Just in case you have been living under a rock, John Cena will be making his long-awaited return on Raw tonight, his first Raw appearance since the end of December.
The former champion underwent shoulder surgery in early January and have been out of action ever since. Apart from an appearance at the Hall of Fame and a cameo at WrestleMania where he helped The Rock fend off the Wyatt Family, Cena has remained away from the WWE world.
Prior to his return in mid December, Cena had been out for two months while filming the American Grit television show for FOX so apart from the two weeks after his return he’s been pretty much away from WWE since the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view in October.
It will be a busy day for John, a day he called “ambitious” as first he will be on NBC’s TODAY Show this morning in New York and will then fly to Green Bay, Wisconsin for Raw.
Former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes has listed August 19 as his last day of his no-compete clause after requesting – and getting – his release from WWE last week. Most WWE contracts include a 90 day no-compete clause, preventing anyone who leaves from showing up anywhere else before a three month period.
Teasing his return, Rhodes uploaded a photo of a bucket list with around a dozen items including opponents he would like to wrestle. Names include Adam Cole, Dalton Castle, “The Miracle” Mike Bennett, Kurt Angle, Young Bucks, and others. Also in the list are BOLA – Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Battle of Los Angeles event – and personal ring announcer, something that his wife and former Smackdown announcer Brandi Rhodes could do.
Another former WWE Superstar, Wade Barrett, replied to Rhodes with his own take of a bucket list, listing only Papa Shango as a joke. The Young Bucks photoshopped Cody’s picture with their own take but instead of different names, they put in the word Superkick repeatedly.
TMZ is reporting that Rob Van Dam’s wife Sonya has filed for divorce and is hoping to end their 17 year marriage.
The court documents were filed in Los Angeles citing irreconcilable differences. Sonya is asking for spousal support, attorney fees, and also wants the judge to restore her maiden name. A divorce is a hard thing to go through. It can be an emotionally and financially draining process. This is a vulnerable time in anyone’s life, and choosing a good divorce attorney is a must. You will be putting your life in this person’s hands. The outcome of the case can determine your financial standings for many years, and the consequences of a bad divorce attorney can be devastating, especially if there are children involved. You can check weblink for more about the divorce attorney.
Usually, a good divorce attorney will try to settle your case without going to court. Attorney’s fees are usually higher the longer and more complex the case gets. So, if the divorce can be settled without going to court, the fees will usually be lower. If the attorney suggests that you go straight to court with no attempt to resolve your issues without a judge, chances are he just wants a good payday. In reality, this type of lawyer doesn’t care what happens to you or your family, and this is not what you want. A good divorce attorney will still charge his fees, but he won’t deliberately try to hike the fees up by going to court when there’s really no need. Also, a good attorney would take into consideration the parties feelings and emotions, especially if children are involved. If you are on a limited budget, you can still find an effective attorney. While some divorce attorneys can be quite expensive because of their high reputation, you can still find one that you can afford or an attorney who is willing to make payment arrangements with you. To find a reliable divorce attorney, it is important to do your research. Speak with others who have used the attorney’s services or learn about what their practices are in the courtroom. If finances are keeping you from finding a dependable divorce attorney, research legal services that are available for low-income families and individuals.
If the divorce attorney suggests counseling, this is a sign of a good attorney. This shows that the attorney actually cares for the well being of your family. A poor attorney wouldn’t care, and would rather you went ahead with the divorce, counseling or not. He would get paid more if you didn’t go to counseling. Although a good attorney wants to get paid also, he would rather you and your spouse tried counseling first. If there’s a chance to salvage your marriage, a good divorce attorney will suggest you do so, but then proceed with the divorce if there’s no other option. Then he will fight to get you what you deserve, and to ensure that you are given a fair divorce hearing.
Sonya told TMZ that the two are on good terms and still talk to each other but it was time to end it as their marriage wasn’t working. “It’s a private time. It’s a hard thing for me to even talk about,” she told TMZ. She claims that the two separated back in December of last year.
In 2008 Sonya had a battle with colon cancer but is now cancer-free.
For the past few days, the WWE Twitter account has been posting cryptic tweets with images and the hashtag #hatch.
Today’s tweet shows a picture of someone trying to “break in,” or better yet as WWE puts it, “extracting” from this hatch with the date 5/30/16. In the picture you can see a red notice which reads “Restricted Area. Authorized Personnel Only.”
Whatever is coming out of this hatch – and it seems that WWE writers have been watching Lost reruns lately – we will find out tomorrow on Monday Night Raw.
The last time something hatched on WWE television did not go down particularly well. Remember Survivor Series 1990?
While John Cena’s t-shirt that looked like a rip-off of Pabst Blue Ribbon’s logo won’t be going on sale anymore, it was quickly replaced by another design.
The red, white and blue color scheme remains however the font and general design of the t-shirt no longer resembles the previous version. The merchandise with new design is expected to be shipped on Friday, June 10.
Meanwhile WWE Shop has a sale on t-shirts that are priced down to $10, including those of WrestleMania 32, Sting, Roman Reigns, John Cena, nWo, Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, and many other top stars. The offer ends tomorrow at 3AM EST. To purchase go to http://w-o.it/wweshopcom.
Smackdown this week drew 2,112,000 viewers, down 183,000 viewers from last week’s show. It’s the second least watched episode since Smackdown moved to USA Network. The NBA playoffs were the big winners with 10 million viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com is reporting that WWE has decided to halt sales of the John Cena shirt that caused a stir with the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer company after they threatened to send a cease and desist letter.
The shirt has already been removed from WWEShop.com with those who already purchased it now being in possession of a collector’s item. It’s not known if WWE will process orders which haven’t been shipped yet although most likely not.
“As a content creator, WWE respects trademarks and intellectual property, and therefore will not proceed selling the merchandise, despite it being an original design clearly within fair use,” a statement from WWE issued to ProWrestlingSheet read.
The shirt was very similar to the Pabst Blue Ribbon logo and the beer company even posted an image of Cena posing with their shirt side-by-side the WWE gear.
The Pabst Blue Ribbon beer are not happy with WWE and John Cena and have threatened to send a legal letter over the new John Cena merchandise.
Cena’s new gear, in time for his return in two days, is somewhat similar to the Pabst Blue Ribbon logo including a very same-looking font when comparing the “Pabst” and “Hustle” in the logo. It also uses the same blue color of the ribbon.
“A message to @JohnCena & the @WWE: We have a chokehold called the Cease & Desist. Pretty sure we see you,” the Twitter message read, followed by a middle finger emoji. The message also had a photo of Cena sporting the Pabst Blue Ribbon t-shirt side-by-side with Cena sporting his new merchandise gear.
Someone else on Twitter also pointed out that one of his past t-shirts, a green and black one, was a rip-off of the John Deer brand. The fans obviously did not appreciate the tweet, especially the emoji. “This is why no one drinks your shit beer. Who ever runs your social media should be fired,” read one reply.
The Smackdown after SummerSlam will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena on August 23 and its website is promoting the “new era” of Smackdown, giving a hint of who will be on the brand.
While the draft is still not done, WWE surely has pretty much decided who will be on what brand and those advertised appearing on this particular Smackdown are Dean Ambrose, AJ Styles, The New Day, Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Paige, and Naomi.
There were rumors that the women will be exclusive to one brand since the roster is not deep enough to support two different brands but obviously that could change.
WWE Studios and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions have teamed up to produce The Marine 5: Battleground.
The fifth installment of The Marine franchise will feature several WWE Superstars with The Miz reprising his title role and joining him will be his wife Maryse, Heath Slater, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, and Naomi. James Dunn will be directing the movie which is written by Ed McHenry and Rory McHenry.
Filming kicks off May 31 in Vancouver. The synopsis of the movie according to Deadline Hollywood reads, “The Miz returns as Jake Carter, an ex-Marine who served in the Middle East and is now saving civilian lives stateside as an EMT. He finds himself protecting an injured man from a ruthless biker gang and utilizes his unique skills to stop the bikers’ rampage.”
Thursday Night Smackdown! TV Report for May 26th, 2016
Introduction Segment: Video Promo and Welcoming
Raw’s Money In The Bank Qualifying bouts are reviewed, and then the regular Smackdown! video plays. The pyro explodes in the arena of Norfolk, Virginia!
Segment #2: Arena Promo
Michael Cole is in the ring and puts over the concept of the Money In The Bank briefcase,
Commercials.
Match #1: Qualifying for Money In The Bank (Single) – Alberto Del Rio VS. Zack Ryder
Del Rio runs immediately, but Zack puts him into the corner and punches away. He whips Alberto off the ropes, but Alberto kicks back and clotheslines; he takes over with punches and a suplex. Ryder hangs over the apron and Del Rio gives him a running boot-the-head. Zack switches a whip and drops Alberto with a flapjack, then slides into him with a jumping front-dropkick, ring-to-outside!
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Alberto has now taken over with a grounding chinlock; Ryder counters a whip into a facebuster, then double-knees out-of-the-corner! The momentum doesn’t last long, as Ryder is kicked in the head! Del Rio winds up, but Zack counters with a jawbreaker and the Broski Boot (running corner kick). 1 – 2 – Alberto kicks out!
Ryder measures, but is tossed into the turnbuckle as he went for the RoughRyder Leg Lariat. Del Rio sets him up upside down in the corner, but misses the Double-Stomp! Zack plants the RoughRyder, but Alberto rolls out of the ring. Ryder follows, but Del Rio rolls into a cross armbreaker, forcing Zack to submit!
Winner via Submission and Qualifying: Zack Ryder
Segment #3: Video Promo
A recap of Extreme Rules and Seth Rollins’ Monday Night Raw return is aired. Seth will also be on Smackdown! tonight!
Commercials.
Segment #4: Arena Promo
Big Cass and Enzo walk out to the ring, but before they can get into their usual mike skills, The Dudley Boyz interrupt. Cass and Enzo cut them off and challenge them to a match, which Bubba-Ray and D-Von accept – only for next Monday’s Raw. Cass calls them “S-A-W-F-T!”
Segment #5: Backstage Promo
Rene Young interviews United States Champion Rusev and Lana about his U.S. Title bout with Kalisto. He states that Kalisto is “a little baby” compared to Rusev, who is a “grown men.”
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Segment #6: Video Promo
The Intercontinental Championship Match from Extreme Rules is recalled.
Match #2: Single for the United States Championship – Rusev (with Lana) (Champion) VS. Kalisto (Challenger)
Kalisto flies around to start, but Rusev quickly dominates with power.
Commercials.
Rusev continues to govern until Kalisto makes a valiant comeback. He goes for the Salida Del Sol, but Rusev holds him and places him upside down on the turnbuckle. Kalisto moves from a headbutt and hits a rockets off the opposite turnbuckle with a 450 Splash, but Rusev gets his knees up! The “Bulgarian Brute” follows with a stomp on Kalisto’s back and The Accolade, making Kalisto tap!
Winner via Submission and STILL United States Champion: Rusev (with Lana)
Post-match, Rusev goes to attack Kalisto more until Titus O’Neil marches out and challenges Rusev, who walks away with Lana.
Segment #7: Video Promo
Women’s Champion Charlotte’s scathing opinion of her father, Ric Flair, from Raw airs. She then makes her entrance!
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Match #3: Single – Dana Brooke (with Women’s Champion Charlotte) VS. Natalya
Natalya takes Brooke down with a side headlock, then gives her fury punches in the corner. Dana moves and clotheslines Nattie, then rams her face against the mat. She misses an elbow, and Natalya manages to tie her up in the Sharpshooter, but Charlotte slides in and stops, causing a dq.
Winner via Disqualification: Natalya
Post-match, Charlotte beats on Natalya until she is locked in the Sharpshooter; Dana helps her new friend and they attack and stand tall.
Segment #8: Video and Backstage Promo
Picture-stills of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship bout between Champion Roman Reigns and A.J. Styles at Extreme Rules airs, as does Styles’ losing effort against Kevin Owens in a Money In The Bank Qualifier on Raw.
Rene Young is with A.J. now and inquires what his future holds. “The Phenomenal One” recalls his WWE career so far, and is “not sure” what is up next.
Commercials.
Match #4: Tag-Team – The Golden Truth (Goldust and R-Truth) VS. Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango)
In short, Breezango picks this one up after Goldust is knocked off the apron by Fandango, and Tyler kicks Truth down, allowing Fandango to cover!
Winners via Pinfall: Breezango
Up next, Seth Rollins is out!
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Segment #9: Backstage Promo
Goldust is trying to convince R-Truth that they will be “the most powerful force the WWE has ever seen!” Tyler Breeze and Fandango walk by, laughing and making a joke.
Segment #10: Arena Promo
Seth Rollins walks out to a nice ovation; he is happy to be back on Smackdown, but not happy to see the people. He promptly drops the microphone and walks away.
Commercials.
Match #5: Single for the Intercontinental Championship – Cesaro (Challenger) VS. The Miz (with Maryse) (Champion)
They begin equally and then Cesaro takes over, sending Miz to the outside.
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Miz is now in control, working over Cesaro’s injured shoulder. Cesaro makes a comeback, almost taking this with an inside cradle! Miz rolls-up Cesaro, but “The Swiss Superman” reverses into The Sharpshooter! Miz worms, but gets to the rope for a break.
Miz dumps Cesaro to the outside, but Cesaro hits an uppercut and a spinebuster in the ring. Cesaro tries The Swing, but Miz worms to the floor. Miz collects his championship with Maryse and walks away, but Cesaro catches him, uppercutting into the corner barricade. Cesaro soars off the top turnbuckle with a crossbody for a near-fall! He runs into the corner, but Miz moves and plants Cesaro with the Skull-Krushing Finale! Miz covers and receives the victory!
Winner via Pinfall and STILL Intercontinental Champion: The Miz
The Miz and Maryse celebrate on the stage to close the show.
End of Smackdown!
Reporter’s Rumblings
This was a pretty-good week, however I definitely enjoyed Raw more than Smackdown! Onto the reasons why:
Excellence: matches between Sheamus/Sami (Raw), Miz/Cesaro (Raw), Ambrose/Ziggler (Raw), Styles/Owens (Raw), and Del Rio/Ryder (Smackdown!)
Promos from Seth Rollins (Raw and Smackdown!), Sheamus (Raw), Baron Corbin (Raw), Big Cass and Enzo Amore (Raw and Smackdown!).
Seth Rollins’ returned played out how I suspected and I loved it! I was surprised to the ending of Extreme Rules and didn’t expect him back then, but very happy he is continuing the character he had before, as he makes a superbly arrogant heel!
Liked most of the Qualifying Matches/Results and the Ladder Match is looking to be interesting.
With my review, I just picked up on the fact that Cesaro def. Miz on Raw in a Non-Title, so him getting the I.C. Championship shot on Smackdown made absolute sense; way-to-go! However, I’m also glad Miz retained and he is becoming much better again!
As well, enjoying the combination of Rusev and Lana, and Rusev being the U.S. Champion again; he is also much better in his promos and this is the character he needs to be for the rest of his career!
Bogus: matches between New Day/Outcasts (Raw), Jericho/Crews (Raw), Brooke/Natalya (Smackdown!), Golden Truth/Breezango (Smackdown!), and Cesaro/Miz (Smackdown!)
Promos from The Shining Stars (Raw), A.J. Styles (Smackdown!), and Goldust/R-Truth (Smackdown!)
I’m not sold on Charlotte’s dumping of Ric yet; I think they should go longer with the pairing until she loses the Women’s Championship. Also, the part of her promo where she said she can do it on her own didn’t follow with the result (distraction by Dana) at Extreme Rules, so that was an oops! And, I was disappointed with Dana and Nattie’s Smackdown! match – could’ve been given more time.
The only reason I wrote Cesaro/Miz’s Smackdown! match in “Bogus” was purely timing – could’ve also been given a longer bout, especially since the title was on the line. Could not care less about Golden Truth, so please no more!
Smackdown! was filled with too many promos – both video and talking – and less in-ring action; always should be the other way around!
While it totally makes sense for Rollins’ to get his rematch for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, I would’ve liked to see The Club and The Bloodline continue feuding at least through Money In The Bank; again they were making me think of The Freebirds VS. The Von Erichs the way they were fighting, and that is an awesome comparison!
WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hit Man” Hart has partnered with Yahoo! Sports Radio to launch the Bret Hart Radio on PodcastArena.com, iTunes & Google Play.
Two new shows will drop weekly starting Tuesday, May 31 with his two sons Blade and Dallas and their co-host WrestleZone Radio’s Nick Hausman. The two new shows will be called Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter Podcast and Hart Family Vault.
The Tuesday show will focus on the wrestling headlines while the Friday show will be an old school type of show where he recalls one of his classic wrestling matches and answers questions from fans.
“Bret is one of the top voices in professional wrestling,” said David Gow, CEO of Yahoo Sports Radio. “We are thrilled to add his show to Podcastarena.com. Podcastarena.com is growing leaps and bounds, and we know Bret will spur additional growth for us.”
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon will be giving a deposition today in the lawsuit against WWE brought forward by former wrestlers Vito Lo Grasso and Evan Singleton.
Vince is not the only one who has to be interviewed as Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Dr. Chris Amann and Dr. Joseph Maroon are also on the list along with former WWE wrestler Chris Nowinski. The lawsuit revolves around concussions, hence why Nowinski is involved since he heads up the Concussion Legacy Foundation, formerly known as Sports Legacy Institute.
WWE attorneys tried to shield Stephanie McMahon from being deposed however the judge ruled against the motion and ordered her to join the party after it was determined that WWE did not demonstrate that she’s not relevant to the case.
Netflix has acquired the rights of the popular documentary The Resurrection of Jake The Snake and it will be added to the Netflix streaming library next week on June 1.
The documentary, which chronicles the WWE Hall of Famer’s battles with his demons in a struggle to reclaim his life and family, has gotten rave reviews from fans and critics on websites such as The Hollywood Reporter, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, and others.
The Resurrection of Jake the Snake enjoys an 88% score on RottenTomatoes.com and an 8.1 out of 10 rating on IMDB.COM. It features several wrestling legends such as Steve Austin, Scott Hall, Edge, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Duggan, Jim Ross, and others.
The upcoming NXT Takeover on June 8 just got its official name, and it’s a weird one. Triple H announced that the name will be The End.
“Where do we go from here?” asked Triple H. With the brand split looming and a draft set for early July, the NXT roster is expected to be “raided” to help beef up the Raw and Smackdown rosters.
The ‘The End’ name could also mean the end of the Takeover series and maybe a new one replacing it but at this point nothing has been confirmed. One thing is for sure, NXT is not going anywhere but major changes could be on the horizon.
There have been 9 NXT Takeover special events so far with May 2014 being the first time that the name was used. They have all been held at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida except for NXT Takeover Brooklyn, London, and Dallas. The June 8 NXT Takeover: The End show also takes place from Full Sail.
Former WWE champion Randy Orton and his wife Kim are set to become parents again as Mrs Orton revealed on Twitter that the two are expecting.
“@RandyOrton and I have been so blessed, and now 1 more blessing for us. A little princess,” she wrote, adding the hashtag #thanksgivingbaby.
This is their first child together although Orton already has an 8 year old daughter named Alanna Marie from his previous marriage to Samantha Speno. Kim has three boys from a previous relationship.
All episodes of season 5 of Total Divas have been uploaded on the WWE Network, the latest addition to the ever-growing WWE video-on-demand library.
Season 5 premiered on E! on January 19 of this year and features a total of 14 episodes. The season finale was broadcast on April 19 and season 5 was the worst when it comes to viewership numbers with the show dropping to nearly 50% compared to season 4.
The cast for season 5 featured Nikki and Brie Bella, Natalya, Eva Marie, Paige, Rosa Mendes, Alicia Fox, and newcomer Mandy Rose.
TNA Impact on POP did 359,000 viewers yesterday, up significantly from last week’s 311,000 viewers number. The 359K number represents a record for the show on POP as it’s the most viewed episode since TNA moved its flagship program to the network on January 5. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Hulk Hogan and Gawker are back in court today as their case continues but it was bad news for Gawker as their motion for a new trial was denied by Judge Pamela Campbell. She also said she will not reduce the $140 million judgment.
Out of the $140 million that Hogan was awarded, $55 million of them were listed as economic damages. Gawker’s legal team argued that this has to be reduced and “at most” it should be $525,000 or less. Gawker argued that that’s the money that Hogan could have made if he marketed the sex tape, a number which was brought up by their paid expert witness during the trial in March.
Gawker is ready to appeal but first has to put down a sum to go forward with their legal battle, a sum which will be decided by the judge. The company is confident that the court of appeals will overturn the judgment and in previous appeal fights Gawker always found a way to win against Hogan.
The city of Miami has submitted bids to host either WrestleMania 35, 36, or 37 at the recently renovated Miami Dolphins Stadium according to the Miami Herald. The bid team is “optimistic” about the chances according to sources with direct knowledge of the process.
WWE held WrestleMania in 2012 at the Sun Life Stadium, headlined by The Rock vs John Cena in their first-ever encounter. Over 78,000 fans packed the stadium back then but with the renovations around 10,000 seats were removed to make way for the $500 million improvements.
The improved stadium features brand new seats, enhanced concourses, state-of-the-art open-air canopy, four HD video boards, and shade and protection from the elements for almost everyone in the stadium.
The latest bid is a collaborative effort among the Miami Dolphins, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Miami Beach Convention Center and the AmericanAirlines Arena/HEAT Group. The partners submitted their bid in February.
