During today’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Pat and his broadcast colleague Michael Cole discussed the two surprises at SummerSlam and some behind the scenes stuff that took place in between matches.
McAfee said that he’s kept in the dark most of the times and he’s left out of meetings which is a good thing because he prefers not to know what’s going to happen but at SummerSlam, even Michael Cole was unaware that both Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar were making their return.
McAfee noted how he looked “like a f*cking idiot” when he kept putting over Sasha Banks and then half a second later, Greg Hamilton went on the mic and announced that she was not there. He said he looked over at Cole, who put his hands up to say that he didn’t know either and then Lynch came out and they lost it.
Cole said that you hope for that one surprise at major shows like they had with Cena and Money In The Bank but to have two surprises of that caliber in one show was “pretty damn incredible.”
McAfee recounted how there were times during the Cena/Reigns match that he thought Cena was legit going to win and Cole said he came out of his seat a couple of times during the very near falls.
And then after putting over Reigns following his win saying how no one can beat him, Brock’s music hit.
“Oh dude I was so pumped,” McAfee said. The two discussed how huge and intimidating Lesnar looks and Cole said that in his career, that was the closest time he came to actually saying “Holy sh!t” on air.
In closing the segment, McAfee admitted he slipped a couple of times during the broadcast, though his biggest one was calling Peacock “the cock” when Edge hit the spear through the ropes on Seth Rollins. “HOLY…words I can’t say on The Cock,” McAfee said, quickly fixing his mistake by saying Peacock.
In a “see you later” tweet by John Cena sent out this morning to the WWE fans, the former 16-time champion thanked everyone for giving him the opportunity to return.
“Words cannot describe how appreciative I am that the @WWEUniverse allowed me the opportunity to return and perform,” Cena wrote on Twitter. “Thank you staff, superstars, and most of all FANS for giving me an unforgettable summer at ‘home’ with my ‘family’. The journey takes me away now but I’ll C U soon.”
Cena is off to Europe to film his latest movie but is advertised to appear at the September 10 Friday Night Smackdown from Madison Square Garden. His appearance might be part of the off camera activities but regardless, the leader of the Cenation will be there to say hello to the New York audience.
This morning, Cena appeared on Good Morning America to promote his Hulu movie Vacation Friends which comes out later this week.
When the host remarked that he did not get his 17th world title, Cena quipped, “I finished in second place,” drawing laughter from the hosts.
“Are you ever allowed to retire?” another host asked. “You’ve been a part of this for 20 years, are you going to come back and go for that championship?”
Cena responded, “I think I will try to do the best I can until I feel as if I am offending the consumer. A lot of times you wanna hold on to that lighting bolt, there is nothing like the energy of being in that ring with the audience around you. There’s nothing.”
Cena added that he had the fortunate opportunity to do a whole lot of stuff and that energy in the ring is indescribable.
“That place is my home, I wouldn’t be who I am without it, the audience is my family, I love the environment, but I also wanna be kind to them and I don’t wanna do it selfishly just to do it,” he continued.
Cena said he still feels good despite finishing second at SummerSlam and still feels he has something to contribute so time will tell.
Pretty Cool Ice Cream, the local Chicago ice cream maker who made the CM Punk ice cream bars for Rampage, wrote in an Instagram post that Punk paid for the bars personally and it wasn’t a publicity stunt by AEW.
“He came to us on his own and asked us to help him do this 2 years ago, and finally the moment was right,” the post read. “Our small team worked tirelessly to hand make every bar, and CM Punk wrote the check for the entire bill himself.”
Every one who attended Rampage last Friday night was handed a CM Punk ice cream bar on the way out and some fans are even auctioning the wrappers on eBay!
Back in 2011 when CM Punk had an in-ring segment with Vince McMahon about re-signing with WWE, he demanded that WWE resumes in making the ice cream bars as well and the association of CM Punk with ice cream bars has remained ever since.
PWInsider.com has confirmed that Adam Cole had his final match for NXT last night at Takeover 36, a losing effort against Kyle O’Reilly in a two-out-of-three falls match.
Cole, whose contract is up, is not known if he will remain with WWE or move to greener pastures. A few weeks ago, Cole met WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon backstage prior to a Smackdown taping to discuss his future and sources said that the WWE creative team were instructed to come up with ideas of Cole on the main roster.
But if that is happening or not remains to be seen. Cole arrived in NXT in 2017 and made his surprise debut at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, attacking the then new NXT Champion Drew McIntyre, along with his ROH buddies Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly. The trio, and later with the addition of Roderick Strong, were the unstoppable Undisputed Era and Cole found much success in the black and gold brand by becoming the longest-reigning NXT champion.
Apart from one match against Daniel Bryan on an episode of Smackdown when the rest of the roster was stuck in Saudi Arabia, Cole remained part of the NXT brand and is considered one of the leaders in the locker room.
The former champ will for sure not have any problems finding new work if he opts not to re-sign with WWE. With the contract expiring, he would not have any no-compete clauses and theoretically could show up anywhere at any time.
The Ring General has fallen and after an incredible, historic 870-day run as champion, there’s a new king in the NXT UK division and his name is Ilja Dragunov.
Walter and Ilja Dragunov had a match for the ages last night at Takeover 36, the exact reason why this match was put on the show instead of an empty arena at the BT Sport studios in London.
The Austrian had been champion since April 5, 2019, seemingly a lifetime ago, when he beat Pete Dunne at NXT Takeover: New York in Brooklyn. Dunne was on another lengthy run himself, with 685 days as champion.
Since then, Walter destroyed everyone in his path and his 870-day reign as NXT UK champion is the longest one in WWE modern-day history.
Dragunov, a 27-year-old from Moscow, Russia, had a match-of-the-year candidate last year in October in an empty arena against Walter, a match that he lost due to referee stoppage after he passed out in a rear naked choke.
10 months later, Dragunov returned the favor and made Walter tap out to a sleep hold to win his first title in NXT UK.
In a rare interview with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport, WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan discussed a variety of subjects including WWE being open for business, competition, and the upcoming revamp of the NXT brand.
Khan, who came in like a wrecking ball and is often described as the devil incarnate by WWE fans who blame him for most of the bad stuff happening business-wise, said that WWE is not actively looking for a sale, but if someone comes and asks about it, they will certainly talk. Khan said that there are no meetings internally about finding a potential buyer but this is all business and would listen to offers. Pressed to spill the beans if they are actively talking to someone for a sale, Khan responded in the negative and said that the company’s goal is to make it bigger at the moment through various deals.
On NXT, Khan confirmed that NXT will be undergoing a major revamp in the next couple of weeks and fans will be able to see a new production, new logo, and new look for the black and gold brand. NXT seems like it’s going back to basics where it serves as a developmental ground and Khan said they’re looking for athletes from all over the world to come and train the WWE way. He said that Triple H is leading the revamp effort along with his team and the change is pretty much imminent, mentioning just weeks and not months.
Khan also discussed the several releases that took place over the past year, treating everything – including sleep – as competition, the return of John Cena, possible projects with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and many other more topics.
Here are the results from last night’s NXT Takeover 36 which took place from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida.
Ridge Holland defeated Trey Baxter in the Kickoff match; Cameron Grimes defeated LA Knight to become the new Million Dollar champion; Raquel Gonzalez defeated Dakota Kai to retain the NXT Women’s title; Ilja Dragunov defeated Walter to become the new NXT UK champion; Kyle O’Reilly defeated Adam Cole in a two-out-of-three falls match with two falls to one; Samoa Joe defeated Karrion Kross to become the new NXT champion.
It’s Takeover time, the first time that a Takeover will air after a WWE pay-per-view. From the mega billion dollar structure of the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas the team now transfers to the tiny Performance Center in Orlando for the 36th Takeover show.
Here below we bring you the latest odds for the show. Remember, these odds will probably change by the time the show starts at 8PM. In the meantime, you can also check out the best review site for betting.
The NXT title will be defended by Karrion Kross against Samoa Joe. With a full-time main roster stint on the horizon, Kross is the underdog in this match with 5/2 odds while Samoa Joe is favorite to win the title at 2/7.
Walter will be putting up his NXT UK title on the line against Ilja Dragunov and this one is set to be a banger! The young Dragunov is the favorite to end Walter’s long-lasting reign with odds of 8/15 while the current champ is 11/8 to retain.
The NXT Women’s title is up for grabs with Raquel Gonzalez defending against her former sidekick Dakota Kai. Gonzalez remains favorite with 4/9 odds while Kai is 13/8 for the upset.
Will we see a new Million Dollar champion tonight? According to the latest odds, yes we will. Cameron Grimes is 2/5 favorite to win against LA Knight, who has 7/4 odds himself. If Knight wins, Ted DiBiase becomes his new butler.
And last and certainly not least, it’s the final showdown between Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole. Much is being said about Adam Cole since his contract is up after the match and odds have him losing with 5/2 odds while O’Reilly is favorite at 2/7. This will be a two-out-of-three falls match.
WWE will be traveling to Saudi Arabia come October for Crown Jewel. The announcement was made yesterday during SummerSlam. No date was published but it is believed this will happen on Thursday, October 21.
WWE was last in Saudi in February 2020 right before the pandemic started and that show featured Goldberg winning the Universal title from The Fiend Bray Wyatt at Super ShowDown in Riyadh.
It was not announced if the show will be taking place in Riyadh or Jeddah. The last Crown Jewel was held in October 2019 and featured Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez for the WWE title and Braun Strowman vs Tyson Fury. That show was also held in Riyadh at the King Fahd International Stadium.
Crown Jewel this year is expected to hold the finals of the upcoming King and Queen of the Ring tournaments. The promo video for the show featured several WWE women as well. WWE has so far only managed one women match on each show for the past couple of times in Saudi after managing to negotiate to have their female roster featured in the super conservative country.
Live from the Capitol Wrestling Center inside the WWE Performance Center, WWE presents NXT Takeover 36 streaming exclusively on Peacock and the WWE Network. The full card is as follows:
Karrion Kross vs Samoa Joe for the NXT title; Walter vs Ilja Dragunov for the NXT UK title; Raquel Gonzalez vs Dakota Kai for the NXT Women’s title; LA Knight vs Cameron Grimes for the Million Dollar championship with the stipulation that if Grimes loses, Ted DiBiase must become Knight’s butler; Kyle O’Reilly vs Adam Cole in a two-out-of-three falls match with the first fall a traditional wrestling match, fall two a street fight, and if necessary, a steel cage match for the third fall; and Trey Baxter vs Ridge Holland in the Kickoff show.
A live episode of What’s NeXT will air at Noon ET on WWE’s social media properties with LA Knight and Dakota Kai as guests. The NXT Takeover Kickoff show will start at 7:30PM ET and the actual event at 8PM ET.
During a live Oral Sessions recording in Las Vegas with Renee Paquette, Charlotte Flair discussed how she came up with the idea of having her father accompany her boyfriend down in Mexico for his Triplemania match against Kenny Omega.
Flair said that she never requested time off from non-televised live events and only missed one because she was sick but two months ago or so when it was decided that Andrade would be taking on Omega, she asked for the weekend off from WWE, a request which was accepted.
Charlotte then asked her father if he would accompany her to Mexico but Ric wondered how is she going to Mexico if she had to work. After explaining that she got time off, she then asked him if he would accompany Manny (Andrade’s real name) to the ring and the Nature Boy quickly got excited and accepted.
Charlotte smiled when she recounted how her father wanted to know what Manny was wearing so he could match his suit to his outfit but Charlotte said she didn’t know and told him that first they should get there and then think about the outfit later!
Renee also taped a show with Eva Marie later in the afternoon as part of a weekend of WWE appearances on The Volume at the MGM Grand.
WWE announced a sold-out crowd of 51,326 for SummerSlam at the Allegiant Stadium yesterday and a press release issued after the show said that it has set an indoor attendance record for the event.
That is both true and false. Only SummerSlam 92, which was held outdoor in London, England, has more attendance than this show and this was the highest-attended indoor SummerSlam in history. None of the previous SummerSlam events – except the 1992 one – were held in stadiums.
But the attendance number is inflated by around 6,000 as WWE had just over 46,000 tickets on sale. According to ticket tracking service WrestleTix, WWE sold 45,690 tickets for the show, around 98% of the estimated capacity.
Olympic gold medalists Tamyra Mensah-Stock and Gable Steveson got the VIP treatment at SummerSlam, including their own full entrance and time in the ring.
Both Mensah-Stock and Stevenson are huge WWE fans and the two won gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics last month, with Mensah-Stock becoming the first African-American to win a gold medal in wrestling.
Stevenson won the gold medal literally in the final half second after he was behind in points. His brother is already part of the WWE developmental system and has made it known multiple times that he would like to go to WWE.
If that was a way to woo them to the company, well, it was the perfect sell. Mensah-Stock carried her gold medal with her around her neck and looked super excited to be there. Stevenson is still shopping around and has held talks with Bellator and meeting UFC’s Dana White too before deciding on his future.
Brock Lesnar and John Cena have some history at SummerSlam, in fact, Lesnar gave Cena the beating of a lifetime in the most one-sided match for a WWE title – with the exception of squashes – in 2014.
And yesterday, Lesnar took Cena to Suplex City again after SummerSlam went off the air.
The former WWE, Universal, and UFC Heavyweight champion surprised fans by making a return at SummerSlam, his first time back after 16 months, and after Reigns bolted out of the ring, the new-look Lesnar took out his frustrations on Cena, who was still at ringside following his loss to Roman.
Lesnar reminded the Vegas fans what he’s capable of, hitting two German suplexes on Cena with ease and then hit a huge F5 on the 16-time champ to send him back to Hollywood!
WWE is returning to Las Vegas and the Allegiant Stadium for the 4th of July weekend next year with Money In The Bank.
The company announced yesterday during SummerSlam and subsequently via a press release that Money In The Bank will be held inside a stadium for the first time ever.
“Las Vegas, its residents and visitors have demonstrated that Vegas is the perfect city for our biggest events,” said Nick Khan, WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer. “Money In The Bank, an appropriately titled event for Vegas and one of our five annual tentpoles, will bring the WWE Universe back to Allegiant Stadium July 4th weekend of 2022.”
This is also the first time that a U.S.-based event which is not one of the top four pay-per-views on the WWE calendar will be held in a stadium. 4th of July next year will be on a Monday so it will be a long weekend for those making the trip.
“We were thrilled to host SummerSlam at Allegiant Stadium. Its success continues to illustrate how the city of Las Vegas is uniquely positioned to host a variety of exciting and diverse sports and entertainment events,” said Chris Wright, Allegiant Stadium General Manager. “Partnering with the LVCVA team has been pivotal in bringing SummerSlam to the market and we are looking forward to collaborating with WWE on hosting Money In The Bank on July 4th weekend in 2022.”
Fans interested in an exclusive Money In The Bank presale opportunity can register at http://mitb.wwe.com/presale. Additional information on the event will be announced in the near future.
WWE has not publicized a specific date yet so it could be either on Saturday, July 2 or Sunday, July 3 but an acknowledgement for filling the pre-sale form shows the date of Sunday, July 3.
As if one surprise return was not enough, WWE saved another big return for the end of SummerSlam with Brock Lesnar coming out to a thunderous pop from the crowd.
After Reigns beat Cena clean and was celebrating in the ring, Brock’s iconic theme hit the Allegiant Stadium speakers and out came the beast incarnate rocking a viking beard, shaved head, and a pony tail looking as scary as ever.
Lesnar circled the ring as Reigns and Paul Heyman had the “Oh sh!t” look on their faces and then he stepped in for a face-to-face with the Universal champion.
Reigns didn’t want any part of it though and after exchanging a few words, he bolted with Heyman, who now finds himself stuck between his long-time client and his new client.
This was Lesnar’s first appearance on WWE television since WrestleMania 36 where he lost the WWE title to Drew McIntyre in an empty WWE Performance Center.
Here are the results from SummerSlam 2021 which took place live from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Big E defeated Baron Corbin in the Kickoff match; Randy Orton and Riddle defeated AJ Styles and Omos to become the new Raw Tag Team champions; Alexa Bliss defeated Eva Marie; Damian Priest defeated Sheamus to become the new United States champion; The Usos defeated Rey and Dominik Mysterio to retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles; Becky Lynch defeated Bianca Belair to become the new Smackdown Women’s champion; Drew McIntyre defeated Jinder Mahal; Charlotte Flair defeated Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match to become the new Raw Women’s champion; Edge defeated Seth Rollins; Bobby Lashley defeated Goldberg to retain the WWE title; Roman Reigns defeated John Cena to retain the Universal title.
Becky Lynch returned at SummerSlam after the Bianca Belair vs Sasha Banks advertised match did not take place.
The ring announcer informed the crowd that Sasha Banks would not be competing after Belair made her way out and was ready for action. Instead, Carmella was announced as her replacement, an announcement which did not go over with the crowd very well.
Before the match was about the start, Becky Lynch’s theme song hit the speakers and the Las Vegas crowd went bananas as Lynch came down the aisle.
Becky beat up Carmella and then challenged Bianca Belair to a one-on-one match for the Smackdown Women’s title. Belair accepted…but the affair was a quick one as Lynch defeated Belair in mere seconds to recapture the Smackdown Women’s title.
Lynch has been off WWE television since May of 2020 when she announced that she was pregnant, handing over the Raw Women’s title to Asuka.
Hey everybody! It’s @TheMagnumDA with one of the most anticipated Pick’ems in recent memory. Tonight, the vacant WOPC Championship will FINALLY find a new home, as we will have a seven-pack challenge to decide who the new champion is. We have a brand new challenger tonight – we welcome Wrestling Rob from all the way out in Wisconsin, USA. He will join myself, The Renegade, Metal Mike, Heel Turn Tom, the nefarious Brother Bull, and our very own Colin Vassallo in a seven-pack challenge. Who will leave with the Undisputed Title? Let’s find out!
ON WITH THE PICKS!
Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal (Veer & Shanky barred from ringside)
Heel Turn Tom: Without help Drew wins. I see them building him up for another title run against Lashley.
The Renegade: I’ll take Drew McIntyre here.
Wrestling Rob: Give me Drew McIntyre in this match-up.
Metal Mike: I’ll go with the crew and take McIntyre.
Brother Bull: As much as I love to hear Shanky sing “Happy Birthday, Maharajah”…going to have to side with Drew on this one. Drew needs this win more right now, even though the world is better with Jinder in the title hunt. McIntyre wins in what should be the opener if the WWE Championship isn’t.
Colin: Would have been cool if Heath Slater was the guest referee for this one! 3MB babyyyy! Who would have thought back in the day that these two would be future world champions? I didn’t! Anyway, back to the match, Drew wins – I can’t see Drew losing here and I feel this was done because they had nothing for Drew for this show.
Magnum: I keep thinking that Mahal could possibly introduce a 4th member of his stable, and that person could help Jinder win the match. That said, Drew is likely making a move to Smackdown soon, so he’s going to look good in this outing. I’ll take Drew for the win.
Alexa Bliss vs. Eva Marie (with Doudrop)
Heel Turn Tom: Alexa will win tonight but this character may end as soon as Wyatt shows up at AEW. Hopefully they can repackage Alexa in a previous or new character.
The Renegade: I’ll take Alexa Bliss in this match.
Wrestling Rob: I actually like Eva Marie here. I’ll pick her.
Metal Mike: This match will be trash, but I’ll take Alexa for the win.
Brother Bull: Alexa Bliss wins…maybe even with the help of Doudrop?
Colin: All I want for this match is for it to be quick. Like super quick, and quicker than Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania. Bliss wins.
Magnum: Yeah, I don’t see this ending well for Eva or Doudrop. I’ve got Alexa winning.
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio
Bonus Question #1: If the match ends by pinfall/submission, which Uso/Mysterio gets pinned or taps in this contest? No bonus points for CO/DQ.
Heel Turn Tom: I can see in the future – Usos retain and Jey will pin Rey to start the breakup of the Mysterios.
The Renegade: I’m taking The Mysterios, and I think Jey Uso gets pinned.
Wrestling Rob: I’ll take the Usos to retain the titles. Dominik takes the losing fall.
Metal Mike: I’m also going to take The Mysterios to win back the tag titles. Jey Uso eats the pin.
Brother Bull: Usos retain the Gold and their spot at the Table Of The Tribal Chief, while Rey Mysterio takes the fall.
Colin: I don’t like when they trade titles after each title defense so I am hoping The Usos retain here, not necessarily because I don’t think the Mysterios should be champions. I’m still waiting for Dominik to turn on his daddy. Tonight would be a great platform to do it, but maybe they won’t pull the trigger this early. I’m picking Usos for the win and Rey to eat the pinfall.
Magnum: Wouldn’t it be wild if this was the match where Dominik snaps on his father after losing? Matter of fact, that’s my pick for tonight. The Usos retain, and Rey costs his son yet another title match by taking the fall.
WWE United States Championship
Sheamus (c) vs. Damian Priest
Heel Turn Tom: I think you need to push Priest for the zombie match. Tonight, Damian will be your new US champion.
The Renegade: Priest is your new US Champion.
Wrestling Rob: I’m going against the grain – I’ll take Sheamus to retain the title.
Metal Mike: I like Damian Priest to win the US Championship.
Brother Bull: With hesitancy, I’m picking Priest. I really hope he proves me wrong and becomes a huge star. I really like Sheamus, and had it not been for the broken nose, his run would have been better. Time to gauge Priest and put the US Strap on him. Priest wins the match and belt.
Colin: Priest hasn’t done much since his high-profile match at Mania with Bad Bunny. Unless they want him to fizzle out, a title switch has to happen here. Sheamus has been champ since WrestleMania and to be honest hasn’t done much either so give me Priest for a win and new champion.
Magnum: I know there’s some mixed feelings about Priest, but a title win here will get him back on track. I’ll take Priest to win the US Title.
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
AJ Styles and Omos (c) vs. RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle)
Bonus Question #2: If the match ends with a clean finish, who secures the winning pinfall/submission in this match? No bonus points for CO/DQ.
Heel Turn Tom: RK-Bro will be your new champs after Orton hits Styles with the RKO to let Riddle get the pin.
The Renegade: I’ll also take RK-Bro as new champs, with Orton getting the pin.
Wrestling Rob: I like Randy Orton and Riddle here, with Orton getting the fall. New Champs!
Metal Mike: I’m also rolling with Team RK-Bro to win the tag championship. I also think Orton will get the fall after an RKO, bro.
Brother Bull: RK-Bro has to win, right?! Well, of course they do, that’s who I’m picking…and I’ll take Riddle to get the winning fall.
Colin: This has to end with the unlikely tag team of RK-Bro winning the Raw Tag Team titles. They’re funny, Riddle is hilarious, and I think them having issues and continuing to defend the title would be a good storyline moving forward. I predict new champions with Randy Orton getting the pin on Styles.
Magnum: I’ve gotta go with everyone else here – it’s RK-Bro’s time to win the title. I’m going to give the winning fall to Riddle, who lost last week to Styles…it only makes sense to get his win back!
Edge vs. Seth Rollins
Heel Turn Tom: Edge has lost too much and with his win tonight against Rollins will keep this feud going for one more PPV.
The Renegade: I’m an Edgehead for life – Edge wins.
Wrestling Rob: I think Edge wins here tonight at Summerslam.
Metal Mike: The blood runs black, as in…Tyler Black. I’m taking Seth Rollins in this match-up.
Brother Bull: For the sake of his legacy (I’m kidding), Edge has to and needs to win here. I think this match steals the show and am picking the Rated R Superstar to get his first W since the Rumble.
Colin: This should be a great match, maybe match of the night even. Rollins needs a good victory to be honest and Edge doesn’t need to win. I think this feud will continue beyond tonight and for that to happen, Seth has to win. Give me a Seth Rollins win.
Magnum: I’m liking the variance here, but I’m going to have to roll with Edge, as well. This is going to be an outstanding match-up.
WWE Championship
Bobby Lashley (c) (with MVP) vs. Goldberg
Bonus Question #3: From bell-to-bell, will this match last longer than 150 seconds?
Heel Turn Tom: There is no way that Bobby doesn’t win. And I see this going three minutes so it will go a little longer than 150 seconds.
The Renegade: I’ll take Lashley to retain, and I think it’ll go longer than 2 1/2 minutes.
Wrestling Rob: I will also roll with Lashley here to retain – should go longer than 150 seconds.
Metal Mike: I like Lashley over Goldberg – biggest win of his career yet. It’ll go longer than 2 1/2 minutes – it might even go longer than 4 or 5 minutes.
Brother Bull: The Almighty proves why he’s all Almighty and hopefully takes out Goldberg’s son, after he pins Bill. Lashley retains. Match WILL last longer than 150 seconds.
Colin: Goldberg is brought in for title matches. The last one he lost, this one I think is ending in the same way as his last one. Surely they won’t put the WWE title on Goldberg, right? I mean, it’s a title he never won but still….I’m guessing his son will likely be involved in the finish somehow, someway, and expecting the Almighty Bobby Lashley to still be champ. Will it last longer than 150 seconds? Yes it will.
Magnum: I do believe that Lashley will defeat Goldberg here, and I think it will be very close to 2 1/2 minutes…but I’ll run with the pack here and say it will go longer than that mark.
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Sasha Banks
Heel Turn Tom: I don’t see any reason why WWE would change the title. Belair to retain.
The Renegade: I like Belair to retain, as well.
Wrestling Rob: Belair wins, end of story.
Metal Mike: I am taking Bianca to retain the Women’s title.
Brother Bull: Bianca retains. Should be a great match.
Colin: Bianca has been a terrific champion but is missing that “epic” title defense. Not her fault though. I’m picking Belair to retain here but the story between these two is not over yet.
Magnum: I know that a lot of money has shifted towards Banks, but I just don’t see it. Maybe by DQ or something, but for tonight I’ll take Belair to retain.
Triple Threat – WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Nikki A.S.H. (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley
Bonus Question #4: Who taps or gets pinned in this match?
Heel Turn Tom: This may be worst match of the night. I see Nikki ASH winning and pinning Charlotte clean in the center for her being at AAA.
The Renegade: I can’t bet against Charlotte here. I think she’ll pin Nikki ASH to do win the title back.
Wrestling Rob: I actually like Nikki ASH here to retain the championship. Flair takes the losing fall.
Metal Mike: I’m the only one picking her, but I’m taking Rhea Ripley to finally win the title back. I’ll take Charlotte as the one who loses the fall.
Brother Bull: Nikki ASH retains in the triple threat, and Rhea Ripley takes the fall.
Colin: I was very skeptical about having Nikki as champion but she has proven me wrong. I think fans are behind her too, it’s crazy what a simple gimmick change can do. I am hoping she retains, this would be huge for her and deserves a longer run with the title. Expecting Ripley to take the fall in this one, keeping Flair strong but Nikki will win this one.
Magnum: I’m all the way with Renegade here – I’ll take Charlotte Flair to win the title, and she’ll either pin Nikki, or make her tap out.
WWE Universal Championship
Roman Reigns (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. John Cena
Heel Turn Tom: Do you think WWE is petty enough to have Cena win to have more championships than Flair? I hope not because that is a WrestleMania moment. Roman to win with a little help from his family. Bigger question does Brock show up after the match?
The Renegade: Roman Reigns keeps his title and defeats John Cena.
Wrestling Rob: I’m taking Roman over John Cena to keep his Universal Title.
Metal Mike: I also have Roman Reigns retaining over John Cena – he’s not going anywhere.
Brother Bull: “Roman Reigns Retains Supreme” is the headline here. Acknowledge Him!!! Roman is still the Universal Champ.
Colin: Up until yesterday, I was convinced Roman Reigns would win this. Now they added the stipulation that if Reigns loses, he leaves. The stipulation didn’t have to be added…unless there’s something we don’t know yet. Hopefully there’s nothing serious. And with Ric Flair gone the way he left, I wouldn’t be shocked either if WWE gave Cena the win just so he can surpass him with 17 title wins. Will it happen? Very hard to pick, to be honest. I’m leaning towards a Cena win now but I’m 50/50 on this one and only picking Cena because I have to pick someone.
Magnum: I’m also 50/50 on this one – ultimately, Roman will be the one staying on Smackdown, while Cena will be off to Hollywood after this. I can’t see BOTH guys leaving, with Cena leaving with the title while Roman retires. So I’ll roll with Roman Reigns to win and retain the title.
Alright everybody, that’s going to do it for us! We will have a NEW champion after tonight. We will see you next month for another installment of the Wrestling Online Pick’em Challenge. @TheMagnumDA signing off!
It’s SummerSlam Saturday! Man, that felt weird writing that instead of Sunday! With over 40,000 fans expected in the building, this will be the most-attended wrestling event of 2021 and following yesterday’s events elsewhere, it’s time for WWE to step up their game.
We will take a look at the betting odds for all the 10 matches on the card today. Remember, these odds can change, and will probably change, as the event gets closer to bell time. Be careful when you bet with real money!
The main event will feature the big match between Roman Reigns and John Cena. Reigns remains the favorite to walk out with the Universal title with 1/5 odds while John Cena is at 3/1.
Bobby Lashley vs Goldberg for the WWE title remains unchanged when it comes to odds from yesterday with the current WWE champ Lashley having 1/8 odds while the challenger is at 4/1 for the upset.
Belair vs Banks II will decide who will walk away with the Smackdown Women’s title and the champion, Bianca Belair, has the edge right now with her odds at 11/20 while Banks is currently at 5/4. Nikki A.S.H. also remains the favorite in her quest to defend the Raw Women’s title in the triple threat match also involving Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley. Nikki is 3/4 favorite while Flair is 7/5, and Ripley is 17/4.
Will we see a new United States champion tonight? Bookmakers certainly think so with Damian Priest the favorite to win the U.S. title with odds of 2/5 while Sheamus is 7/4 to retain.
The Smackdown Tag Team titles will be on the line with champions The Usos defending against Rey and his son Dominik Mysterio. The Usos are favorites at 1/8 while the Mysterios are 4/1 to regain the titles. But the news is different for the reigning Raw Tag Team champions as AJ Styles and Omos are the underdogs in their match against Randy Orton and Riddle. The champs are 13/4 to retain while RK-Bro are favorites heading in with 1/6 odds.
The first-ever one-on-one match between Edge and Seth Rollins has a chance to be match of the night and the Rater-R Superstar is the favorite right now with 4/9 odds while Rollins is 6/4 for the win. In the battle of former 3MB members, Drew McIntyre is 7/20 favorite against Jinder Mahal who is 19/10 to win. And in the final match of the card, Alexa Bliss is 11/50 favorite to win against Eva Marie who is 14/5.
