of The Club; John immediately picks Styles, but “The Phenomenal One” wasn’t done; Cena can wrestle either Luke or Karl. A.J. lists reasons why he won’t compete (“Stone Cold Podcast,” and he conquered John already.) Cena is not pleased, but A.J. insists that it will only be John and Karl; he and Gallows leave, and the contest is up next!
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Match #3: Karl Anderson VS. John Cena
Cena is governing with whips and a suplex; the camera keeps focussing on the stage to allude that The Club will interfere. He runs over Anderson with a clothesline, and delivers a spin-out backdrop/powerbomb. He signals for and hits the 5-Knuckle Shuffle, and then plants Karl with the Attitude Adjustment, but before a count begins, A.J. and Luke run out to attack.
Winner via Disqualification: John Cena
Post-match, Anderson and Gallows deliver the Magic Killer (swinging-neckbreaker-slam combo) and A.J. hits the Styles Clash. The Club pose over a downed Cena.
Replays of Money In The Bank and the Raw opening promo happens.
Segment #5: Backstage Promo
Jojo is with Seth Rollins, who vows to make it known that he is “the best member of The Shield” by winning over Roman Reigns and then regaining the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Commercials.
Segment #6: Backstage Promo
Renee Young interviews Becky Lynch about Natalya turning on her at Money In The Bank. Becky sounds heartbroken and frustrated that everyone she’s teamed with has broken their alliance, from Paige to Charlotte, and now to Natalya. Lynch promises that the next person she sides with only gets “once chance.” She is suddenly attacked again by Natalya, who guarantees to look out for number one from now on.
Match #4: Single – Zack Ryder VS. Baron Corbin
Ryder makes a bit of an effort, but Corbin is too strong and completes this with End of Days!
Winner via Pinfall: Baron Corbin
Segment #7: Video Promo
WWE’s partnership with China airs.
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Segment #8: Video Promo
A new/creepy Wyatt Family montage plays, and Michael Cole announces they will be back tonight!
Segment #9: Backstage Promo
Rene Young asks Paige about her Women’s Championship match with Charlotte, but as Paige is trying to respond, Rene is distracted by the Women’s Champion and Dana Brooke. Paige gets in their face with insults and asserts “this will all fall.”
Match #5: Single for the Women’s Championship – Paige (Challenger) VS. Charlotte (Champion) (with Dana Brooke)
After formal introductions, they lockup and Charlotte rolls up Paige for a quick two! Paige headlocks Charlotte and Charlotte rolls over for a one-count, but Paige hits a shoulder-block! Charlotte leaps up, but Paige knocks her down with a couple kicks, and then rams her knees against Charlotte in the corner. Charlotte goes to the outside for a break, and Paige follows, hitting Dana; Charlotte hits back on Paige and picks her up.
Commercials.
Charlotte attempts a scoop-slam, but Paige lands on her feet and gets a two! She backslides the champ for another two, then kicks a few times; she follows with a running-knee for a very near-fall! She runs in the corner, but Charlotte boots back. Paige ducks another hit and gives Charlotte a fall-away slam! They go to the top turnbuckle, and Paige tries a suplex, but Charlotte tosses her to the canvas with a front-slam; she hits a subsequent moonsault! 1 – 2 – Paige kicks out!
Paige kicks and drives Charlotte down with the Ram-Paige DDT, but Dana grabs Charlotte’s foot around the ropes. The referee notices this and signals that it is a break. He also throws Brooke out, but Charlotte has already capitalized with the Natural Selection to take this!
Winner via Pinfall and STILL Women’s Champion: Charlotte (with Dana Brooke)
Post-match, Charlotte and Dana continue to punish Paige until a returning Sasha Banks makes the save! She slugs Dana and goes after Charlotte; Brooke runs back in and Paige helps Banks now. Sasha holds the Women’s Championship up as Paige raises her hand.
The Wyatt Family (minus Luke Harper) declare “we’re here!”
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Segment #10: Arena Promo
Bray Wyatt, Erik Rowan, and Braun Strowman saunter out amid cellular-phone lights and a darkened arena. The crowd salutes them with “welcome back” calls. Wyatt says they “have been locked away; we have been punished. But through it all, we have never forgotten what we stand for.” They threaten that they are “as strong as they have ever been.”
Bray can’t get too far as Tag-Team Champions The New Day interrupt. They make fun of The Wyatt Family, and compare their “negativity” to New Day’s “positivity.” As they proclaim themselves “W-W-E World Tag-Team Champions,” Xavier doesn’t clue in as he appeared entranced by Bray, who laughs and makes the trio known that “New Day falls.”
Commercials.
Segment #11: Video Promo
The same “Make Darren Young Great Again” video from last week’s Smackdown! re-airs.
United States Champion Rusev is introduced by his real-life fiancé Lana, and Rene Young inquires Titus O’Neil backstage. Titus wants revenge on Rusev for “disrespecting” O’Neil’s children.
Match #6: Single – United States Champion Rusev (with Lana) VS. Titus O’Neil
This does not actually start, as Titus pounds away abruptly and they scrap in the ring and around the fans!
Winner: None due to No Official Start
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Segment #12: Video Promo
Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Maryse berate a crew member on Miz’s “Marine 5” movie set with their Facebook/WWE profile. “We’re awesome!”
Segment #13: Office Promo
Shane McMahon walks in to find Chris Jericho. “Y2J” is unhappy and wants nothing to do with Shane, who says Jericho may not have that choice. Chris is also displeased with Dean Ambrose as WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but Shane warns him that there will be bad effects if Jericho keeps complaining.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose joins the commentary team for the main-event!
Commercials.
Michael announces that Seth Rollins will be wrestling on Smackdown! this week, the first time since November 2015.
Match #7: Single – Seth Rollins VS. Roman Reigns
(Stipulation: Winner wrestles WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose at Battleground in July.)
The first bit of this match is more of a brawl in and around the ring, with neither gaining a big advantage. In the ring, Rollins clotheslines Reigns, and leaps off the apron a little later. Roman ducks and Seth rolls through but turns around into a big boot!
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Rollins is back in control now with a sleeper, making Reigns drop to his knees. Roman gears up and out, and ducks a karate-kick. Roman hits multiple punches until the referee stops him. Reigns pulls Seth away from the ropes, but Rollins lands on his feet and hits an enziguri; Reigns does not fall, and both punch back-and-forth to the delight of the fans.
Roman hits a few clotheslines, but Rollins flatlines Reigns into the top turnbuckle. Seth hurls Roman to the floor and follows with a dive through the ropes. He gets out of a Samoan Drop, but is planted to the mat with a sit-down powerbomb! 1 – 2 – Rollins lifts his shoulder!
Roman signals for the Superman Punch and runs for it, but Rollins kicks him. He tries a Pedigree, but Reigns counters and Superman Punches as Seth sprung from the ropes! 1 – 2 – Seth gets his shoulder up again!
Roman roars for his Spear, but Rollins kicks him. Roman pushes Seth into the corner, but Rollins kicks back from the apron and hits a springboard-knee and then a kick. 1 – 2 – Reigns raises his shoulder! Seth ascends the turnbuckle and Frogsplashes, but misses as Roman moves! Reigns hits his drive-by running-front-dropkick from the floor-to-the-apron. He tears the announce table, but Seth enziguris out of it. Rollins almost gets into the ring, but Roman drags him to the floor again. They both tumble over the announcer’s table, and do not make it before the ten-count!
Winner: None due to Count-Out
Post-match, Shane McMahon walks to the stage and want to have a clear winner, but Ambrose gets on the mike and is fine to wrestle both! Shane agrees, and makes the main-event for Battleground a Triple-Threat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship! In the ring, both Seth and Roman confront their former friend; Ambrose drives Reigns with a Dirty Deeds DDT. He walks away but does the same to Rollins as Seth went after Roman! Ambrose poses with his WWE World Heavyweight Championship to close the show!
NBA champion LeBron James hit the headlines again today and not for what he did yesterday to help the Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA title…but for stepping off the plane sporting the Ultimate Warrior t-shirt.
James is a huge WWE fan and just before game 5 he sported a retro Undertaker t-shirt and even attended the press conference with it. Today, as soon as he stepped off the Delta plane, James lifted the NBA trophy wearing a $32 Warrior shirt which is produced by Homage.com. The images of James with the shirt were beamed on television all around the United Sates.
James is not the only WWE fan in the team though as for the post-game celebrations, the team posed with the Stone Cold Smoking Skull title along with Usher and Jamie Foxx. Cavs player Kevin Love then appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter sporting the Austin 3:16 classic t-shirt.
With so many WWE fans on its roster, Triple H sent the team a customized replica of the WWE World Heavyweight title with the Cleveland Cavs logo on the side plates.
After beating the Warriors, LeBron comes home wearing an Ultimate Warrior shirt.
Fresh off his win against John Cena at last night’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view, AJ Styles will be appearing live on the Stone Cold Podcast tonight immediately following Monday Night Raw.
“Congrats to @AJStylesOrg for a helluva match last night. Looking forward to talking w you tonight,” Austin wrote on Twitter.
This is Austin’s first podcast on the Network since WrestleMania weekend where he interviewed Mick Foley. Foley then interviewed Shane McMahon, replacing Austin who was unable to fly due to a recent surgery.
Stone Cold usually tackles all the hard questions and sometimes goes where WWE would prefer not to go so it will be interesting if AJ Styles’ TNA career will be brought up considering TNA is always avoided on any WWE broadcast.
The former members of The Shield made history last night, becoming the only members of a current or past faction in wrestling history to all hold the WWE World Heavyweight title…in one night.
Roman Reigns, on his third title reign, entered Money In The Bank as the champion. He previously won the title at the Survivor Series last year beating Dean Ambrose in the tournament final, only to lose it five minutes later to Sheamus. He won his rematch on the December 14 Raw but then lost it at the Royal Rumble 30-man over-the-top rope battle royal to Triple H. He regained the title at WrestleMania 32 against Triple H.
Seth Rollins never lost the WWE title during his first reign, a title he won when he cashed in his MITB briefcase at WrestleMania 31, pinning Roman Reigns. He got injured in November at a non-televised live event in Dublin, Ireland, and surrendered the title the next day. He won his second WWE World Heavyweight title at Money In The Bank yesterday but his win, just like Reigns’ win at Survivor Series, did not last very long.
Dean Ambrose had never won the WWE World Heavyweight title before and his chance came at Survivor Series in the tournament final against Roman Reigns. Unfortunately for him he came up short that night but last night in Las Vegas, Ambrose gambled his MITB briefcase, cashing in on the new champion to become the new champion himself in just nine seconds.
However what happened last night, the WWE title changing hands twice in one day, is not something new. It has happened before, most notably at SummerSlam when Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena only to be beaten immediately by Randy Orton and at Survivor Series when Roman Reigns won and was then beat by Sheamus.
Last week, WWE unveiled the names of those taking part in the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic – featuring guys who qualified courtesy of matches in EVOLVE, PROGRESS and Rev Pro Wrestling… and a few familiar faces to boot.
There had been rumours of numerous guys being involved in the tournament, most of them being true, with some of the false rumours being due to injury – TNA alumn The Amazing Red was pencilled in for the tournament, but was omitted after picking up a knee injury, whilst Hideo Itami’s ongoing shoulder injury looks to have kept him out of a tournament that could have been used to make him a star. Speaking of… the former La Sombra, now Andrade “Cien” Almas, was originally pencilled in to make his debut in this tournament, but is now firmly placed in that folder marked “plans change” after making his debut at Takeover: The End in June.
Starting off with those familiar faces, The Brian Kendrick and Tajiri make their returns to WWE in this summer’s tournament, along with thirty other performers. Let’s take a look at who they are, and how far we reckon they’ll go:
Tajiri – broke into the American scene in late 1998 courtesy of ECW, where he partner with Steve Corino and remain a part of ECW until their closure in 2001. Tajiri made the leap to WWE and played the humourous role of assistant to then-WWE Commissioner William Regal (even if the whole thing was a little racist at times). He would stay in WWE for a little over four years, leaving in 2005 to return to Japan to focus on a new career as a journalist – a career that would see Tajiri return for a few one-off shots with WWE, as well as runs in All Japan, New Japan, HUSTLE, SMASH, Wrestle-1 and even TNA. Tajiri’s addition is certainly curious, but also a smart idea to get eyeballs on this show by bringing back names from the past. I don’t, however, see Tajiri making it beyond the quarter-finals….
Brian Kendrick – trained by Shawn Michaels, is making his latest return to WWE, after runs in 2003-2004, 2005-2009, and briefly between 2014-2015 in NXT. Kendrick’s first run started in 2003 as Spanky, following a run where he wrestled as a masked man, representing local sports teams. Aside from that, his first run did little, and it wasn’t until he left WWE and returned in 2005 where he became an important part of the roster, teaming with Paul London and being a tag team champion for almost a year. After being split by the WWE draft, Kendrick became a heel and became “The Brian Kendrick”, the sole highlight of which was Kendrick’s brief run as a “current WWE champion” during the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven 2008. That character eventually petered out as WWE predictably focussed on Kendrick’s “bodyguard” Ezekiel Jackson instead, and after being released in July 2009, Kendrick had brief runs in TNA, New Japan, and even NXT. Much like Tajiri, Kendrick’s inclusion is likely only designed to draw eyeballs to the product, rather than have him in as a ringer. Quarter-finals as best for the former interim/current WWE champion.
Gran Metalik – an interesting political move, the 27-year-old Mascara Dorada has joined the fray under a revamped version of a gimmick he last used in CMLL in 2008. Still wrestling for CMLL at time of writing, Dorada also featured regularly for New Japan until this past January. A regular champion in Mexico, having held the CMLL World Welterweight Championship four times (last dropping the belt this past May), Dorada’s move to WWE – even if it is just for the tournament – could well be seen as a testing for the waters from the nine-year veteran, whose mini was recently part of WWE, although he too was renamed, as El Torito! I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gran Metalik in the finals, but it would surely need WWE to sign him before that would happen.
Zack Sabre Jr. – renowned as one of, if not the best technical wrestler in the world, Zack Sabre Jr. was the man who broke Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan’s nine-year run of winning the Best Technical Wrestler award in Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s end-of-year awards. ZSJ winning the now-renamed Bryan Danielson Award came during a run in Japan’s Pro Wrestling NOAH, a promotion he left at the end of 2015 to focus on indie dates, and ZSJ has done a LOT of those. Currently the champion in Pro Wrestling Guerilla and Revolution Pro Wrestling, ZSJ comes into this tournament as one of the favourites, given his credentials, even if he “had” to enter the Cruiserweight Classic as a qualifier, beating “Flash” Morgan Webster by submission at PROGRESS’ “Practically Progress In Every Way” event this past April.
Noam Dar – somewhat of a veteran of the UK scene, at only 22, the Israeli-born Dar has done a fair bit in his wrestling career. Dar qualified with a win over Josh Bodom at a Revolution Pro Wrestling event in May, but since debuting at the age of 15, Dar is another of the British crew of wrestlers who’ve appeared for a litany of promotions. Dar’s fame has come a handful of them – namely, Scotland’s Insane Championship Wrestling, Preston City Wrestling, and also PROGRESS. The inaugural winner of ICW’s Zero-G title (similar to TNA’s X-Division belt), and the winner of PROGRESS’ World Cup tournament in 2014, Dar also featured for TNA in 2014/2015 as a part of the second season of British Bootcamp, as well as on the episodes of Impact taped in the UK in 2015.
Jack Gallagher – also having qualified in April’s “Practically Progress in Every Way” event, Gallagher is a ten-year veteran, including a stint in Japan for Zero-ONE and NOAH as Jack Anthony in 2013. These days, Gallagher looks more like Nigel Thornberry and plays the Simon Gotch character better than Gotch himself, and is even indulging in a bit of amateur MMA whilst turning out for the likes of PROGRESS, Grand Pro Wrestling and the Scottish Wrestling Alliance. Look out for “The Extraordinary Gentleman” to be something of a sleeper hit in the Cruiserweight Classic, focusing more on his mat skills than high-flying moves.
Drew Gulak – qualifying at the EVOLVE 61 event in May, Drew Gulak made his debut in 2005, just days short of his 18th birthday, and would form an integral part of Combat Zone Wrestling’s tag team division as the company looked to move away from their “blood and guts” format. Teaming with Andy Sumner, the “Team AnDrew” partnership won CZW tag team gold, but it wasn’t until Sumner’s disappearance from wrestling before Gulak broke out of the pack. These days, Gulak is getting most of his spotlight in the EVOLVE promotion, as a part of the Catch Point stable alongside Tracy Williams, Fred Yehi, TJ Perkins and ex-UFC fighter Matt Riddle, whilst also being one of the lead trainers for the EVOLVE/WWN training school.
TJ Perkins – qualifying with a win over Fred Yehi at EVOLVE 61, the 31-year old Perkins has already been wrestling for over seventeen years, in a career that has seen him wrestle for all manner of promotions. He’s been a part of Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerilla, and has had runs in TNA, first as Puma, and then as the last incarnation of Suicide before that gimmick was rechristened as Manik. Perkins left TNA at the start of the year, and has since made EVOLVE his home as a part of the Catch Point stable prior to qualifying for the Cruiserweight Classic… and whilst he’s not among the favourites, I’d expect TJP to go far.
Tony Nese – another qualifier from EVOLVE, Nese won a five-way match at June’s EVOLVE 63 event to make it to the tournament. Nese has been a part of the north-east independent scene for a long time, wrestling for the NYWC, FWE and PWS promotions, along with (of course) EVOLVE and their one-time sister group, Dragon Gate: USA. Previously a part of the “Premier Athlete Brand” stable with Caleb Konley (now of TNA), Nese has previous TV experience with TNA, albeit for a very brief run between 2011-2012, but his late addition to the tournament probably indicates that he isn’t likely to go all the way.
Lince Dorado – debuting in February 2007 as a part of CHIKARA’s King of Trios tournament, Dorado’s rookie year almost came to an end when he spiked himself doing a 450 Splash into a senton at a CHIKARA event in November of that year. Dorado left CHIKARA in 2011, and since been largely restricted to the Florida indy scene, where he won a qualifier in late May to make it to the Cruiserweight Classic.
Johnny Gargano – since making his televised WWE debut in NXT last September, Gargano has become an irregular feature of NXT, and has gotten something of a push to boot. Largely involved in tag team action with fellow tournament entrant Tommaso Ciampa, Gargano’s indy history reads like a roll call of top level promotions: ROH, CHIKARA, Dragon Gate, FIP, PWG… TNA haven’t had their hands on him yet, and it’ll be a while before that’s even a possibility. Gargano’s title history includes runs with EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA titles, and given that he’s one of the faces of the tournament, I’d expect Gargano to make the semi-finals at least!
Tommaso Ciampa – originally debuting in NXT in tandem with Gargano for last year’s Dusty Rhodes Classic tag team tournament, Ciampa is another of the independent stars who’ve gotten WWE deals whilst still being able to work on the indy scene. Ciampa has prior form on WWE TV, appearing on SmackDown in July 2005 as a (gimmick) lawyer for Muhammad Hassan, coming a week after the ultra-controversial Hassan-led attack of the Undertaker that led to that character’s demise. In 2007, Ciampa signed a developmental deal and was part of Ohio Valley Wrestling, but injuries restricted him and he found himself released barely six months into his deal. It wasn’t until 2011 when Ciampa became a name on the indy scene, with his ROH deal seeing him thrust into prominence. A run with the company’s TV title helped, but Ciampa left the company in March 2015, and after going back to the indy scene – and wrestling extremely briefly for TNA – before WWE signed him to a Gargano-like deal with NXT. Again, one of the faces of the tournament, I wouldn’t be too surprised if Ciampa made it to the finals.
Rich Swann – currently under a full-time WWE developmental deal, Swann made his wrestling debut in 2008 but first came to prominence with Combat Zone Wrestling, before moving to the Dragon Gate USA/EVOLVE promotions in 2010. A good high-flier in the ring, Swann’s biggest gimmick came in his old ring entrance, when he used to sing Lionel Ritchie’s “All Night Long” as his entrance theme. Since joining WWE in October 2015 – largely thanks to a tweet from the rapper Wale – Swann has been firmly part of NXT’s “home team”, staying behind in Florida whenever the stars travelled. He has made TV a few times, albeit in losing efforts to Baron Corbin and Finn Balor, and as he’s only just recovered from injury in time to make the final 32, I wouldn’t be too shocked if Swann didn’t quite last all tournament long…
Kota Ibushi – shown on NXT Takeover: Dallas, 2016 has been quite the year for Kota Ibushi. Having walked away from New Japan in a bid to create his own schedule after being ruled out of action “indefinitely” with a neck injury in November 2015. “Indefinitely” turned out to be a little over six months, as Ibushi returned to the ring in March for the DDT promotion in Japan, before wrestling for Kaiju Big Battel and WWN during their WrestleMania weekend events. Ibushi’s neck injury has led to him working a greatly reduced schedule, and would really make me question him winning this tournament.
Da Mack – based out of Germany’s Westside Xtreme Wrestling promotion, the 29 year old made his debut in 2008, and is the current WXW Shotgun champion (a title formerly held by current NXT talent Alexander Wolfe and one-time TNA jobber “Bad Bones” Jon Klinger). Having never wrestled outside of Germany before, this is the first time that Da Mack has had any real spotlight shone on him, but I wouldn’t expect Da Mack to freeze up.
Zumbi – like Da Mack, this is the first time that this 31 year old Brazilian has had any mainstream attention, in spite of a lengthy career in Mexico which has seen him appear briefly in AAA and the Perros del Mal promotions. Having never even heard of Zumbi before, I looked up a match of his from YouTube – albeit from 2013 – and I don’t have high hopes. Some of his strikes looked like they’d been inspired by that Cage Tyler/Kris Sprules match, and barring a massive improvement, Zumbi looks like he’ll be one of the first eliminations.
Clement Petiot – otherwise known as Tristan Archer, the Amiens-born Frenchman has largely remained in mainland Europe, wrestling for groups in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Having debuted in 2009, Petiot has some experience against name talent, taking the fall in matches against Pac (now Neville) and El Ligero in his rookie year, the graduate of the Storm Wrestling Academy should have a good set of basics to work with in the first Cruiserweight Classic.
Fabian Aichner – the the 230-lb Italian is a former heavyweight champion from Alex Wright’s New European Championship Wrestling group. Having wrestled there as Adrian Severe, Aichner has wrestled in England in the past on the All Star Wrestling-promoted Butlins holiday camp shows, but given his weight-limit busting size, I wouldn’t expect Aichner to be leaving the mat too much.
Harv Sihra & Gurv Sihra – much like Mascara Dorada, this too is an interesting move. At the time of their announcement, the Sihra brothers wrestled as the Bollywood Boyz, primarily for the Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling group and also Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling, for whom the Sihras are currently their tag team champions. These Canadian brothers are more reknowned for their work in tag matches, but their addition certainly adds a little international credibility, not least in terms of their gimmick!
Cedric Alexander – a former mainstay of Ring of Honor, Alexander left the promotion earlier this year after being there for almost six years. Originally debuting with Caprice Coleman in a tag team called the C&C Wrestle Factory, Alexander went into singles action and was a memorable – if not successful – part of ROH. Alexander’s final year in ROH saw him work heel, after using a wrench to beat Moose and end the former NFL offensive tackle’s unbeaten run in the company last year; however, after having little success as a heel, Alexander opted to leave ROH and try his luck in pastures new.
Akira Tozawa – a ten-year veteran of the Japanese scene, Tozawa made his name in the Dragon Gate promotion, but has tested the American waters before, with appearances for PWG, CZW, CHIKARA and EVOLVE. Currently one-third of Dragon Gate’s “Open The Triangle Gate” six man champions, Tozawa is by no means done in Japan, but at the age of 30, if he does have aspirations of following Shinsuke Nakamura and the former KENTA into WWE, the time really is now. Tozawa will go far, but I don’t expect him to go all the way.
Ho Ho Lun – an eyebrow raiser when his name was included in the initial press releases for the Cruiserweight Classic, the Hong Kong-born Lun well and truly fits the bill for the tournament, weighing in at 168lbs. The self-proclaimed “Hong Kong Cool Star” is a complete unknown to all but the most ardent of worldwide wrestling fans, save for those who saw his matches in the UK a few years back for 4 Front Wrestling and ATTACK! Pro Wrestling. About to enjoy his first worldwide exposure, Lun will need to embrace the opportunity of a lifetime and hope for everything to fall into place, should this develop into anything more for a handful of bookings.
Anthony Bennett – a product of the New Jersey-based Monster Factory wrestling school, Bennett is extremely small at 5’6” and 150lbs – the kind of wrestler that Vince would never let appear on Raw – but could well be a surprise hit, depending on how kind the draw is to him.
Tyson Dux – a former veteran of WWE’s Velocity and Heat shows (albeit as enhancement talent), the 37 year old Dux has been places, even if luck hasn’t been on his side. A knee injury in a 2004 Velocity match against Mark Jindrak seemed to prevent WWE from following up interest in him, but Dux kept on going, and is now in his 19th year in wrestling. At 200lbs, Dux just sneaks under the weight limit, but his entry in the tournament is seen as a reward for a long and respected career.
Sean Maluta – the latest in the ever-growing line of Samoans, the 27-year-old Maluta has wrestled the bulk of his career in the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion, owned by Afa. Having debuted in 2008, this is again Maluta’s first big break in the wrestling world – and depending on how he performs in the tournament, having a famous uncle could well bode well for his future, but I don’t see Maluta progressing far in the tournament.
Raul Mendoza – better known as Jinzo to those who closely follow the Mexican scene, the 24 year old Mendoza made his debut in 2009, and has wrestled for AAA, Pro Wrestling NOAH and the DTU promotion out of Mexico. Billed by WWE at 155lbs, Mendoza at least fits the bill when it comes to “generic, non-masked luchadores” for this tournament. Keep a close eye on this one – he could yet be the next guy WWE tries to make “the next Rey Mysterio”…
Kenneth Johnson – billed by WWE at 5’11 and 180lbs, this Detroit native is better known on the Texas independent scene as Weazy Woo. Undoubtedly this is Johnson’s big break, and coming from relative wrestling obscurity should mean that he’ll arrive unburdened – and without the pressure to live up to the hype that would otherwise follow them.
Alejando Saez – based out of Chile, Saez – aka XL or Xtra Large – does not look a cruiserweight in his WWE-released photo… and you can probably guess why just by his Chilean gimmicks! The 29 year old has been wrestling for over a decade, and has a few tours of Pro Wrestling NOAH under his belt from back in 2014….
Damian Slater – heading out of Adelaide, the 29 year old Slater has spent the vast majority of his career in his native Australia, and is the current Wrestle Rampage champion. Trained by fellow tournament entrant TJ Perkins, Slater has already had encounters with Masato Tanaka and the Young Bucks… as well as current NXT stars Shinsuke Nakamura, Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls (now Shane Thorn and Nick Miller of TM61). Despite not leaving Australia, he’s got the experience – but will he be able to make it count?
Jason Lee – another Hong Kong-born wrestler, Lee has wrestled a lot for the Zero-ONE promotion out of Japan, and appeared on the same UK tour as Ho Ho Lun did in 2013. Having held Zero-ONE’s World Junior Heavyweight and International Junior Heavyweight titles, Lee comes into the Cruiserweight Classic with some credentials, but will have to overcome the bright lights of the WWE in order to make the most of his big shot.
Arya Daivari – best known as the brother of former WWE star Shawn Daivari, Arya has largely wrestled around the midwest for promotions like F1RST Wrestling, DreamWave and AAW. Having been in the business for ten years, Arya would do well to shed any semblance of the stereotypical anti-American gimmick that his brother portrayed, especially given recent events. As for how far he’d progress, I don’t see Arya going far in this tournament.
The WWE Cruiserweight Classic starts taping at Full Sail University on June 23, with further tapings on July 14 and August 26 ahead of the live finals on September 14, with the series set to debut on July 13 at 9pm ET on the WWE Network.
Reproduced from BackBodyDrop.com, where we’re currently running through recent PROGRESS Wrestling shows in our #BACKFILL series, along with reports and commentaries on the latest from WWE, New Japan and the best of independent wrestling – check us out!
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
WWE today announced that a draft will be held on the first live Smackdown on USA Network on July 19, taking place from Worcester, Massachusetts.
This will be the first time that the draft will be held on Smackdown as previous drafts were always held on Monday Night Raw. The move will try to solidify the blue brand as equally important as its red counterpart.
The press release, titled WWE’s Destiny Live on Smackdown, stated that the draft will be conducted by respective General Managers, GMs which have still yet to be chosen.
“This is an exciting new era for WWE in which we will yet again reinvent ourselves by creating a second night of compelling live television,” said Kevin Dunn, WWE’s Executive Producer.
“We’re already hearing the excitement among WWE fans for Smackdown’s new live format, and our audiences are eagerly anticipating the live draft and what it means for their favorite Superstars,” added Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment.
Here are the results from last night’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view which took place from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Goldust and R-Truth defeated Tyler Breeze and Fandango in the first Kickoff match; The Lucha Dragons defeated The Dudley Boyz in the second Kickoff match.
The New Day retained the WWE Tag Team titles defeating The Club, The Vaudevillains, and Enzo and Cass in a fatal 4 way; Baron Corbin defeated Dolph Ziggler; Charlotte and Dana Brooke defeated Natalya and Becky Lynch; Apollo Crews defeated Sheamus; AJ Styles defeated John Cena; Dean Ambrose defeated Alberto Del Rio, Chris Jericho, Sami Zyan, Kevin Owens, and Cesaro in a MITB ladder match to get the briefcase; Rusev defeated Titus O’Neil to retain the United States title.
In the main event, Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns to become the new WWE World Heavyweight champion however the win was short-lived as their former tag team partner Dean Ambrose immediately cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase, hit Rollins with the briefcase and delivered the Dirty Deeds for the pinfall, becoming the new WWE World Heavyweight champion.
It seems that WWE and the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer company has come to an agreement to go ahead with the John Cena t-shirt that was removed from WWE Shop due to the beer company complaining that it was a rip off of their logo.
Last month, Pabst Blue Ribbon tweeted to WWE and Cena that they “have a chokehold called the cease and desist and also posted a middle finger emoji in the tweet. WWE swiftly removed the design from WWE Shop to avoid any legal trouble even though they said there was nothing wrong with it.
Today, the shirt was put back on sale and John Cena himself tweeted a photo sporting the shirt with two thumbs up writing, “You Can’t C(ease and Desist) ME,” tagging the Pabst Blue Ribbon Twitter account in the post.
Pabst hilariously replied to the tweet simply saying, “Cena always kicks out at 2…“
The odds for the main event for tonight’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view have flipped and something must have happened over the past few hours that saw a large amount of money being placed on Seth Rollins defeating Roman Reigns.
Rollins, who was the underdog this morning, is now the favorite at 1/4 to win the WWE World Heavyweight title while Roman Reigns is at 11/4 to retain. Reigns was at 1/8 to retain earlier today with Rollins at 9/2.
Is WWE finally pulling the plug on the Roman Reigns reign and giving Seth Rollins the title that he never lost back? Or will the odds flip again as the show gets closer to start time?
Central Intelligence, the new action-comedy movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart opened this weekend with $34.5 million, good enough for second place behind Disney’s massive Finding Dory animated movie which did $136.1 million.
The movie also did $6.8 million in foreign box office bringing its worldwide gross to $41.3 million. The movie – which opened in 3,508 theaters nationwide – had a $50 million budget.
Cinemascore.com gave Central Intelligence an A- while RottenTomatoes.com users graded it at 66%.
Live tonight from the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, WWE presents Money In The Bank 2016 on WWE Network and pay-per-view. The full card is as follows:
Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight title; Kevin Owens vs Cesaro vs Alberto Del Rio vs Sami Zayn vs Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho in a MITB ladder match; The New Day vs The Club vs Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs The Vaudevillains in a fatal 4 way for the WWE Tag Team titles; Rusev vs Titus O’Neil for the United States title; John Cena vs AJ Styles; Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs Natalya and Becky Lynch; Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin; Apollo Crews vs Sheamus. The bigger-than-usual card will also have two Kickoff matches with The Lucha Dragons vs The Dudley Boyz; and The Golden Truth vs Breezango.
Money In The Bank is free for first time subscribers of the WWE Network subscribers and you can watch it live at http://w-o.it/wwentwrk.
A new commercial for UFC 200 featuring Brock Lesnar was released by the UFC, referring to the former champion as WWE Superstar.
The commercial has close ups of Lesnar’s tattoos with the words “The Beast is on the Hunt” flashing on the screen. Several clips of his opponent Mark Hunt knocking people out then plays followed by Lesnar clocking Heath Herring and Frank Mir.
Lesnar vs Hunt seems to be the co-main event for this show and in the graphics sits alongside with Cormier vs Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight title.
If the bookies are right, Dean Ambrose is the favorite to win the Money In The Bank briefcase tonight at odds 1/7, presenting the possibility of all three members of The Shield being a champion on the same night if he cashes in on a new champion later in the night. Kevin Owens is the second favorite for the briefcase at 9/2 while Chris Jericho is at 12/1, and the others, Cesaro, Alberto Del Rio, and Sami Zayn are at a distance with odds 25/1, 33/1, and 33/1 respectively.
Roman Reigns is at 1/8 to retain the WWE World Heavyweight title with his opponent Seth Rollins at 9/2 to win the big one. The New Day are also favorites to retain at 1/4, with The Club at 100/30 in second, Enzo and Big Cass at 9/1, and The Vaudevillains a distant fourth at 33/1. Rusev’s United States title also seems secure with 1/6 odds while Titus O’Neil is at 7/2 for the upset.
In other matches, AJ Styles is the clear favorite at 1/8 against Cena who is 9/2, Apollo Crews is 8/15 to defeat Sheamus at 11/8, and Charlotte and Dana Brooke are slight favorites at 4/7 against Natalya and Becky Lynch at 5/4.
TMZ.COM is reporting that after the latest rehab stint, Sunny has been alcohol-free for 90 days so far and says that she “doesn’t want to leave.”
Calling it the “best decision she’s ever made,” the WWE Hall of Famer told TMZ that her days are filled with counseling, self-reflection and various physical activities including rock climbing, camping and ropes courses. And best of all? After ripping WWE to shreds for abandoning her even though they paid countless rehab stints for nothing, WWE is once again picking the $40,000 a month bill.
“They’ve been awesome. They just want to see me get better,” Sunny told TMZ.
Sunny checked herself into rehab back in March following several DUI arrests.
Away from the disastrous week the company had in terms of securing funds and problems with the Impact “live” broadcast on POP TV, TNA announced that it has re-signed the services of four of its talent.
These four are Abyss, DJ Z, Al Snow, and Knockout Rosemary.
Abyss has been one of TNA’s longest-serving employees having signed his first deal back in 2002. DJ Z, also known as Zema Ion, has been working with TNA since 2011. Al Snow pulls double duty in the company, as a wrestler and also as a road agent and has been working there since 2008. Rosemary is the Canadian Knockout who was announced to have signed a deal just six months ago.
This week’s Smackdown drew 2,073,000 viewers, up just around 77,000 from last week’s 1.9 million. The NBA Finals which went head to head in the second hour of Smackdown drew 20.7 million viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
