Tonight’s Revolution pay-per-view is practically sold out, with Ticketmaster having just a couple – literally – of seats left.
Tickets on the secondary market are few as well, meaning that the Wintrust Arena in Chicago will be jam packed to the rafters. Tickets remaining on secondary market websites range from $77 all the way up to $420 in price.
The arena holds just over 10,000 seats. This is the first AEW show being held there.
The next AEW pay-per-view, Double or Nothing in Las Vegas, is still not sold out and tickets remain available at time of this writing.
The men’s Elimination Chamber match this year will be given to the tag teams after WWE abandoned the idea of having that match to determine the number one contender for the Universal title.
The new Smackdown Tag Team champions, The Miz and John Morrison, will have a mountain to climb as the duo will be defending the titles against The Usos, The New Day, Heavy Machinery, Lucha House Party, and Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode inside the steel structure.
The match was made official last night on Smackdown and the champions then went on to lose a non-title match against The Usos on the show.
Another match was also announced for the Elimination Chamber, a three-on-one handicap match for the Intercontinental title as Braun Strowman defends against Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, and Sami Zayn.
WWE did not even wait until the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view to announce the number one contender for the Universal title and yesterday night on Smackdown, outright handed that opportunity to Roman Reigns.
Reigns was supposed to be part of the Elimination Chamber match along with Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Shinsuke Nakamura, King Corbin and Robert Roode to determine who will go on and challenge for the Universal title at WrestleMania.
But with WWE completely overhauling the Smackdown side of the Mania card, Reigns was given the top spot and the match was made official yesterday.
Just 24 hours after winning the title, Goldberg opened Smackdown to a somewhat hostile crowd who voiced their displeasure at what went down at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia. The Universal champion was showered with boos as he spoke and Reigns got a slightly better reception when he interrupted him, although not without his fair share of boos.
Reigns, who is looking for his fifth WrestleMania main event in six years, simply told Goldberg that he’s next.
Appearing for the first time on WWE television since July 2019, the hometown crowd gave John Cena a hero’s welcome, a stark contrast compared to his “Cena sucks” days.
The wrestler-turned-actor was in town to announce his plans for WrestleMania and noted that spots on the show are limited and everyone busts their ass for their own WrestleMania moment. The former 16-time world champion said that this year’s WrestleMania from Tampa should go on without John Cena, a statement which the crowd did not like.
Cena said that this is not a goodbye, but rather bye for now as spots on the WrestleMania card are earned, not demanded. Cena got emotional when he talked about his friends and family and said he doesn’t know when he will be back on WWE television.
After thanking the fans, Cena walked off to his iconic theme song and just when he gave the fans another salute, the lights went off. When the lights came back on, The Fiend was standing behind Cena to a loud ovation from the fans.
The Fiend then pointed to the WrestleMania sign from the top of the ramp and the fans broke into a “Yes!” chant. Cena tipped his hat to The Fiend, accepting his challenge.
Cena and Wyatt already wrestled at WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans.
Unlike last time around, the departure of the WWE’s chartered flight from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, went without a hitch and on time and all WWE Superstars and crew have landed safely in Boston.
The Altas Air 8123 flight departed Riyadh at 3:06AM local time and then landed in Frankfurt, Germany at 7:27AM. After a short stop for refueling, the Boeing 747-400 plane took off from from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport at 9:43AM local time and landed in Boston, the site of tonight’s Smackdown, at 11:52AM ET.
Last November after Crown Jewel, the majority of the crew got stuck in Riyadh after WWE cited aircraft problems amid rumors of a showdown with the Saudi government. The delayed departure meant that no one made it to the Smackdown live broadcast on FOX, with NXT stars and the women’s roster filling in. Brock Lesnar, who departed in his own jet along with Paul Heyman, was the only performer who got there in time.
At the AEW panel at the C2E2 convention today, AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes revealed that the company will be holding shows in the United Kingdom this year and most probably in Canada as well.
The UK show will be a pay-per-view but Cody didn’t dive into any specifics although he said that there will be multiple shows held there. He was less committal for a Canadian date as things are still being worked out.
The last major wrestling pay-per-view in the United Kingdom was WWE’s SummerSlam in 1992 and the time difference has certainly played a role in the country not getting any major shows over the last few decades.
Miz & Mrs season two episode five did only 394,000 viewers, down from the 500,000 viewers from episode four. This was the least-watched episode of the whole series. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
The Smackdown side of the WrestleMania card got some overhaul over the past week according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.
Goldberg, who was not scheduled to be part of the show at all, is now the Universal champion after beating The Fiend yesterday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The outcome of the match had an impact on two WWE Superstars and who they would be facing at WrestleMania.
Roman Reigns is expected to be the #1 contender for the Universal title after Elimination Chamber is over and done with. As of last week, Reigns was penned to take on The Fiend but then, as it often happens in this business, things change. Reigns is now set to take on Goldberg for the title.
Bray Wyatt was hoping to walk into WrestleMania as the champion but that obviously is not happening now. Wyatt is now slated to be wrestling John Cena on the show, which would be a rematch from WrestleMania XXX. Cena was originally thought to be wrestling Elias at WrestleMania but now gets The Fiend instead.
There will be no NXT Women’s title match at the next NXT Takeover but that does not mean that the show will not have the presence of NXT females.
A number one contender’s ladder match will be taking place at Takeover: Tampa Bay with the participants being determined through a series of qualifying matches over the next several weeks on NXT on USA Network. It was not revealed how many women will be part of the ladder match but usually ladder matches have six or eight participants.
The winner of that ladder match will then take on either Charlotte Flair or Rhea Ripley at a later date.
16-time world champ John Cena will be appearing on Smackdown tonight, his first appearance on WWE television in seven months.
The show will be taped from Boston, 40 miles away from his home town of West Newbury, so expect a nice homecoming for the wrestler-turned-actor.
Cena has not appeared on WWE television since July where he also showed up on Smackdown doing a rap battle with The Usos. Cena last wrestled in January 2019 on Raw. He is confirmed to be taking part of WrestleMania this year and will have a match and not just a talking segment like last year.
In a tweet, Cena put up a “checklist” for tonight, marking a cap, wristbands, jorts, time-bending shirt, and heart-pumping adrenaline.
“BOSTON! You CAN C Me,” Cena wrote.
NXT did 717,000 viewers for this week’s episode on USA, down 77,000 viewers from last week. A 0.23 rating in the 18-49 demographic placed the show in #23 in the top 50 cable chart. The difference between NXT and Dynamite was of 148,000 viewers this week, an increase of 49,000 viewers compared to last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
AEW Dynamite had another comfortable win this week in the ratings getting a total of 865,000 viewers, down 28,000 viewers from last week’s show. Dynamite did a 0.30 rating in the 18-49 demographic which was good for #9 in the top 50 cable chart. The Road to Revolution show which aired after Dynamite did 383,000 viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg is walking out of Saudi Arabia with some extra luggage in the form of the WWE Universal title.
The 53-year-old defeated The Fiend Bray Wyatt after four spears and a jackhammer in a fairly short match where he also survived the mandible claw twice. For the second time in his career, he will now walk into WrestleMania as the Universal champion.
Goldberg won the title for the first time at Fastlane in 2017, defeating Kevin Owens in 22 seconds. He then lost it clean to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 a month later.
According to reports, Goldberg was not originally scheduled to be at WrestleMania but the card has received a major overhaul, especially on the Smackdown side.
Goldberg’s win brings Bray Wyatt’s title reign to an end after 119 days. He won the title on October 31 last year at Crown Jewel also in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Here are the results from Super ShowDown which took place from the Mohammed Abdu Arena earlier today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson defeated The Viking Raiders in the Kickoff match; The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles, R-Truth, Andrade, Erick Rowan, and Bobby Lashley in a gauntlet match to win the Tuwaiq Trophy; John Morrison and The Miz defeated The New Day to become the new Smackdown Tag Team champions; Angel Garza defeated Humberto Carrillo; Seth Rollins and Murphy defeated The Street Profits to retain the Raw Tag Team titles; Mansoor defeated Dolph Ziggler; Brock Lesnar defeated Ricochet to retain the WWE title; Roman Reigns defeated Baron Corbin in a steel cage match; Bayley defeated Naomi to retain the Smackdown Women’s title; Goldberg defeated The Fiend Bray Wyatt to become the new Universal champion.
Chris Jericho ended the night in Kansas City yesterday with a new souvenir: a scar on his face.
During the main event segment which featured the weigh-in between Jericho and Moxley, Moxley headbutted Le Champion so hard that he cut him right between the eyes. Jericho needed seven stitches to close the wound which sits between his left eye and the bridge of his nose. Jericho was stitched up backstage after the show.
“My bad #Mox…I let my guard down. Not gonna make the same mistake twice on Saturday at #AEWRevolution…your day of reckoning is coming at the hands of #LeChampion,” Jericho wrote in a post on Instagram.
Jericho and Moxley will wrestle for the AEW World title this Saturday in the main event of Revolution.
The Undertaker showed up at Super ShowDown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and inserted himself in the Tuwaiq Trophy gauntlet match.
It was AJ Styles who was about to be declared the winner after Rey Mysterio was attacked backstage by Gallows and Anderson. The ring announcer said that if no one came out by the count of ten, Styles would be declared the winner.
But half-way through the count, the cameras went backstage again as Gallows and Anderson got some of their own medicine. Then, the camera while it was still on the floor showing both of them in agony, catches the boots of The Undertaker as the crowd popped big.
Taker’s theme song started and out came the dead man with a WrestleMania-style entrance filled with fire and lasers. He stepped in the ring, chokeslammed AJ Styles and covered him for the pinfall…while still wearing his trench coat and hat!
This was the setup for their WrestleMania match as The Undertaker gets back on the Mania card after a one-year absence.
Hello everybody! It’s @TheMagnumDA with ROUND TWO of the Three Stages of Pick’em Hell – WWE Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia! Today, WO’s Colin Vassallo looks for a clean sweep to claim the Undisputed WOPC Championship and head to WrestleMania as the Pick’em Champion. If I have anything to say about it, we’re going to be sticking around after tonight’s show. Hopefully not as long as the wrestlers had to stay on the tarmac last time they were in Saudi Arabia! 😀
Just to recap, if I win today’s Pick’em Contest, we will have a Tiebreaker THIS SATURDAY NIGHT for AEW Revolution – the first ever AEW Pick’em Contest!
What are we waiting for? ON WITH THE PICKS!
Viking Raiders vs. The OC (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson)
Magnum: It’s all about who’s on the upswing…I see the Viking Raiders as two guys in the Andre Battle Royal. I see The OC as a unit hell-bent on destroying The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Who’s going to get the W? I’ll take the George Costanza route – I think it’s going to be The OC, but I’ll take the Viking Raiders.
Colin: Gallows and Anderson have been victims of horrible booking since day one here in WWE. Not their fault, but they are really wasted. Viking Raiders win.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Mansoor
Magnum: Mansoor is undefeated at these Saudi Arabia shows – why stop now? He beat over 50 guys in a Battle Royal once! Do you think Ziggler’s going to stop him? That’s hilarious – better than anything from Dolph’s stand-up act. Mansoor wins!
Colin: I don’t see Mansoor losing in his own backyard. I know Vince likes to do that. But we are in Saudi here so if he values his life…. I say Mansoor goes over. Big time.
Angel Garza vs. Humberto Carrillo
Magnum: These two have had a spotlight shined on them since Andrade grabbed some bench, and they have not disappointed. Ultimately, I could see these guys, Rey Rey, and Andrade in a Fatal 4 Way at WrestleMania for the United States Championship. For tonight, though…give me Angel Garza. That dude’s gaining some serious momentum.
Colin: I am starting to like Garza. I don’t know if the addition of Zelina Vega helped…but ya know… two very talented individuals here. I think Carrillo will win this one.
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston) (c) vs. The Miz and John Morrison
Magnum: The Dirt Sheet is back, baby! Miz’s TV show is pretty funny, but his in-ring persona has been as stale as week-old bread…getting Morrison back into the mix has actually helped both of them! Though, to be honest…I don’t know if they’re as funny as they think they are. That said, the rocket is strapped to their ass, so we better get used to them on top! Miz and Morrison take the straps.
Colin: I’m hoping we see new tag team champions here (Miz & Morrison). They haven’t done much with Morrison since he came back. I thought he’d have a better program than in a tag with Miz again. Time to get the titles off the New Day. #AndNew
Gauntlet Match for the Tuwaiq Trophy
AJ Styles vs. Andrade vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Erick Rowan vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio
Magnum: I’m torn – part of me feels like this will be another rib (like Shane McMahon winning the World Cup), in which I would pick R-Truth in an instant. Okay, who am I kidding – the rib’s coming. R-Truth wins!
Colin: What a weird name for a trophy isn’t it? I think Vince told someone to Google Saudi Arabia and pick a name and the genius behind the keyboard picked that one. Meh. I say AJ Styles wins and with The Undertaker there, maybe planting the first seed for their rumored Mania match?
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bayley (c) vs. Naomi
Magnum: I am sure that these two are thrilled at the prospect of being relegated from WrestleMania to this show. I think that WWE wants to really have a lot of surprises this evening, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Naomi takes the title. That said, I’ll stick with Bayley – you can’t end this historic title reign anywhere else but WrestleMania.
Colin: Not expecting them to pull the title from Bayley before WrestleMania. I’m hoping it will be Bayley vs Sasha at Mania. With that said, I’m really looking forward to see Naomi’s glow entrance. But Bayley wins.
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
Seth Rollins and Murphy (c) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford)
Magnum: The Street Profits’ stock is on the rise, but tonight belongs to the Monday (Thursday?) Night Messiah. Rollins and Murphy retain.
Colin: I like The Street Profits. I think Montez Ford will be a huge superstar one day, I really do. He has IT. Can’t see Rollins and Murphy losing here though. The Monday Night Messiah thing is working. #AndStill
WWE Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Ricochet
Magnum: Something unique is going to happen here – I bet this match ends up being a million times better than people are expecting…or it could be an 8-second squash! Either way, if Goldberg wasn’t taking the Universal Title, I’d roll with Ricochet…but, nah. Brock retains.
Colin: I predict an upset. Ricochet wins! Okay, I’m just kidding. There’s more chance of me becoming a millionaire this week or scoring a date with Lana than Ricochet winning the title. Brock retains.
Steel Cage Match
Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin
Magnum: Tonight, Roman finally puts Corbin away and sets his sights on the Universal Champion. Roman wins big.
Colin: Just get King Corbin off my TV. I need a break from him. He really annoys me. Cool match for Saudi though, you know, with cages and stuff. Roman Reigns reigns supreme.
WWE Universal Championship
“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Goldberg
Magnum: Oooh, doggie. This is the one that the world is talking about. Apparently, if you’re following the real dirt sheets (and not the ones with Miz and Morrison), you’ve probably heard or read that the Main Events for WrestleMania are getting switched around. Personally, I’m hoping for a Triple Threat at WM – Edge vs. Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns – SPEARFEST 2020! Okay, I’m just kidding. 😀 In all seriousness, I think they’ve learned that Bray Wyatt can be in a big time match without needing the Championship. Give me Goldberg in a shocker.
Colin: This is an interesting one because I genuinely think it could go either way. Do I agree with Goldberg getting another title reign? Hell no. I still think though that The Fiend will retain here somehow, maybe with a screwy finish or something.
There you have it, friends! If I take tonight’s Pick’em, we’ll see you Saturday Night for AEW Revolution!! @TheMagnumDA signing off.
Two steel cage matches will be taking place next week on USA Network to counteract the post-Revolution Dynamite over at TNT.
The first match, which was already announced, is Tegan Nox taking on her former friend Dakota Kai. This match follows the no holds barred match the two had at Takeover which ended with Raquel Gonzales interfering and helping Kai securing the victory.
The second steel cage match was revealed yesterday with Velveteen Dream taking on Roderick Strong. Dream issued the challenge and Strong accepted on last night’s NXT.
WWE today announced the WrestleMania 5K Fun Run to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of America which will take place on Saturday April 4, 2020 as part of WrestleMania Week in Tampa Bay.
The WrestleMania 5K Fun Run will begin at 7:30AM on Channelside Drive in the heart of Downtown Tampa Bay with special appearances by WWE Superstars. The 5K Fun Run will be open to both competitive and casual runners. Runners can register by visiting wrestlemaniatampabay5k.com. Participants are encouraged to dress like their favorite WWE Superstars for a chance to win prizes, with the top three best dressed participants receiving WWE Championship titles replicas, and finisher medals will be awarded in a post-race ceremony hosted by WWE Superstars.
Registration Packets and “How to Dress Like a WWE Superstar” style guides will be available for pick up at The Tampa Convention Center on Thursday, April 2 between 3PM and 7PM, and Friday, April 3 between 1PM and 7PM and at Amalie Arena ticket office on Saturday, April 4 at 6AM.
The March 11 episode of NXT on USA Network will be filmed from inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
There were rumors that the show might take place from Universal Studios but it looks like WWE is keeping things in-house for this one. WWE had to make way for another event at Full Sail University and the change of venue has been known to them for quite a while.
Tickets for the show were made available for free yesterday after NXT went off the air. Needless to say, it’s all sold out. This will be the second event taped from the Performance Center as WWE held Halftime Heat last year with PC trainees, family and friends in attendance.
WWE is marketing this as NXT Fan Appreciation Night.
