Mick Foley will be hosting a podcast on the WWE Network and his first guest will be none other than Shane McMahon. Shane is the third McMahon family member following his father and sister to appear on a WWE Network podcast, with Vince appearing on the Stone Cold Podcast and Stephanie appearing on Live with Chris Jericho.
The podcast will be live on Monday, May 23 following Monday Night Raw. This will be the post-Extreme Rules Raw. WWE is marketing this interview as “Shane McMahon tell all podcast.”
In a tweet, Mick Foley said that he’s very excited about his interview with Shane O’Mac, his first time hosting such a thing. Shane, on the other hand, has not done any in-depth interviews with anyone since his departure and return so it will be interesting to see where this goes considering McMahon seems to now be back full time with the company.
The WWE Network is free for a month for first-time subscribers and you can subscribe at http://w-o.it/wwentwrk.
The post-Payback Monday Night Raw rebounded a little bit in the ratings with an average of 3,432,000, up 304,000 viewers from last week’s show.
Hour one did 3,458,000 viewers, hour two did 3,457,000, and hour three finished the night with 3,383,000 viewers. The NBA Playoffs dominated the night and Raw was #3, #4, and #5 overall for the night in terms of viewers on cable TV. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
In a long statement, WWE Superstar Ryback confirmed that it was him who requested to be taken off WWE television until he and Vince “could get a yes or no on a new deal.”
Ryback said that the problem with a new deal has been a major strain and has been since his Intercontinental title run and was told during the weekend that he needs to go home until they agree or disagree on specific terms. “It comes down to a major problem I have with not only WWE but wrestling in general,” Ryback wrote.
The Big Guy went on to say how everyone who works for WWE is just as valuable as the next as winners cannot win unless there are losers who agree to go and lose to them.
“Every single performer for WWE sacrifices the same amount of time from home and their families and every single man or women goes out and does what they are told. Looking at this formula though losers turn into what fans like to call jobbers and their value decreases in the companies eyes and before you know it they get released. For what? For doing exactly as they are told,” Ryback added.
Ryback said that his PPV record of 12-26 shows that he doesn’t mind putting talent over and he has never gone to change a finish to a match. He complained that seeing his pay go down over the years even though he was working as much as ever and still being denied projects took its toll. “Being told no matter how hard I work or how good I get doesn’t always pay off is something I f*cking refuse to ever believe in my life.”
He admitted that WWE may release him and if that is the case, then “so be it.” He said he’s been smart with his finances over the years and there are other interests and passions he can go after.
“I thank every WWE superstar from top to bottom for their sacrifices and for working with me. The world is an amazing place and there is more than just a WWE universe there is The Universe and I will prove one way or another over time I am the greatest big guy in the universe,” Ryback concluded.
June is looking like one of the busiest for NXT as apart from the television tapings, Takeover, and the UK tour, three on the road dates have been added to the calendar.
On June 2 NXT visits Evansville, Indiana for a show at the Old National Events Place, followed by a return to Nashville, Tennessee the next day at the War Memorial Auditorium, and then on June 4 in Atlanta, Georgia at Center Stage. The Center Stage in Atlanta was the home of WCW Saturday Night for several years after the show moved from the WTBS studios in 1989.
Tickets for these three non-televised live events go on sale this Friday at NXTTickets.com.
Two new matches were announced for the Extreme Rules pay-per-view which takes place in just three weeks time in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center.
The WWE Women’s title will be on the line as Charlotte defends against Natalya in a submission match while the WWE Tag Team titles will also be up for grabs with The New Day taking on The Vaudevillains.
The only other match in addition to these two is the main event between AJ Styles and Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight title in an extreme rules match.
PWInsider.com is reporting that Ryback has been sent home over disagreements regarding his new contract and it looks like a Ryback return is not looking good.
Ryback has been stuck wrestling during the Kickoff matches at the past few pay-per-views and during an interview while on tour in Dubai he expressed his disappointment in how he’s being used and how he might be looking for a new job soon. Ryback wrestled Kalisto at the WrestleMania and Payback Kickoff shows and came up short twice in his quest for the United States title.
The former Intercontinental champion was not at Raw last night and his contract is up in a few months.
Hulk Hogan is having another go at Gawker, filing a second lawsuit against the company for “intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon him by leaking a sealed transcript of surreptitiously recorded private oral communications in a bedroom to the media.”
Hogan and his legal team are sure that Gawker were the ones responsible for leaking the recording to The National Enquirer in July of last year, a recording filled with several racial slurs that eventually led to his dismissal from WWE.
Before the recordings were leaked, Gawker CEO Nick Denton wrote a story saying that Hogan’s “real secret” will be revealed soon while AJ Daulerio, the author of the original article on Gawker involving Hogan’s sex tape tweeted “XOXOXO” while attaching a link to the Enquirer’s post.
“This is getting ridiculous,” Gawker said in a statement. “It was absurd enough that Hulk Hogan claimed $100m for emotional distress and economic damage for a story about a sex life that he’d already made public. Now Hulk Hogan is blaming Gawker for racist remarks he made on another sex tape, which Gawker never had.”
Hogan filed the lawsuit in Pinellas County, the same place where he won the invasion of privacy lawsuit against Gawker, getting a total $140 million in damages. Gawker is appealing.
After a great Payback – wrestling-wise (storyline booking was questionable) – we move on to another “new era” in WWE; I won’t spoil for those who haven’t seen yet and are waiting to watch results live on Raw or read this, but it will be interesting for the next while. Onto the report!
Monday Night Raw TV Report for May 2nd, 2016
Introduction Segment: Video Promo and Welcoming
Highlights of Payback are shown, and then the regular Raw video plays; we are greeted by Michael Cole in St. Louis, Missouri.
Segment #2: Arena Promo
Eden Stiles – the ring announcer – asks us to “welcome” Principal Owner Stephanie McMahon. She struts out with a gift bag in hand. Before she can go too far, her brother interrupts. Shane joins in the ring, and they both talk about their split-control of Raw, and Stephanie gives Shane the gift; it is a framed picture of Shane and Vince – the same picture that Vince broke a couple of months earlier. Shane appreciates the present, and they both ask the crowd who has the better ideas. Of course, the fans pick Shane.
Kevin Owens interrupts and demands his rematch for the Intercontinental Championship; Cesaro gets in the mix and it is concluded that they will both wrestle next to determine the #1 Contender!
Commercials.
Match #1: Single for the #1 Contender’s Spot to the Intercontinental Championship – Kevin Owens VS. Cesaro
(Note: Intercontinental Champion The Miz and his wife, Maryse, are on commentary.) Cesaro starts off hot with numerous corner uppercuts and then sends Owens to the outside. He follows by leaping onto the corner of the barricade and flipping over onto K.O.! Back in the ring, Cesaro gets a two-count after a top-turnbuckle crossbody. He goes for a run but is met with a superkick, and Kevin takes over.
He pounds away, but is hit with an uppercut as he went to the top turnbuckle. Up there, Cesaro tries a move, but is headbutted off. Cesaro fires back with a dropkick and a gutwrench suplex! 1 – 2 – Owens kicks out! Kevin whips Cesaro into the ropes, but Cesaro flips over. He tumbles to the floor after Owens gives him a jawbreaker, then lands on him with a “Bullfrog” Splash!
Ads.
K.O. is still in control, but Cesaro counters with numerous uppercuts. Kevin whips him into the turnbuckle and runs at him in the opposite one with the Cannonball Splash! Cesaro ducks a clothesline and springs off the middle rope with a Tornado-Uppercut, then runs at Owens on the floor again with an uppercut against the barricade.
Kevin grabs the I.C. Title but Cesaro counters and hits Miz too. In the ring, “The Swiss Superman” goes to Swing Owens around, but Miz attacks from behind, causing a dq.
Winner via Disqualification: Cesaro
Post-match, Miz, Cesaro, and Kevin brawl until Sami Zayn runs out. He goes for Owens, but Miz is shoved in front first. Sami punches Miz, then whales away on Owens. Sami gives Miz an Exploder-Suplex, and Helluva Kicks Kevin! He goes for Miz again, but Maryse pulls him to safety. The Intercontinental Championship is left in the ring, which Zayn holds up.
Segment #3: Backstage Promo
Stephanie is walking through the halls and meets Dean Ambrose. “The Lunatic Fringe” doesn’t believe McMahon has changed her ways, but she wants to prove him wrong, so she invites herself on his “Ambrose Asylum” show. Dean happily accepts and she leaves.
Commercials.
Segment #4: Backstage Promo
Tyler Breeze and R-Truth are trying to synch up when Goldust and Fandango approach, trying to show them how to partner up. Truth and Breeze don’t take to this kindly, and it will be Breeze going against Goldust!
Segment #5: Locker Room Promo
A.J. Styles is discussing with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson; they implore that A.J. was “phenomenal” last night, but Styles reminds them he was defeated. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns walks in and gives A.J. his “respect,” but can’t do the same for Gallows and Anderson. The Usos follow behind, and all six men will square off later tonight! A.J. vows to take the title at Extreme Rules.
Goldust and Fandango dance their way to the ring!
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Match #2: Single – Goldust (with Fandango) VS. Tyler Breeze (with R-Truth)
This one is fast, as Truth distracts Goldust, letting Breeze roll-up for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Tyler Breeze (with R-Truth)
The New Day are on their way out!
Commercials.
Segment #6: Arena Promo
Tag-Team Champions Kofi Kingston, Big E., and Xavier Woods talk about the unfortunate finish to the Tag-Team Championship #1 Contender’s Tournament, where Enzo Amore suffered a concussion and the match had to be stopped abruptly. The Vaudevillians have been awarded the spot, and will wrestle New Day for the titles at Extreme Rules on May 22nd.
New Day give props to Enzo for getting checked out and released from the hospital, but then are intruded upon by The Vaudevillians. Simon Gotch and Aiden English rip on Amore, and proclaim themselves as symbols of a “bygone era.” The Dudleyz now interject themselves, declaring that the entire Tag-Team Championship Tournament restart.
Enzo’s partner, Big Cass, marches out and doesn’t stand for any of this. Everyone brawls, with New Day and Cass getting into it with The Vaudevillians and Dudleyz!
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Match #3: Eight-Man Tag-Team – Tag-Team Champions The New Day (Xavier Woods, Big E., and Kofi Kingston) and Colin Cassidy VS. The Vaudevillians (Aiden English and Simon Gotch) and The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von)
New Day and Cass are all over Gotch and English; Bubba blind-tags in and boots Woods. He punches right-and-left while yelling instructions to The Vaudevillians. D-Von and Ray plant Xavier with a sidewalk-slam/legdrop combo. English is in and works over Woods, as do a mix of The Vaudes and Dudelyz. Xavier counters with an enziguri, but D-Von is tagged and puts him to the canvas. He goes for a diving headbutt from the second turnbuckle, but misses, allowing Woods to hot-tag Kofi. He is all over D-Von, but English distracts Kingston, and Gotch pushes Kofi into the ring post.
Commercials.
Aiden and Simon are back dominating over Kofi, until Kingston hits a double-dropkick. (Thanks, Cole!) Kofi makes the pop-tag to Cass, who overpowers both Vaudevillians and Dudleyz. He boots Gotch off the apron right into an overhead belly-to-belly suplex by Big E. In the ring, Bubba and D-Von set up Cass for the 3;D, but Kofi breaks it, and Cass finishes with the “East River Crossing” spinning-side-slam!
Winner via Pinfall: Tag-Team Champions The New Day and Colin Cassidy
Later tonight, a Battle Royal will determine who will face Kalisto for the United States Championship!
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Segment #7: Video Promo
Clips of Roman Reigns’ and A.J. Styles’ WWE World Heavyweight Championship bout at Payback are shown, as well as their locker room meeting from earlier tonight. Cole, Byron Saxton, and John “Bradshaw” Layfield also go over the “screwjob” ending to the Women’s Championship at Payback. A quick couple shots of Charles Robinson – the referee – in W.C.W. as “Little ‘Naitch’ recall his relationship with the Flairs.
Becky Lynch makes her entrance and will be wrestling Emma, next!
Commercials.
Match #4: Single – Becky Lynch VS. Emma
Becky controls early with armdrags and a dive from the apron to the floor! She puts Emma back in the ring, but is yanked off the turnbuckle, allowing Emma to take over. She snapmares and kicks, then pulls at Lynch’s arms, and stretches her in an armlock. They counter each other and Emma rams Becky head-first into the middle turnbuckle. She follows with a crossbody-splash for two!
Both punch away, and Lynch gains momentum with a clothesline and calf-kick. She spin-kicks Emma and tosses her with an Exploder Suplex; the slams her to the mat and signals for the Disarmer, but Emma moves. Emma pokes Becky in the eye, and drives her with a Michinoku-Suplex, taking this!
Winner via Pinfall: Emma
Up next, “The Ambrose Asylum!”
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Segment #8: Arena Promo
Dean Ambrose gets right to business, bring out Stephanie McMahon. He first asks her what it was like to get Speared by Roman Reigns at WrestleMania; she responds that she was at fault and Roman did what he had to do. Ambrose eggs her on about Shane’s return; his remarks break Steph, who then uses her power to stop the “Ambrose Asylum.” She then introduces Chris Jericho, and the “Highlight Reel” is back.
“Y2J” walks down the aisle and glares at Ambrose; they get into it, with Jericho smashing the plant on the back of Dean.
Commercials.
Match #5: #1 Contendership Battle Royal to the United States Championship
Many are eliminated prior to the break.
Ads.
It comes down to Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, Rusev, Sin Cara, and Zack Ryder. Cara makes an effort, but is thrown over. The (former) League of Nations squabble, and Rusev with Ryder after Sheamus and Del Rio are eliminated. Zack is fired up and hits the boots, then goes to throw Rusev out, but “The Bulgarian Brute” turns him around and chucks “Long Island Iced-Z” to the floor!
Winner and #1 Contender to the United States Championship: Rusev
Post-match, Lana gleefully walks down and celebrates with her man.
Commercials.
Segment #9: Arena Promo
After replays of the curious finish to the Women’s Championship match at Payback, Ric Flair and Women’s Champion Charlotte strut to the ring. Charlotte asks Charles Robinson to come out, and questions him on his decision to the ending of the Women’s Championship match at Payback. Robinson acknowledges his decision to the bout, and with implications from Charlotte, confirms he made the right one.
She excuses him, but Natalya charges out. She asserts that the entire Hart Family are “the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.” She dismantles Charlotte, then clamps on the Sharpshooter to Ric Flair. Charlotte grabs her father and they escape.
Ads.
Segment #10: Backstage Promo
Charlotte and Ric are walking through the halls, nursing their beating. Stephanie walks up and tells them that Charlotte will be defending her Women’s Championship against Natalya in a Submission Match at Extreme Rules; she also bans Ric from ringside!
Match #6: Six-Man Tag-Team – A.J. Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson VS. The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
A.J. and Roman begin a couple of a lockups. A.J. turns Reigns over with a roll-up, then scissors out and lands on his feet over a backflip. Roman shoulder-blocks, but Styles switches with Luke.
Gallows hammers on Reigns in the corner, but the WWE World Heavyweight Champion hits back with punches. He tags in Jimmy, who chops Luke then hops over him out of the turnbuckle and delivers an enziguri. Both teams faceoff on the outside.
Commercials.
Anderson is pummeling away at Jey now, then wears him down with a rear chinlock. He gives Jey a big spinebuster for two, then slaps A.J.’s hand. “The Phenomenal One” leaps onto Jey in the corner with a forearm-clothesline, then clasps on a front-facelock. Jey gets out of it and hits a superkick, then hot-tags his cousin! Roman manages to control Anderson, Gallows, and Styles for a bit, and then signals for the Superman Punch, hitting Gallows off of the apron with it!
Reigns back to A.J., but Styles Pele Kicks him. Jimmy is in and almost gets twice this after a superkick and Samoan Drop! On the outside, Gallows and Anderson give Roman the “Boot of Doom,” and in the ring, Styles hits the “Phenomenal Forearm;” he covers for the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: A.J. Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson
Post-match, Anderson and Gallows pick Roman up and hold him in the ring, ordering A.J. to hit him with a chair across the head. Styles holds up the weapon and contemplates, then tosses it aside. As Gallows and Anderson stomp on Reigns, Jey whacks Styles in the back with the chair. Luke and Karl go after The Usos, as does A.J. with the chair.
Reigns regains and builds frustration, hitting Styles with the Superman Punch. He tears the commentator’s table apart and hurls Styles into the corner barricade. Roman roars then powerbombs A.J. onto the table, which breaks. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion stands over a laid-out Styles and replays start. Roman is standing back as Cole, Layfield, and Saxton promote their Extreme Rules match to close the show.
End of Raw.
Until Smackdown!, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Fans!
The next WWE pay-per-view, Extreme Rules, is only three weeks away and the main event was announced last night at the end of the Payback pay-per-view.
After a count-out and a disqualification endings, Roman Reigns eventually successfully defended the WWE World Heavyweight title by pinning AJ Styles. But WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon wasn’t happy and before the pay-per-view ended he asked his children if AJ Styles deserves a rematch, a decision which both of them agreed with.
And just like that, the main event was announced – Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles for the WWE World Heavyweight title in an Extreme Rules match.
During Payback, Vince McMahon gave the power to run Monday Night Raw to both Shane and Stephanie so it looks like Shane O’Mac is sticking around for longer than expected.
WWE Shop is running a mix and match buy one get one free on select t-shirts, a promotion that ends at 2:59AM EST tomorrow.
T-shirts featuring the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Triple H, NXT, The Rock, Shane McMahon, Wyatt Family, Kevin Owens, WrestleMania 32, and many others are available as part of this promotion.
Basically with a $24.99 t-shirt you will receive another t-shirt of the same value for free. You can shop now at http://w-o.it/wweshopcom.
Several tests that Enzo Amore went through last night at a Chicago hospital all came negative however the former NXT star is suffering from a severe concussion according to WWE.COM.
Amore was completely knocked out during his time at ringside and it was only when he got to backstage that he got his bearings back. EMTs stretchered him out with an oxygen mask while WWE cameras cut to the Owens/Zayn recap video.
His tag team partner Big Cass and Kevin Owens were with him at the hospital and after he was discharged later in the night, Amore tweeted a picture giving two thumbs up.
Considering the severity of the blow to the head and the amount of time he was out, WWE will not rush him back anytime soon and he will have to undergo numerous other tests. It’s certainly bad timing for Enzo and Big Cass as they have been well received from the WWE crowd ever since moving up to the main roster the day after WrestleMania 32.
On his 44th birthday, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson launched his latest project, The Rock Clock, a new free iOS app now available on the Apple iTunes Store.
This alarm clock app features exclusive video messages from The Rock sent from his phone, 25 custom alarm tones created by the former WWE champion himself and a feature called Rock Time, where you sync your alarm with The Rock’s so it rings whenever his does. Oh, and we almost forgot to mention, there is no snooze feature because the People’s Champion hates that button.
The app is compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch and you can download it from http://hyperurl.co/s27ly1.
Here are the results from last night’s Payback pay-per-view which took place from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
Dolph Ziggler defeated Baron Corbin and Kalisto defeated Ryback to retain the United States title in the Kickoff matches; Enzo and Big Cass vs The Vaudevillains to determine the number one contender for the WWE Tag Team titles ended after a few minutes following Enzo Amore’s injury; Kevin Owens defeated Sami Zayn; The Miz defeated Cesaro to retain the Intercontinental title; Dean Ambrose defeated Chris Jericho; Charlotte defeated Natalya to retain the Women’s title after a replay of the Survivor Series 1997 ending; Roman Reigns defeated AJ Styles to retain the WWE World Heavyweight title.
During the show Vince McMahon announced that both Shane and Stephanie will be running Raw together and both had a say in the main event, first Shane restarted the match after AJ Styles won via count out, and then Stephanie came in and made the match
It was not a good night to be Enzo Amore yesterday as the charismatic WWE Superstar had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury during the opening moments of his match along with Big Cass against the Vaudevillains at Payback.
The match kicked off the pay-per-view portion of Payback however the referee stopped the match just minutes after the opening bell. The Enzo injury occurred when he went to slide through the ropes however his hand caught the bottom rope and his head whip-lashed violently on the canvas. Amore went down on the floor and looked completely out, with his eyes wide open but nobody home.
After the referee checked on him it was obvious that Amore couldn’t continue his match and threw up the X hand signal, signaling a legit injury, stopping the match altogether.
Amore was transported to a local hospital where he underwent a battery of tests. During the show, the announcers said that he was able to move his arms and legs and talk to the medical staff and was later released from the hospital before the pay-per-view was over.
It’s not clear how long Amore will be out for however WWE has strict guidelines on concussions and he would have to pass several tests performed by the WWE medical team before getting the green light to return.
Live tonight from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, WWE presents Payback on the WWE Network and pay-per-view. The full card is as follows:
Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles for the WWE World Heavyweight title; The Miz vs Cesaro for the Intercontinental title; Charlotte vs Natalya for the Women’s title; Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs The Vaudevillains to determine the #1 contender for the Tag Team titles; Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho; Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens; Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin; and Kalisto vs Ryback for the US title in the Kickoff match.
Payback is free for new subscribers to the WWE Network and you can start your subscription now by going to http://w-o.it/wwentwrk.
Later tonight, WWE rolls into Chicago for their traditional post-WrestleMania pay-per-view… Extreme PayBackLash! Wait, why have they changed the name of this show again?
Marketed half-heartedly as the first pay-per-view of a new era, coming a month after a WrestleMania, and in a time period where WWE has debuted new faces, brought back some old ones… oh, and had Shane McMahon go from losing a Hell in a Cell match for control of Raw, to hosting it for four weeks on the spin. That last storyline (or whatever they’ve done) should come to a head with Vince McMahon announcing who’ll run Raw “for good”. Or until they want to do this storyline again. Expect Stephanie to get SmackDown and Shane keep Raw. Or vice-versa. It doesn’t really matter, does it?
Tonight we’ll be seeing the finals of the number one contender’s tournament for the WWE Tag Team titles, plus AJ Styles’ first WWE pay-per-view main event, and two other matches that could potentially steal the show. So, with a hat-tip to the guys over at 888sport it’s time for a quick run-through my predictions and some betting odds for this evening’s show.
Pre-show: United States Championship – Kalisto (c) vs. Ryback
Given the size difference between AT&T Stadium and the Allstate Arena, I wonder if more people will actually have seen this in Dallas than tonight? Both of these guys have been pretty anonymous since WrestleMania, although they haven’t gone full-blown Witness Protection Program anonymous (like Zack Ryder). This is genuinely a throw-away rematch, and since this title is dead in the water, I wouldn’t be surprised to see WWE throw it on Ryback for the hell of it. Prediction: Ryback wins the title. Odds: Kalisto (2/5), Ryback (17/10)
Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) vs. Cesaro
Since returning on the night after WrestleMania, Cesaro’s been locked in a feud with the Miz, who sent Zack Ryder back into obscurity after ending his one-day IC title run. Although I know other guys have held the belt (*cough*Kevin Owens*cough*), Miz seems to be the guy who has this belt every time I look up, almost in a “he’s stale the second he wins it” kind of way. This storyline also screams “first match”, so this’ll probably not see a title change. Prediction: The Miz. Odds: The Miz (7/20), Cesaro (39/20)
Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin
Oh man, where do you go with this? Corbin is the classic guy that WWE wants to push, but he stuttered out of the gate with squash wins (in name only) over Zack Ryder, Damien Sandow, and twice over Fandango. This should be a storyline that’s one and done, but I can see WWE giving Corbin the win and continuing the feud. Prediction: Baron Corbin. Odds: Baron Corbin (23/20), Dolph Ziggler (8/13)
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
Another odd one here, quite a few people had this pegged to be the Intercontinental title feud after WrestleMania, but instead these two former friends who are destined to fight forever end up in a mid-card feud that by rights will steal the show. The storyline should end with Zayn getting a monumental win, but I can’t see anything else than Owens grabbing a hard-fought win. Prediction: Kevin Owens. Odds: Kevin Owens (2/5), Sami Zayn (7/4)
Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho
So, you take a guy who beat the current number-one contender for the WWE title… clean, at WrestleMania. And put him in a match against a guy who was obliterated by Brock Lesnar. And have them in a feud over who runs a talk-show segment? At least it’s not a Japanese shampoo commercial, I guess… In-ring, this should be good, but I’ve had a hard time caring about Jericho on his latest WWE run – and that’s something reflected in the odds. Prediction: Dean Ambrose. Odds: Dean Ambrose (1/9), Chris Jericho (17/4)
WWE Tag Team Championship Number One Contendership Tournament Final: Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady vs. The Vaudevillains
After being called-up from NXT in the days after WrestleMania, these two teams have enjoyed a somewhat different trajectory. Sure, they’ve both had wins on WWE TV – and losses in NXT (with the Vaudevillains losing to Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa in a match taped the day before WrestleMania; whilst Enzo and Cass lost to the NXT tag team champions). But both of these teams’ undefeated streaks on the main roster have led to polar opposite crowd reactions. Thanks to Enzo’s mic work, the Jersey boys are beloved, whereas the Vaudevillains are “meh”. It’s a crap-shoot who wins this, but I’m tempted to go for Enzo and Cass, for the sake of an entertaining tag title feud with the New Day. Prediction: Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady. Odds: Enzo & Cass (18/25), The Vaudevillains (evens)
WWE Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Natalya
Unfortunately for this, the majority of focus on this away from the ring has been on the legendary figures accompanying the women to the ring tonight. Ric Flair’s latest airport antics garnered some attention (possibly for the wrong reasons, depending on which version of events you’ve read), whilst an out-of-context quote from Bret Hart would have you believe that he’s apathetic at best about his appearance. I’m hoping that both Charlotte and Natalya are going to be allowed to try and replicate their NXT Women’s title tournament final from two years ago (at NXT Takeover), but my gut tells me there’ll be some involvement from Messrs Flair and Hart. I’m still going to say this’ll be a good match, in spite of the guys on the outside. Prediction: Charlotte. Odds: Charlotte (3/10), Natalya (11/5)
WWE Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles
Four weeks on from making Roman Reigns “the guy” at WrestleMania, he faces his first major challenge in the form of AJ Styles. The past few weeks have seen Reigns effectively face three foes, in Styles, and the former Bullet Club duo of Luke “Don’t Call me Doc! Or use my Twitter handle” Gallows and Karl Anderson… but still come out on top, since WWE’s trying to book him like a killer babyface. Unfortunately, AJ hasn’t displayed much in the way of heel-ish behaviour. Thankfully, this match is in Chicago (well, Rosemont), so decent reactions are pretty much guaranteed, and Reigns will become the defacto heel in this match. As for the result, this is a feud that’s going to have legs, and whilst I don’t think they’re going to pull the trigger on the Bullet Club/Balor Club/whatever Club, I can see Anderson and Gallows getting involved… but I don’t see a title change. Prediction: AJ Styles (via DQ). Odds: AJ Styles (15/4), Roman Reigns (1/7).
Reproduced from BackBodyDrop.com, where we’re currently running through a series of 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
Smackdown in the United Kingdom will be moving to Thursday nights starting this month on Sky Sports.
The move was announced by the WWE UK Twitter account, giving the date of May 26 for the move. The first airing will be at 10PM local time. This means that once again UK fans will get Smackdown before it airs in the United States due to the time difference.
Currently the show airs on Friday nights in the United Kingdom at 11PM. Sky has to reschedule the airing of Main Event which right now airs on Thursdays at 10PM followed by a replay of Raw.
There’s no doubt that AJ Styles is WWE World Heavyweight champion material however it doesn’t seem to be happening tonight according to the bookies. Roman Reigns is tipped to keep the title belt at 1/6 while Styles is at a distant 7/2.
The WWE Women’s champion Charlotte is also the favorite to retain the title at 1/3, with Natalya’s odds placed at 9/4. The other title matches see The Miz with 1/2 odds favorite to keep the Intercontinental title over Cesaro at 6/4 and Kalisto also the slight favorite with 4/9 over Ryback at 13/8 for the US title.
In other non-title matches, Ambrose is at 1/7 over Jericho at 4/1, Ziggler is a surprise favorite at 8/13 over Baron Corbin at 6/5, the number one contenders for the Tag Team titles sees Enzo & Cass at 8/11 favorites over The Vaudevillains at 1/1, and Kevin Owens at 8/15 favorite over Sami Zayn at 11/8.
Camp WWE, the much anticipated adult animated series, will debut tonight on the WWE Network right after the Payback pay-per-view.
The series, from Seth Green’s production company, features several WWE Superstars including John Cena, Kevin Owens, The Undertaker, Big Show, Steve Austin, The Rock, The Bella Twins, Paige, and others, in a Summer camp ran by Vince McMahon and helped by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Many of the Superstars did their own voice overs for the series and the show will features a lot of swearing so it’s certainly not aimed for kids.
Due to the adult nature of the show, Camp WWE will not be part of the regular “live” schedule on the Network and is only accessible on demand.
Tonight, President Barack Obama will deliver his final White House Correspondents Dinner speech and two of WWE’s top Superstars will be in attendance.
Former WWE champion John Cena and his girlfriend, former Divas champion Nikki Bella, have both been invited to the dinner, a dinner which sees reporters, Hollywood stars, sports figures and others mingle together for a rare funny night in the capital.
John Cena will be returning to the WWE next month on the Raw Memorial Day episode while Nikki is still out following her neck surgery.
