Forbes.com is reporting that Peter Thiel, one of PayPal’s co-founder, has been secretly covering the expenses of Hulk Hogan’s lawsuits against Gawker.
In early March, LawNewz.com uploaded a story with rumors of someone secretly bankrolling Hogan’s fight versus Gawker and now the name of Thiel came up. Nick Denton, the founder of Gawker, told the New York Times that he had a “hunch” that someone from Silicon Valley was helping the former WWE champion.
“If you’re a billionaire and you don’t like the coverage of you, and you don’t particularly want to embroil yourself any further in a public scandal, it’s a pretty smart, rational thing to fund other legal cases,” he told the Times.
What’s interesting is that Thiel was targeted by Gawker years ago as the company tried to out him as gay before he eventually went public about his sexuality. A rep for Thiel declined to comment on the story when contacted by Forbes.
W-O reader Dr. Mike Lano also sent in word that the story was discussed on the CBS Morning News program this morning.
On Tuesday Hulk Hogan filed a motion against Gawker asking the court to force the three defendants – Gawker, Nick Denton, and AJ Daulerio – to each put $50 million in an escrow account if they want to appeal the judgment against them.
After the announcement was made that Smackdown was going live in the United States, SkySports.com revealed that the show is also going live in the United Kingdom.
Sky Sports will be airing the show every Wednesday early morning starting at 1AM GMT beginning July 20. Sky Sports already airs Raw live every Tuesday morning also at 1AM GMT.
“We are delighted that WWE, one of our longest standing partners, will be broadcasting Smackdown live and Sky Sports will be broadcasting this, across our platforms and services, to our customers live on a Tuesday night,” said Barney Francis, Managing Director, Sky Sports. “Alongside live coverage of RAW on Mondays, this further strengthens Sky Sports as the home of WWE in the UK and Ireland. Viewers will also be able to keep up with WWE content via multiple repeat broadcasts and across catch up services.”
Sky pretty much airs every WWE show on its Sports channels and also broadcasts the live pay-per-views on its Box Office channels despite the availability of the WWE Network with PPVs in the country. The relationship between Sky and WWE will go beyond 30 years by the time their current deal runs out in 2019.
Brandi Rhodes, the WWE ring announcer who used the name of Eden Stiles, has followed her husband’s footsteps and left WWE.
“What I’ve been teasing for weeks: I’ve been offered a new opportunity outside of WWE! So I’ve decided to part w/ WWE after tonight,” she wrote yesterday on Twitter. Her departure came two days after Cody was given his release on Sunday following his wish. Brandi said that now she will be doing things her way.
She had been working for WWE since March 2011 when she signed a developmental deal. Following a stint in FCW and then NXT, she requested her release from the company a year later and then returned in February 2014. In October of the same year she started doing announcing and backstage interview jobs for Smackdown and Main Event and eventually became the permanent Smackdown ring announcer.
With Smackdown going live on Tuesday nights, it seems that WWE will once again do a brand split as Variety is also reporting that a draft will be held before the first live Smackdown to determine who will appear on what show.
The story says that each show will feature a different cast and writing teams, bringing back the in-house competition that the company lacks at the time being. Raw and Smackdown will most likely be run by the McMahon kids, each getting a show for storyline purposes.
“WWE’s flagship programs will both leverage the incredible depth of our talent roster, distinct storylines and the unpredictable nature of live TV,” said WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. “This move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen engagement with our fans around the world.”
It’s unclear how titles will be spread and defended and if the World title will be back for the brand that doesn’t get the WWE World Heavyweight title. It could be that WWE will run with one heavyweight title that is defended on both shows which means the champion will be pulling double duty.
WWE originally did the brand extension in 2002 after WrestleMania X8 and then it was decided to discontinue the brand split in August 2011, putting everyone on the same roster again.
Variety reported an exclusive story that Smackdown will be going live every week on USA Network starting on July 19, with the show once again moving nights and will now air on Tuesdays in its regular time slot of 8PM EST.
“There is a huge appetite among our viewers for live programming and the ability to move ‘Smackdown’ to a live format brings a new level of excitement and helps truly eventize this every week,” said Chris McCumber, president of entertainment networks at NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment.
Smackdown was rumored to be moving to a live broadcast once it changed over to USA Network from SyFy but it never happened. The only change was that they moved away from the Friday night “death slot” to Thursdays but still airing on tape since the show kept being recorded on Tuesday nights.
Live broadcasts typically boost TV ratings because there would be no spoilers and fans who typically check spoilers for Smackdown don’t tune in because they know what’s going to happen. Moving to Tuesdays will also mean that WWE avoids the popular Thursday night NFL football game however it spells bad news for TNA since Impact airs on the same day over at POP.
The post-Extreme Rules Raw with the return of Seth Rollins did a total of 3,270,000 viewers, only up slightly by 80,000 viewers from last week.
Hour one did 3,360,000 viewers, followed by 3,330,000 in the second hour and then 3,120,000 in the third and final hour. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
NBC affiliate WBIR 10News in Knoxville is carrying a story about WWE Superstar Kane and the possibility of him running for the Knox County mayoral seat in 2018 under the Republican banner.
The man behind the character, Glen Jacobs, said he is “seriously considering” but will make a final decision after the upcoming presidential election toward the end of the year. He has already met with people in the community as well as the Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, to get their feedback.
“Yes, I’ve talked about it with some folks but there’s nothing too solid yet,” he told WBIR 10News. “Mayor Burchett’s term is coming up and I think he’s been really good for Knox County.”
Jacobs said he cares for this community and that’s the only reason he would consider getting into any sort of government. “And I think it’s incumbent upon people who care about the communities to try to make a difference,” the 49 year old said.
The WWE Network will take a special look at the return of Seth Rollins on Monday, May 30 after Raw goes off the air with a new episode of WWE 24.
Titled ‘WWE 24: Seth Rollins: Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim,’ the show will chronicle the former champ’s road to recovery after tearing his ACL, MCL and medial meniscus in his knee in November 2015. After one appearance at the Slammy Awards Raw the following month, Rollins dropped off to concentrate completely on his recovery, a recovery which was supposed to last up to 9 months but one he managed to finish in just 6.
The WWE Network is free for the first month for new subscribers and you can subscribe at http://w-o.it/wwentwrk.
Five of the seven WWE Superstars who will be competing in the Money In The Bank ladder match next month were revealed on Raw last night.
All five – Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, and Kevin Owens – had to qualify by defeating their respective opponents which were Sheamus, The Miz, Apollo Crews, Dolph Ziggler, and AJ Styles. The Kevin Owens vs AJ Styles match was the main event and closed the show.
Last year’s Money In The Bank ladder match was won by Sheamus after he managed to get past Dolph Ziggler, Neville, Kofi Kingston, Kane, Roman Reigns, and Randy Orton. He successfully cashed in the briefcase at the Survivor Series after Roman Reigns won the WWE World Heavyweight title in the tournament final. Reigns’ reign lasted only around 5 minutes.
The main event for the 2016 Money In The Bank pay-per-view was set last night on Monday Night Raw with the just-returned Seth Rollins taking on Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight title.
Rollins was given a hero’s welcome on the show with several “welcome back,” “thank you Rollins,” and “yes yes yes” chants however the love quickly vanished as Rollins turned on the fans. After Roman Reigns interrupted the Rollins party and Rollins started heading to the back, Shane McMahon came out to smooth things over and then announced the main event for the next pay-per-view.
Seth Rollins never lost the WWE World Heavyweight title and had to give it up after his unfortunate injury during a non-televised live event in November in Dublin, Ireland. The two were supposed to meet at the Survivor Series later that month for the title.
For many years, fight fans had two choices: wrestling or boxing. The situation was the same for the fighters themselves. Those wishing to earn their living on the canvas had to choose from one of the two codes available, and because of the difference in skill sets required, the choice was very often an easy one to make.
That has very much changed now with the relatively recent arrival of MMA, and in particular the UFC. The UFC has muddied the waters, sitting in between the two, not only giving a further choice but also offering the exciting prospect of crossovers.
CREDIT IMAGE SOURCE: www.youtube.com
In the UFC, particularly at the top end, there is money to be made. A lot of money. It is little wonder therefore that it is such an attractive option for those who have made a name for themselves in the WWE to use that name to jump straight into the big money fights in the octagon. But how easy is the transition, who has tried it, how did they fare and who is likely to make the switch in the coming months and years?
WWE to MMA
The obvious place to start is with CM Punk. It was back in 2014 when it was first announced the wrestling star – real name Phil Brooks – would be fighting in the UFC. However, it has been far from plain sailing ever since for one of the longest reigning champion in WWE history. After requiring surgery for a shoulder injury, and a series of less than impressive open sparring sessions, the most recent setback came earlier this year when Brooks needed to have further surgery on a herniated disc injury he suffered during his WWE career. An opponent has been chosen, with a tentative date set for June or July, where he would fight on either the UFC 199 or UFC 200 cards, but it is far from clear if Brooks will be ready for a fight this summer, or even if he will ever fight for the UFC at all.
If CM Punk does achieve success at mixed martial arts, he will certainly be in the minority. A lot have tried it, but very few have made any impact at all. In fact, the vast majority of those who cross over don’t notch up more than the one fight. Examples of those who have tried it once and then decided it wasn’t actually for them include Dave Bautista, Rodney Begnaud, Scott Bigelow, Nathan Jones, Kid Kash, Taka Michinoku, Nick Mitchell and Steve Williams.
The likes of Bobby Lashley, Ikuhisa Minowa, Sean O’Haire and Daniel Puder fared better, at least making a career at their new discipline. There have of course been 2 instances when those who made the switch found great success: Dan Severn was the first person to win a UFC belt, and is a hall of famer. He won a staggering 101 fights and is the only person to hold belts at both wrestling and MMA at the same time.
CREDIT IMAGE SOURCE: www.giantbomb.com
Brock Lesnar also took the transition in his stride. The youngest WWE champion in history left in 2004 and after fighting in Japan joined the UFC where he promptly won the heavyweight belt before returning to the WWE where he now once again plies his trade.
MMA to WWE
There have been fewer instances where people have moved from MMA to the world of professional wrestling, but in general those that have switched have met with success. Alberto Del Rio had a fairly successful MMA career before joining and becoming champion in the WWE. Ken Shamrock successfully combined a career in both codes, headlining 15 UFC cards while also picking up the Intercontinental and Tag Team championships and the 1998 King of the Ring tournament.
Things could very well become a lot more interesting however, if rumors and social media are to be believed. Daniel Cormier, who is taking on odds-on favorite Jon Jones in their long awaited rematch on the 10th July for the light heavyweight UFC belt is a huge WWE fan. A longtime admirer of Seth Williams, he even has a WWE move named after him – the Daniel Cormier Driver or DCD for short. It would be no surprise at all if he was to feature at some point on a WWE bill. He may not be alone either.
CREDIT IMAGE SOURCE: www.latimes.com
Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is said to be keen to get involved once again with professional wrestling. Rousey – who is also trying to get her acting career off the ground with a role in the recent Furious 7 – is unlikely to fight for the UFC this year after her devastating defeat at the hands – and feet – of Holly Holm last year, and is weighing up all her options. It is a distinct possibility, after her appearance at WrestleMania 31, that her next fight may well be in the WWE.
Completing the Triangle
CREDIT IMAGE SOURCE: www.sickchirpse.com
The person that could set all these possibilities – and more – into motion however may be Conor McGregor. The outspoken Irishman was the biggest star in the UFC and certainly their highest earner. His recent defeat to Nate Diaz, and his subsequent withdrawal from the rematch means his future is very much up in the air, certainly when it comes to the UFC. Two other options are available to him however. He has recently sparked debate after following several prominent WWE stars on Twitter, a medium he also used to suggest that he could well be up for fighting Floyd Mayweather. Whatever he decides to do, whichever type of fight he chooses, such a high profile name will mean it will be far easier for others to follow suit, something that can only be a good thing for all three sports.
A recap of Extreme Rules’ WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match is shown, then the regular Raw video plays and the pyro goes off in the arena of Baltimore, Maryland; we are greeted by Michael Cole!
Segment #2: Arena Promo
Seth Rollins, who made his return last night at Extreme Rules, enters to a boisterous ovation. He takes in the cheers until reminding the fans how they treated him during his WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign, which he had to give up due to injury. Quickly going from face to heel, Rollins rips on the fans and tells them he does not need them. “I, and only I, will reclaim my title!”
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns walks out, and the two have a stare-down. Rollins eggs him on, but escapes the ring. Shane McMahon makes his presence known and asks Seth to get back in the ring for a talk. He sympathizes with Rollins, and books him to challenge Roman for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money In The Bank on June 19th! Seth shakes Shane’s hand in agreement.
The commentators put over the announcement, and the Money In The Bank concept. Cole, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, and Byron Saxton go over qualifying matches for that Ladder Match, which will be Cesaro VS. Intercontinental Champion The Miz, Jericho taking on Apollo Crews, Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler, A.J. Styles wrestling Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn meeting Sheamus, next!
Commercials.
Segment #3: Backstage Promo
Rene Young is with Sheamus, asking him about his upcoming bout. He is not thrilled with “The New Era” and vows to stop it.
Match #1: Money In The Bank Qualifying (Single) – Sami Zayn VS. Sheamus
They go back-and-forth for the first bit until Sami hits a jumping calf-kick. He chops Sheamus in the corner, but “The Celtic Warrior” knees and kicks back. He drops a leg then knees Zayn in the back a couple of times, but is twirled around with a headscissors by a running Zayn off the ropes! Sami follows with a moonsault from the barrier on the outside! Sheamus knees Zayn again as he tried to get back in the ring.
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Sheamus is in control and taunts Sami signalling to the briefcase above the ring. He slams Sami down with a tilt-a-whirl-powerslam, and then goes for a superplex from the top turnbuckle. Zayn punches away, and leaps over but is caught in the Irish Curse backbreaker! 1 – 2 – Sami gets his shoulder up!
Zayn hits back with a hard clothesline and a Michinoku Driver for a near-fall! He measures Sheamus in the corner, but Sheamus kicks back. Sami hits numerous punches, but is tripped-up on the top rope. Sheamus waits and goes for the Brogue Kick, but Zayn ducks and clotheslines Sheamus to the floor! He runs but is punched back; Sami suddenly hits the Helluva Kick and covers for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall and Qualifying: Sami Zayn
Post-match, Sheamus is frustrated that he did not move on.
Later tonight, we will hear the “State of the Women’s Championship” from Women’s Champion Charlotte!
Commercials.
Segment #4: Backstage Promo
Apollo Crews is interviewed by Rene Young about his upcoming M.I.T.B. bout with Chris Jericho; before he can get too far, Sheamus attacks, still infuriated with his loss and “The New Era.”
Match# 2: Six-Man Tag-Team – Tag-Team Champions The New Day (Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Big E.) VS. The Social Outcasts (Heath Slater, Bo Dallas, and Curtis Axel)
Prior to the contest, New Day is jubilant about their Tag-Team Title retention at Extreme Rules and Raw’s birthday, celebrating 1200 episodes. They tease dumping the cake that says “Happy Birthday” onto the fans and announcers, but are abruptly hit from The Social Outcasts, who they are taking on next!
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Slater is on the turnbuckle, but Xavier counters a dive with a dropkick. The New Day give Heath the “Unicorn Stamped” in the corner, then Kofi is whipped into Slater with a dropkick! The Outcasts go for a train on the outside, but Heath drops down. He is put back in the ring and finished off with the Tag-Champs’ finisher!
Winners via Pinfall: Tag-Team Champions The New Day
Post-match, Big E. and Kofi smash Heath in the face with the cake!
Up next, Cesaro and Intercontinental Champion The Miz!
Commercials.
Match 3: Money In The Bank Qualifying (Single) – Intercontinental Champion The Miz (with Maryse) VS. Cesaro (Non-Title)
Before this one starts, Miz and Maryse put over his retaining of the Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules in the Fatal-4-Way; they compare this to an “underdog story” and guess which Hollywood actors could play him.
Cesaro hits numerous uppercuts immediately and completely dominates to the break!
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Miz is now in control, driving Cesaro down with a neckbreaker/backbreaker combo! He DDT’s Cesaro for a two-count, then mount-punches him. Miz slingshots Cesaro into the bottom rope, then focuses on Cesaro’s taped-up left shoulder. Cesaro begins to fight back with uppercuts, but is whipped into Miz’s shoulder. Miz follows with a clothesline in the corner then ascends the top turnbuckle. Cesaro counters with a dropkick, which sends Miz to the floor!
Cesaro runs at Miz against the corner with an uppercut, then crossbodies off the top turnbuckle for a near-fall! Miz runs, but is given a spinebuster, then Swung for a short time. Miz rebounds quickly, but Cesaro counters a top-turnbuckle dive with an uppercut, and then plants with The Gotch Neutralizer for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall and Qualifying: Cesaro
Segment #5: Backstage Promo
Rene Young asks Seth Rollins about his upcoming WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match at Money In The Bank; he puts himself over greatly, then is pleased to see Stephanie McMahon. However, Steph is not as happy, refuting a hug and instead just shaking his hand then walking away.
Chris Jericho makes his entrance and emphasis is placed on his bandaged-body from being slammed onto thumbtacks at Extreme Rules. Still-photos of his match with Dean Ambrose is shown, and Jericho will be wrestling Apollo Crews, next!
Commercials.
Match #4: Money In The Bank Qualifying (Single) – Chris Jericho VS. Apollo Crews
Jericho tries the heel-tactic to start, but Crews uses his power to overtake. He punches at Chris’ bandages, but Jericho pokes him in the eye and regains control. He slaps Apollo around and hits him with a dropkick as he ran off the ropes. He wears Crews down with a grounding chicken-wing, but Apollo strengthens out of it.
Jericho chops away, but is kicked and clotheslined. Apollo splashes Jericho in the corner, then dumps him to the outside. He follows with a moonsault from the apron, and then jumps off the top turnbuckle. He catches Jericho with a powerslam and hits an enziguri! He tries for the spin-out powerbomb, but Chris reverses into a victory-roll into the Walls of Jericho! Apollo struggles, but manages to grab the bottom rope for a break!
Crews hits another enziguri, but Jericho subsequently kicks out! They botch a moonsault/kip-up series, and “Y2J” takes this one shortly after with the Codebreaker!
Winner via Pinfall and Qualifying: Chris Jericho
Segment #6: Backstage Promo
Rene Young asks Sheamus for his thoughts on the previous contest; he just laughs maniacally and walks away.
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Segment #7: Backstage Promo
JoJo interviews Baron Corbin on his “controversial” win at the Extreme Rules kickoff show but Dolph Ziggler soon walks up; Ziggler says that Baron is no one special, but Corbin retorts that he doesn’t want to be one. Instead, he states that he is in wrestling to “beat people up” and “get paid for it.” Dolph challenges him to a “technical wrestling” match next week, which Corbin accepts. Dolph tells Baron to watch him “steal the show,” which is “something you can’t do.”
Segment #8: Arena Promo
Big Cass is on the ramp, and doesn’t say anything, but welcomes back (as do the fans) Enzo Amore! They comically and brilliantly talk about Enzo’s deal, then go onto “a couple a’ haters” The Dudley Boyz. Enzo picks on Bubba, who Cass is about to meet.
Commercials.
Match #5: Single – Big Cass (with Enzo Amore) VS. Bubba-Ray Dudley (with D-Von Dudley)
They lockup to begin, and then Bubba slaps Cass, but Cass shoves back. Bubba misses a right hand, and Cass hits back. D-Von ambushes Enzo on the floor, but Cass and Enzo take him out. Bubba tries a top-rope move, but Cass chucks him off and gives him a big boot! He follows with the Empire Elbow to take this!
Winner via Pinfall: Big Cass (with Enzo Amore)
Women’s Champion Charlotte, Ric Flair, and Dana Brooke will be out next!
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Segment #9: Arena Promo
The new trio of Ric Flair, Women’s Champion Charlotte, and Dana Brooke strut to the ring. Ric takes the microphone first and revels in his daughter’s successes from childhood to now. Dana also puts Charlotte and Ric over, and then it is the champ’s turn to talk.
Charlotte does a complete one-eighty, and dumps her father. She harks at Ric for not being there when she was growing up, and yells at him for a while about what life was like growing up without him. She proclaims fed into the fans’ perception that she can’t do it on her own, but in reality, it was only because Ric wanted the spotlight, like many of his time.
Charlotte says that she will do her things her way now and orders her father to leave; Ric obliges and, teary-eyed, walks to the back.
Commercials.
Match #6: Money In The Bank Qualifying (Single) – Dean Ambrose VS. Dolph Ziggler
A lockup starts, then Dean waistlocks and snaprmares Dolph. They trade wrestling-holds until Ambrose hits a forearm-smash as Ziggler ran off the ropes. He slaps Dolph around, and both switch pin combos for two-counts. Dolph is on the outside, where Ambrose goes for a dive, but Ziggler moves closer to the ring to stop Dean’s momentum.
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“The Lunatic Fringe” is governing until Dolph reverses an elbow-dive into a roll-up for two! He plants Dean to the canvas with the Famasser, and then both double-clothesline each other. They slug away, and Ziggler hits a superkick but Ambrose clotheslines back. He goes to the top and leaps off, but Dolph counters with a dropkick!
“The Show-Off” punches in the corner and reverses a powerbomb attempt into a sunset-flip, but Ambrose kicks out and counters the Zig-Zag into the Dirty Deeds DDT! 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall and Qualifying: Dean Ambrose
Segment #10: Backstage Promo
Ric Flair walks through the hallways and is met by Titus O’Neil, Zack Ryder, and Arn Anderson. Rene Young wants his comments on what happened with Charlotte, but Ric shakes his head “no” and walks off.
Commercials.
Segment #11: Video Promo
The Shining Stars put themselves over.
Match #7: Money In The Bank Qualifying (Single) – A.J. Styles VS. Kevin Owens
Ahead of this, A.J. gives props to WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns for “being every bit of the man he says he is.” Styles takes a shot at Jimmy and Jey – The Usos – and Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, as he claims their interference cost him the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Anderson and Gallows walk out to answer him; Karl says that A.J. has “changed,” since he would’ve been with them back in Japan. Luke says that it was because of them that A.J. got to Extreme Rules. Styles reiterates that it’s not “personal,” but that they just need to go other ways, business-wise.
Karl and Luke don’t take to this kindly, and declare them not “brothers” with A.J. They back out, and Styles awaits Owens.
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Kevin Owens makes his entrance and both point to the briefcase. They punch at each other, then Kevin clamps on a standing side-headlock. A.J. whips him off the ropes, but misses a dropkick as Owens grabbed the ropes. He runs, but is hit with the dropkick, and A.J. takes over. Kevin comes back and rolls to the outside, then hits a hard clothesline! A.J. hits back with a springboard-forearm, then throws Owens into the steps!
Commercials.
Owens now has Styles clutched in a grounding rear-chinlock, then hurls him to the floor. He sets up A.J. for a powerbomb on the steps, but Styles stops it and rams Kevin into the ring apron. A.J. rapidly elbows Owens in the ring, and plants him with a facebuster for a near-fall!
He goes for a move, but Kevin counters into a backdrop, then German-suplexes A.J. out of the corner! Owens follows with the Cannonball-Splash in the opposite corner. He tries another German, but “The Phenomenal One” reverses it into one of his own and drives Kevin with the fireman’s-carry kneebuster.
A.J. tries the Styles’ Clash, but Owens reverses, however can’t get the follow-up pin! Both battle on the top turnbuckle, and Owens moonsaults, but eats canvas! Styles follows with a springboard-450-splash and almost gets this! Kevin is by the commentators, but moves to the apron. A.J. hits a running-knee, but is then powerbombed onto the steps! Referee Mike Chioda counts, and Styles barely makes it back in!
Kevin slings A.J. into the ropes for the Pop-Up Powerbomb, but Styles counter with the Pele Kick! 1 – 2 – Kevin kicks out! Styles springboards, but Owens kicks, crotching A.J. on the top rope! Kevin slams Styles down with the Pop-Up Powerbomb, and covers for the (surprisingly clean) victory!
Winner via Pinfall and Qualifying: Kevin Owens
Post-match, Kevin Owens celebrates as A.J. is troubled by his loss to close the show.
End of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings
Much like last Friday’s Smackdown! Report (May 20th), today is another sad anniversary in professional wrestling, at is the 17th of Owen Hart’s passing, so I want to give my thoughts on him.
I started really watching pro-wrestling in the spring of 1997, which was right around the time of The Hart Foundation being formed; they were my favorite group through November 1997, however I was too young to truly understand Owen’s capabilities. I have since reminisced on Owen through matches and stories/various footage over these years, and now know what he was truly like.
Bottom line: excellent! Owen was an excellent athlete, but more importantly, an excellent man. While I’ve enjoyed many of his matches, I’m more pleased to know that he was a humble, happy, genuinely good man; those qualities were extremely hard to find in a person in this industry back then, and are still hard to find today (but thankfully, a lot less so now.)
Of course, it is tragic what happened, but I am grateful that he is remembered so fondly by everyone who has talked about him, and that he was an honest role model. For the record, my favorite match of his is wrestling the late-great British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith for the European Championship on Monday Night Raw in March 1997; it was a beautiful wrestling match. May God continue to rest his soul and provide love and support to his family.
Stephen Amell, the Hollywood actor who portrays the Green Arrow on the CW television series, thanked his friend Cody Rhodes after he got released from WWE per his wishes.
“Thinking of my good friend @PrinceCGR today,” Amell tweeted. “Whatever’s next, he will excel. Cody: Thanks for taking me on a grand adventure!”
The two shared an on-screen angle which resulted in a SummerSlam tag team match, with Amell teaming up with Neville to take on Stardust and King Barrett. Earlier this year Rhodes and Amell also shot an angle during the Dallas Comic Con when Rhodes, as Stardust, and his wife Eden showed up at Amell’s panel to give him his Slammy Award – and two glasses of water to the face – which Amell was going to raffle to benefit WWE fan Elijah “Drax Shadow” Mainville.
One of the other Superstars who shared that SummerSlam stage with the two, Neville, also had a parting message for Rhodes. “We may have had our differences in the ring, but he did more for me than he’ll ever know. Thank you Cody. I’ll truly miss you mate.“
WWE has released Adam Rose after Rose apparently also requested his release from the company.
“WWE has granted Adam Rose’s request to be released, as of today, May 23, 2016. WWE wishes Rose the best in all his future endeavors,” read a statement on WWE.COM.
Rose was already in the doghouse after he was suspended for 60 days for failing a Wellness Program test. He was then arrested for domestic violence but released on $1,000 bond after his wife, who was on the receiving end of that domestic violence, pleaded with the judge to go easy on him and let him return home.
WWE suspended Rose indefinitely following his arrest. Rose maintained his innocence in the Wellness Program failed test saying that he was being treated by his doctor and even published a note from his doc showing that he was getting a treatment for his ADHD.
Rose started with the WWE back in 2010 and made his main roster debut four years later. He was one of the three Superstars profiled on ESPN’s highly-acclaimed E:60 documentary on NXT.
Live tonight following Monday Night Raw, Shane McMahon will be the subject of a sit-down, tell-all interview with WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley.
The broadcast will air on the WWE Network and it will be Shane’s first in-depth interview since he left the WWE back in 2010 and his surprise return in February of this year.
The interview, marketed as the Shane McMahon Tell All Podcast, was supposed to be part of the Stone Cold Podcast however Austin is not traveling due to a recent arm surgery and the honor went to Mick Foley. Foley becomes the third person to host a podcast on the WWE Network following Austin and Chris Jericho.
Shane’s return to the WWE is so far strictly as an on-air character and holds no roles in the corporate world of WWE. Prior to leaving WWE in 2010, Shane held the position of Executive Vice President of Global Media. That same year he joined YOU On Demand where he served as CEO and is now Vice Chairman of the board. He is no longer employed by the company but sits on their Board of Directors.
A day after he formally requested his release from WWE, Cody Rhodes has officially been granted his wish and as of yesterday he is no longer employed by the company.
“WWE has come to terms on the release of Cody Rhodes as of today, May 22, 2016. WWE wishes Rhodes the best in all his future endeavors,” a WWE statement posted on the WWE.COM website yesterday said.
In a long statement, Rhodes said that being at the Greensboro Coliseum this past Monday and once again being relegated to the bench watching the show on a monitor was pretty much the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Rhodes said that his goal was always to win the WWE title and for a decade he tried to convince both Triple H and Vince McMahon that he can do it. “But it seems we have reached the point where neither saw that in me,” he wrote.
He expressed his gratitude to Triple H for the unflinching respect he has for his late father and did not expect the same respect towards him however he felt he could earn it in time. He said that for the past six months he tried to convince the creative team to let him be just Cody Rhodes again instead of Stardust. Rhodes said that there were many who had his back, including Road Dogg, JBL, and Michael Cole among others, however the two head writers of Raw and Smackdown didn’t want to hear any of it.
In an interesting statement, Rhodes said that these two head writers, one pretends to be Brian Gewritz – who now works for The Rock’s company – and the other one is too busy hitting on developmental Divas. He said they “continued to not return my pitches or emails, and in face-to-face encounters tried to big league me by pretending to be on their clearly powered off laptops…barely willing to listen to an idea I considered beneficial to more than one talent.”
Rhodes thanked all the fans who supported him and his critics but he thinks now that his work just needs to be elsewhere.
“I realized that blood is thicker than paint, that I know who I am and what I’m capable of..I’m not Dusty Rhodes. I’m Cody Rhodes. I’m a pro wrestler. I’m proud of that,” he added.
Former WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins made his return to the ring last night six months after tearing his ACL, MCL and medial meniscus.
Rollins attacked Roman Reigns following his WWE World Heavyweight title match against AJ Styles and hit the champion with the Pedigree. The crowd loved it as they went absolutely bananas and even chanted “Thank you Seth” for taking out Reigns. Rollins then posed with the WWE World Heavyweight title with WWE clearly now moving away from Reigns/Styles to accommodate a Reigns/Rollins feud. The two were supposed to wrestle at Survivor Series last year before Rollins suffered his knee injury.
The former Shield member has been out with the injury since November 4 when a freak accident put a halt to his WWE title run. During that match in Dublin, Ireland against Kane, Rollins went for a sunset flip powerbomb but his knee buckled as soon as he landed. Rollins vacated the title the next day after it was apparent that his injury needed surgery and would be out for up to 9 months. Rollins managed to return three months earlier, pulling out a Cena-esque comeback.
Here are the results from last night’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view which took place from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Baron Corbin defeated Dolph Ziggler in a no disqualification match; Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson defeated The Usos in a tornado match; Rusev defeated Kalisto to win the WWE United States title; The New Day defeated The Vaudevillains to retain the WWE Tag Team titles; The Miz defeated Cesaro, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn in a fatal 4 way to retain the WWE Intercontinental title; Dean Ambrose defeated Chris Jericho in an asylum cage match; Charlotte defeated Natalya in a submission match to retain the WWE Women’s title; and Roman Reigns defeated AJ Styles in an extreme rules match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight title.
Live tonight from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, WWE presents Extreme Rules on the WWE Network and pay-per-view. The full card is as follows:
Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles in an extreme rules match for the WWE World Heavyweight title; Charlotte vs Natalya in a submission match for the WWE Women’s title; The New Day vs The Vaudevillains for the WWE Tag Team titles; The Miz vs Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn vs Cesaro in a fatal 4 way match for the WWE Intercontinental title; Kalisto vs Rusev for the WWE United States title; Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho in an asylum cage match; The Usos vs Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows in a Tornado tag team match; and Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin in a no disqualification match which will take place in the Kickoff portion of the show.
Extreme Rules is free for new subscribers to the WWE Network. Subscribing now will get you access to tonight’s show, and all the video-on-demand programs. Start your free month now at http://w-o.it/wwentwrk.
The GoFundMe campaign by Kevin Owens and Tyler Breeze to raise funds for the victims of the Fort McMurray forest fire ends today.
After the original $30,000 goal was met in a couple of days, the two Canadian WWE Superstars raised the goal to $100,000. Unless there’s a big miracle waiting to happen it doesn’t look like the goal will be met however as of this writing nearly 2,000 fans have donated over $64,000, a healthy sum nonetheless. All the money will be given to the Canadian Red Cross which is coordinating the efforts in the area.
Owens and Breeze promised to follow anyone on Twitter who donated money and record videos to those who donate $100. They will follow through with the “perks” after the campaign is over. You can still donate at https://www.gofundme.com/22vqm7w.
