Former WWE Superstars Mike Bennett and his wife Maria Kanellis-Bennett have opened up to fans about their experiences with WWE prior to being released.
Bennett revealed via Twitter that, despite its drug testing policy and insistence that it puts talents health and wellbeing first and foremost, WWE never paid or supported his recovery journey.
He explained how he never went to rehab and instead “My wife was my rehab.” Bennett noted how he recovered on the road while adhering to WWE’s travel schedule. According to him, WWE “never paid for my rehab” and “never reached out” to him during his recovery from addiction.
Bennett shared how “Not a single person in management ever contacted me to see if I needed help or if I was doing ok in my recovery.All credit goes to my wife”
Bennett stressed how he isn’t saying WWE had an obligation to reach out to him. However, when people claim his rehab was paid for, it undermines and takes away all the hard work and support Maria provided. Those false claims are something that will “never be ok” with him.
Maria Kanellis-Bennett also opened up on Twitter. She shared what she and Mike were allegedly told and promised by WWE. Maria has previously called out WWE over its decision to release her and Mike amidst a global pandemic so soon after her giving birth.
Her series of Tweets seem to indicate what they were told by WWE as they contemplated re-signing with the company. Both Maria and Mike would sign multi-year contracts in 2019.
Fans speculated that the pair signed with WWE knowing Maria was pregnant. This would have allowed them to make money while at home after their baby was born. This was not the case, however, as Maria was not aware she was pregnant until after signing her new WWE contract.
According to Maria, she was told and promised the following:
“Think about your family. – @wwe”
“We want to make sure your family is taken care of. -@wwe”
“Look at the position (she) put you in by naming you. – @wwe”
“Don’t you think you’d remember something like that. – @WWE”
“(He) still wants to sign you to this. -@WWE”
“We used to get away with a lot, we can’t get away with (that) anymore. -@WWE”
— MariaKanellisBennett (@MariaLKanellis) July 18, 2020
We want to make sure your family is taken care of. –@wwe
— MariaKanellisBennett (@MariaLKanellis) July 18, 2020
Maria explained how she’s not “spilling tea” or spreading gossip with her series of tweets. Instead, she wanted to give fans insight into what she and Mike were told and experienced.
The couple joined several other Superstars to be released earlier this year as a cost-cutting decision. WWE attributed its decision to the coronavirus pandemic having impacted upon business.
Bobby Fulton is currently in hospital and a surgery scheduled for this morning has been postponed. The 59-year-old revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer back in December. His Twitter account has been updating fans on his condition.
This is Dillon Hines. I’m sadly informing you today that my father has been admitted to the hospital. He’s in poor condition. Please send positive thoughts and prayers for him. Thanks! pic.twitter.com/hDIHfymcJw
Dad's surgery that was scheduled for 8am EST has been postponed to 1pm EST. This surgery is very serious as it is to take care of an artery that he is internally bleeding from. One wrong move in this surgery could cause a stroke. Prayers, please.
In December, Fulton’s Twitter account posted the following:
“Good Evening! It’s Friday December 6th at 11 pm. As you know or most know, I had a very important Doctors Appointment today. The News wasn’t what I wanted to hear. God My Heavenly Father has never done me wrong ever! I serve a mighty God. A risen Savior in my Lord Jesus Christ. I want no sympathy! I’m just informing you, that I have cancer in my throat. That’s gonna be treated the game plan is being put together on this coming Tuesday. I want your continued prayers. ALL THINGS work together for good for those that love God. That are CALLED according to his PURPOSE. No sympathy just prayers. Thanks.”
Montez Ford recently spoke with Inside the Ropeswhere he talked about working with Paul Heyman and his WrestleMania 36 experience.
According to the WWE RAW Tag Team Champion, he owes Paul Heyman his life. Ford noted how he and his partner, Angelo Dawkins, are practically indebted to Heyman. He stressed how Heyman was supportive of the team “since day one.”
Montez Ford shared how the first time The Street Profits met Heyman, he took the time to give them a “wealth of knowledge” upon their RAW debut.
“[…] he was the first person that came and found us and talked to us and pretty much just took us under his wing and there’s so much I can say and describe but he’s given us a whole bunch of stuff and he’s pretty much been there the whole way and given us a lot of motivation, man and insight and you guys know, getting any type of insight, anything from Paul Heyman man is golden so just in short terms I can say that, man I’m just privileged to know and have worked with him in the time period that we did, you know?”
Montez Ford On Competing At WrestleMania 36 With A Broken Back
The Street Profits made their WrestleMania debut at this year’s event back in April. Montez Ford actually broke his back prior to the event, but would still compete at the show. He and Dawkins would successfully defend their championships against Angel Garza and Austin Theory. They competed on the second night of WrestleMania’s two-day show.
Reflecting on his decision to compete despite his injury, Montez said “I broke my back, man, okay? You know what I’m saying?Who do you know broke they [sic] back and still made it to WrestleMania? Who do you know man, just tell me one person. I’ll wait. Exactly. It’s alright, you’re talking to him right now, man. Who do you know?”
Despite competing at WrestleMania 36 in front of zero fans and with a broken back, Ford stressed the experience was a “blessing.” He noted how with the coronavirus pandemic forcing so many changes worldwide, his WrestleMania memories will be “forever cemented” for him and remains grateful that they were able to have their moment.
Former WCW star Konnan has shared his belief that All Elite Wrestling’s Kenny Omega has “failed” on American television.
Speaking on his podcast Keepin’ It 100 with Konnan, Konnan acknowledged how Omega had managed to get “majorly over” in both Mexico and Japan. However, he doesn’t believe Omega has been able to connect with American audiences in the same way.
Konnan attributed this to Omega’s promos, pointing out how they aren’t on the same level as other top wrestlers. He also highlighted how Omega “has not been pushed as a star, but just another guy who can work.”
He noted how there is plenty of other talent who know how to work. Because of this, “Omega doesn’t stand out in any way.”
He juxtaposed Omega’s AEW presence to how he was used in Mexico. According to Konnan, Mexican fans loved Omega as an aura had been built around him. This led to fans going crazy every time he entered an arena, something Konnan believes “has not happened in AEW.”
Kenny Omega “Doesn’t Cut A Good Promo”
Konnan’s co-host, Disco Inferno, added his thoughts on the matter. He explained how wrestling weekly on American television is totally different from being an independent wrestler or performing in Japan. He added how talent needs to not only have matches but deliver promos, sell facial expressions, and build up a plethora of skills every week.
When it comes to Omega’s mic work, Disco Inferno stated “Omega doesn’t cut a good promo.”
He added, “This is why it has become difficult for him to elevate himself to the level of Jericho and Moxley because his mic skills are not close to those guys. Also, he doesn’t understand the psychology of what you have to do in the ring and mic on American TV.”
Disco noted how it’s not a good look if a wrestler’s character “can’t even get over in squash matches.” He stressed how a wrestler shouldn’t focus on making their opponent look good, but should instead focus on getting over as a superstar. It’s something he believes AEW has yet to do with Kenny Omega.
During the event, MVP would come out with Bobby Lashley. MVP claimed how, because Crews was unable to defend his championship, he was now the WWE United States Champion via forfeit. MVP then grabbed the recently revealed re-designed US Championship belt from ringside.
WWE did not announce MVP as the new champion or seemingly acknowledge or recognize MVP’s declaration. At the time of writing, WWE.com still lists Crews as the current WWE United States Champion.
“@The305MVP is trippin thinking he can claim himself the #USChampion. I was looking forward to shutting you BOTH up once and for all tonight at #ExtremeRules but once I’m cleared .. #ImComingforwhatsmine”
Apollo Crews was set to defend his WWE United States Champion at Extreme Rules against MVP. However, Crews would suffer a storyline back injury courtesy of MVP’s associate Bobby Lashley. This injury forced the match to be canceled.
It was noted during the show that Crews was in attendance at the WWE Performance Center for the show, but was unable to pass the physical to allow him to wrestle. There has been speculation that Crews’ removal from WWE programming could be due to coronavirus concerns, but this has not yet been confirmed.
WWE has released an update on Rey Mysterio following last night’s “Eye for an Eye” matchup. Mysterio faced off against Seth Rollins, eventually losing the hotly contested and personal bout.
“After the sickening conclusion of the Eye for an Eye Match, Charly Caruso provided an update on the condition of Rey Mysterio. Mysterio was rushed to a local medical facility to be treated for a potential globe luxation.”
The update continued, “Medical experts were optimistic that if the optic nerve is not severed and there is not too much strain on the blood vessels and nerves that connect the eye to the rest of the head, there’s a chance Mysterio can maintain his vision.”
Last night’s “Eye for an Eye” confrontation took place during WWE’s The Horror Show at Extreme Rules event. It was the first time this match type has taken place. A victor could only be declared after they had forced an eyeball out of their opponent’s skull.
Several reports suggested WWE would use CGI or effects to pull off the conclusion to the match. However, that ultimately wasn’t the case. Instead, the ending came after Rollins forced Mysterio’s eye into the corner of the ring steps. Once he had seen what he had done and realization set in, Rollins would throw up at ringside.
WWE’s “The Horror Show at Extreme Rules” aired tonight on the WWE Network. McIntyre defended the WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler and Braun Strowman battled Bray Wyatt in a non-title Swamp Fight in the main event.
Extreme Rules Results
Kevin Owens def. Murphy (Kickoff Show)
Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura def. New Day to become SmackDown Tag Team Champions
Bayley def. Nikki Cross to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Seth Rollins def. Rey Mysterio in an Eye for Eye Match
The RAW Women’s Championship match had a controversial ending
Drew McIntyre def. Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE Championship
Bray Wyatt def. Braun Strowman in a non-title Swamp Fight
Here are 6 takeaways from the PPV:
Cesaro & Nakamura Won The SmackDown Tag Titles
New Day defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Nakamura and Cesaro in the first match of the night.
Match Recap: New Day dominated early and beat Cesaro and Shinsuke down outside the ring. Kingston connected with a Dropkick that sent Cesaro into the steel steps. Big E set up a table but got launched into the plexiglass by Cesaro. Nakamura hit Kingston with a Dropkick and then set up a table in the ring.
Kingston knocked Cesaro to the apron and Big E him him with a Spear that sent both superstars out of the ring. New Day set up Cesaro on top of a table on the entrance ramp. Cesaro got down and Kofi went for a Splash but Shinsuke and Cesaro hit him in the face with a table. Kingston battled back and leveled Shinsuke with a Trust Fall.
Big E stomped away on Cesaro in the corner as Kingston stacked two tables on top of each other. Kofi shouted that they brought this on themselves but it allowed Nakamura to get back up. Shinsuke knocked Kingston out of the ring as Cesaro got Big E in the Swing. Nakamura hit Big E with a knee to the face.
Kofi hit Nakamura with a Splash and then delivered a Clothesline to Cesaro. Kofi perched Cesaro up on the top rope and went for a Hurricanrana but Cesaro blocked it. Cesaro then Powerbombed Kofi through the two tables to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
Bayley Retained The SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bayley defended the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Nikki Cross tonight at Extreme Rules. Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Bayley controlled the action early and mocked Nikki Cross by posing in the ring. Nikki battled back and hit a Tornado DDT and followed it up with a Crossbody for a near fall. Nikki hit another Crossbody off the top rope for a two count.
Bayley rolled out of the ring to regroup but Nikki hit her with another Crossbody off the ring apron. Bayley drove Nikki into the ring apron and bashed her face into the plexiglass. Back in the ring, Bayley applied a Headlock as the crowd got behind Nikki.
The SmackDown Women’s Champion trapped Nikki in the ring skirt and hit her with several punches. Cross escaped under the ring and to the other side. Bayley went for a Baseball Slide but Nikki trapped her in the ring skirt and beat her down.
Back in the ring, Nikki mocked Bayley by doing her old poses before locking in a Crossface in the middle of the ring. Bayley broke free and hit a Bayley to Belly but Cross somehow kicked out at the last moment. Bayley perched Cross on the top turnbuckle and connected with a Superplex for another two count.
Bayley shared a hug with Sasha before going for a Dropkick. Cross blocked it and sent Bayley into the ring post. Nikki followed it up with a Running Bulldog and then made her way to the top rope. Cross hopped down and hit Bayley with a Neckbreaker for another near fall. Nikki went back up to the top rope but Bayley tripped her up.
Bayley connected with a knee to the face and went for a cover but once again Nikki kicked out at two. Bayley charged at Cross but Nikki got out of the way and Bayley crashed into the turnbuckle. Nikki connected with a Neckbreaker off the ring apron and to the floor outside the ring.
Back in the ring, Bayley and Nikki traded Clotheslines. Sasha handed Bayley the Boss ring (brass knuckles) and Bayley hit Nikki in the ribs with them while the referee was distracted. Bayley slammed Nikki to the canvas with the Rose Plant for the victory. Bayley is still the SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Match Recap: Mysterio slammed Rollins into the ring post and took out a tool box from under the ring. Seth grabbed a kendo stick and hit Rey in the back of the neck. Seth followed it up with a Falcon Arrow on the ring apron and Rey crashed to the floor.
Rollins slammed Mysterio into the plexiglass and rolled him back in the ring. Seth grabbed the kendo stick and tried to shove it Rey’s eye but Mysterio blocked it. Rollins sent Mysterio out of the ring and he fell on top of table.
Seth tried to rip Rey’s out but Mysterio broke free and hit Rollins with a steel chair. Back in the ring, Rollins set up the kendo stick by the ring post and tried to slam Rey’s eye into it. Mysterio broke free and sent Rollins to the canvas. Rey connected with a Frog Splash off the top rope and followed it up with a Tornado DDT.
Mysterio sent Rollins out of the ring and Powerbombed him into the barricade. Rey tried to rip Rollins’ eyes out but Seth broke free. Mysterio hit Rollins with the Stomp and shoved his eye into the corner of the steel steps. Rollins hit Rey with a low blow and then a Superkick to the face.
Seth connected with the Stomp and then shoved Rey’s eye into the corner of the steps. The referee called for the bell as Mysterio called for a doctor. Someone shouted “Rey’s eye is sticking out of his head!” as Rollins got disgusted. Seth then vomited on the floor outside the ring to end the segment.
I need to know where the fake eye was being kept ?
Opinion: Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio did the best they could with this stipulation. I was initially intrigued but it became clear after a few minutes that this was going to be a stupid match. The ending of this match was comically bad. I couldn’t help but laugh when Rollins vomited because of how ridiculous it was. My favorite part of the match was the referee checking to see if someone lost an eye whenever their head was slammed into the turnbuckle or announce table.
The Ending To The RAW Women’s Championship Match Was Ridiculous
Asuka defended the RAW Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks tonight at Extreme Rules. Kairi Sane and Bayley were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Sasha controlled the action early and locked in the Bank Statement. Asuka broke free and Banks stomped on the champion’s hand. Banks connected with a Meteora and went for the cover but Asuka kicked out at two. Asuka battled back and connected with a Hip Attack. Sasha went for a Sunset Flip but Asuka blocked it by hanging onto the ropes. Asuka dropped Sasha to the floor outside the ring with a knee to the face.
Back in the ring, Asuka connected with a spinning backfist that sent Banks to the corner of the ring. Asuka perched Banks up on the turnbuckle and hit her with a Codebreaker. Asuka went for another Hip Attack but Banks dodged it and brought the champion outside the ring.
Banks Powerbombed Asuka into the plexiglass before rolling her back into the ring. Sasha hit Asuka with a Frog Splash off the top rope and went for the cover but Asuka kicked out at two. Sasha quickly locked in the Bank Statement in the middle of the ring but Asuka was able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold.
Asuka connected with a German Suplex and then a kick to Sasha’s face for a near fall. Asuka hit another German Suplex and then a Hip Attack for a two count. Asuka went for a Dropkick but Banks got out of the way. Sasha hit a running knee to the face and went for the cover but the RAW Women’s Champion kicked out at two.
Asuka went for a German Suplex off the top rope but Sasha landed on her feet. Banks hit a running knee and made her way to the second turnbuckle. Sasha grabbed her knee and fell to the canvas. Banks demanded that the match continue and started trading punches with Asuka. Sasha went for the Bank Statement but Asuka blocked it. Asuka applied the Asuka Lock and Banks tapped out but Bayley distracted the referee. Banks had one of the Women’s Tag Team Championships but the referee ripped it away. Asuka went for green mist but Sasha got out of the way.
Opinion: I have no idea why they decided to turn the ending of this match into a clown show but that is what happened. I’m assuming that Asuka is still the champion because Bayley just putting on the ref’s shirt doesn’t make her a referee. I was really looking forward to this match and the finish was so idiotic that it completely ruined it. Asuka and Banks were well on there way to having a great match too. Sasha grabbing her knee and shouting “I have to be champion!” was a great moment but everything fell apart in the last five minutes.
Drew McIntyre defended the WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler tonight. Ziggler announced that the stipulation will be Extreme Rules for him only. If McIntyre gets disqualified, counted out, etc Dolph will be the new champion.
Match Recap: Ziggler brought a chair into the ring but McIntyre ripped it away. If Drew hit Ziggler with the chair he would lose the title so he threw it out of the ring. Dolph set up a table outside the ring and Drew was about to Suplex him through it but thought better of it. McIntyre rolled Ziggler into the ring and hit him with a Powerbomb.
Dolph hit McIntyre with a low blow before bringing more steel chairs in the ring. Ziggler hit McIntyre with a chair several times and went for the cover but Drew kicked out at two. McIntyre rolled out of the ring to regroup and Ziggler went for a Crossbody off the apron. McIntyre caught him and sent Ziggler flying over the announce table.
Ziggler hit McIntyre with a Fameasser off the announce table but Drew battled back and sent Ziggler flying into the plexiglass. Back in the ring, McIntyre set up for the Claymore but Dolph countered with a chair shot. Ziggler planted McIntyre with a Zig Zag and went for the cover but Drew kicked out at two.
The action spilled out of the ring and Ziggler set up McIntyre on the table. Dolph hit an Elbow Drop through the table but McIntyre was able to get back into the ring before the ten count. Ziggler hit a Fameasser, a Zig Zag, and then a Uranage on top of a steel chair but McIntyre kicked out at two. Ziggler set up for a Superkick but McIntyre connected with a Claymore out of nowhere for the pinfall victory. Drew McIntyre is still the WWE Champion.
Strowman and Wyatt battled in a non-title Swamp Fight to end Extreme Rules.
Match Recap: Strowman looked for Wyatt to start it off as stock footage of animals running around was played. Strowman fought off a couple of masked people before he was hit in the back of the head with a pipe. It was revealed that it was Wyatt Family Strowman that hit hit him with the pipe.
Braun woke up and was tied to a chair as Wyatt’s theme played. Bray showed up and said that Braun cannot hurt him because he is already dead. Wyatt stated that the human race is like a bacteria but Strowman is like him. Wyatt claimed that together they can be like gods and society will bow to them. Braun refused to join Wyatt and Bray vowed to destroy the monster Braun has become. Someone brought in a giant snake and it bit Strowman.
Braun woke up again and hit a guy in the face with a shovel. The man then caught on fire and Strowman laughed his ass off. A woman’s voice said “Braun you don’t need to do this”. The voice was a hallucination of Alexa Bliss and added “I know you’ve always wanted to be together”.
Strowman walked towards the Bliss image and Bray popped out and attacked him. Strowman fought back and put Wyatt on a boat that drove away. The boat drove itself back to the dock and Wyatt wasn’t inside. Bray hit Strowman from behind and they both went underwater.
Braun was the first one to swim out of the swamp and climbed up the ladder to the dock. Wyatt showed up again and hit Strowman over and over with a row. Bray shouted “look what you made me do!” as Braun got back up. Strowman booted Bray through the railing and back into the swamp. WWE then did a false finish and had the copyright logo in the bottom corner of the screen. Wyatt popped out of the swamp and dragged Strowman back inside. The Fiend then emerged and said “let me in” to close the show. Wyatt won the match because he was the one who emerged from the swamp.
Opinion: Well, this was certainly no Boneyard Match. The segment where Strowman was chained to the chair with Wyatt was talking about society crumbling and trying to recruit Strowman back to the Wyatt Family was absolutely terrible. There were some cool shots and moments sprinkled in but I didn’t find the Swamp Fight to be captivating at all.
Extreme Rules: The Horror Show was one of the weirdest PPVs I’ve seen in some time. Apollo Crews wasn’t cleared to compete so MVP just declared himself the United States Champion, with the announcers saying that he is not the champion. Sasha Banks left Extreme Rules with the RAW Women’s Championship but isn’t the champion (I think) because Bayley isn’t a referee. I enjoyed the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match the most at Extreme Rules. I didn’t think that was going to be the case but a lot of the matches tonight were convoluted and disappointing.
The Swamp Fight between Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman was the latest installment in WWE doing cinematic type matches.
It took place at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event. The match was different although it was a non-title match, which meant that Strowman didn’t have any worries about losing the WWE Universal Title.
The match featured Wyatt disappearing several times. Strowman took out a few masked men. Strowman got hit in the back with a shovel and it turned out that it was the older version of Strowman.
We then see Strowman tied to a chair with Wyatt trying to talk him into joining him again. There was a lady that came in with a snake then we saw Strowman set a guy on fire. The woman was revealed as Alexa Bliss. Strowman tackled Wyatt into a boat, which later started driving by itself.
It ended when Strowman sent Wyatt into the water. Strowman said that it was over, but Wyatt jumped out and pulled him into the water with him. The water turned red and Wyatt popped up as The Fiend. We see a close-up shot on his face with him laughing and he asks to let him in. That’s how the match ended. Wyatt won the match.
Firefly Funhouse Wyatt has lost to Strowman and Wyatt won at Extreme Rules while portraying his old gimmick.
With each star holding a win over each other it could lead to a third and final match that would take place at SummerSlam for the Universal Championship.
The unique clash between Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler is in the books.
McIntyre was able to successfully retain the WWE Championship in his latest title defense at the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event on Sunday night in Orlando, Florida.
After weeks of build-up to what the exact stipulation would be, it turns out that it was an Extreme Rules Match only for Ziggler. Thus, it saw Ziggler use any weapon he wanted while McIntyre tried to fight him in an actual wrestling match.
One of the highlights of the match saw Ziggler hit an elbow drop off the top rope onto McIntyre through a table on the floor.
Ziggler brought the fight to the champion but in the end, it was McIntyre standing tall by hitting the Claymore Kick for the win.
This championship match was booked back on the June 22nd episode of RAW when Ziggler made a surprise appearance on the show where he revealed that due to the trade involving AJ Styles being moved to Friday Night SmackDown, RAW was able to select two SmackDown stars. It ended up being Ziggler and Robert Roode being moved as a result.
Ziggler had been hyping the stipulation as a first-ever type of match.
The Eye for an Eye Match had fans talking heading into Extreme Rules and will likely have them talking coming out of the WWE pay-per-view event.
Seth Rollins battled Rey Mysterio in such a match after a heated storyline that has played out over the course of several weeks on television.
Just like WWE had confirmed when listing the match on their website, there a winner could only be determined by extracting the opponent’s eye. So how was the contest? It was a slow spectacle that had a mixture of them doing wrestling moves while also using various weapons as weapons.
That included kendo sticks, pipes, screwdrivers, steel steps, and more. The finish came when Mysterio’s right eye was pushed first into the corner of the steel step and then all of a sudden we saw a fake eye briefly. Rollins began puking after the match.
Just before WWE had announced the match, it was reported by Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline.com that WWE originally did an angle where Rollins sent Mysterio eye first into the corner of a steel step for a reason.
That was to write Mysterio off television in case he didn’t sign a new deal. Mysterio had been wearing an eye patch as part of his mask since the angle.
As of this writing, there’s still no word yet on whether Mysterio has signed a new deal with WWE or plans to hit the free agent market when he’s able to do so.
WWE kicked off its Extreme Rules event with a title change as Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura are on top of the tag team division on SmackDown.
Nakamura and Cesaro beat Big E and Kofi Kingston in a Tables Match at Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view event in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
The finish of the match saw Cesaro powerbomb Kofi off the middle rope through two tables for the win. Unlike other tables matches with tag teams, Big E didn’t need to be put through a table.
Back on the April 17th episode of SmackDown, The New Day dethroned The Miz and John Morrison as the SmackDown Tag Team Champions. This reign marked the eighth time that The New Day had won WWE Tag Team gold.
These two teams have been feuding for quite some time on WWE television. Two weeks ago on an episode of SmackDown, Nakamura and Cesaro introduced the tables by putting Big E and Kingston through them. This set up the gimmick match for this gimmick heavy themed pay-per-view event.
What are your thoughts on Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro winning the SmackDown Tag Team Titles? Was this the right idea by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Chris Jericho went into detail as to what AEW originally had planned for this past Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite for himself and Orange Cassidy.
Of course, the show that aired on TNT saw Cassidy get some revenge on Jericho and other members of the Inner Circle by dumping gallons of orange juice on them in the ring from Daily’s Place.
The former AEW World Heavyweight Champion recalled what they wanted to do for the angle during his weekly Saturday Night Special YouTube show.
The Inner Circle doused in orange juice by Orange Cassidy (Photo: AEW)
He first started talking about coming up with the idea for what they actually did by remembering the bloodbaths that the Brood used to do. They would have their rival stand in the ring and get blood dumped on them.
“I originally wanted Orange to come into the venue in an orange juice truck, kind of like [Kurt Angle] did with the milk truck or whatever it may be. But if you see at Daily’s Place whenever they have cars come in – Cody tried to drive it in that one time, and now they have FTR driving.
And you can only get to a certain area and then you have to stop, so you couldn’t get a whole orange juice truck, even if there’s such a thing. But I’m sure we could have made one, and he would have sprayed orange juice on [us].”
Jericho noted that the orange juice bath from the heavens was more manageable than the truck and so they went with it although there was a bit of uncertainty about it because they had to be in the right spot or it wouldn’t have worked.
The card for Sunday’s (July 19, 2020) WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event has been finalized.
The company hasn’t officially announced the main event of this event that takes place in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center and will air on the WWE Network, but it will most likely be WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler.
Also on tap for the show are two cinematic matches – Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio in an Eye for an Eye Match and Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman in a Swamp Fight. The Bar Fight between Jeff Hardy and Sheamus was moved from Extreme Rules to next week’s SmackDown.
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of this special on Sunday evening starting at 6 PM EST. Here is the final card for the show:
Final WWE Extreme Rules Card
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka vs. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Sasha Banks
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Nikki Cross
Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman – Swamp Fight
Eye For An Eye Match: Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio
WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. MVP
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura – Tables Match
EC3, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and Eric Young have all joined Impact Wrestling.
Eddie Edwards vs. Trey Miguel vs. Ace Austin vs. Rich Swann vs. Eric Young in an Elimination Match for the vacant Impact World Championship was booked as the main event of Saturday’s Slammiversary pay-per-view event from Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.
Edwards defeated Ace Austin to win the title. Post-match, Madman Fulton began to beat down Edwards and Austin joined in. The Good Brothers walked down and made the save. They all stood tall together.
All of these stars were released from WWE in April when the company decided to make mass firing of staff and talent. The wrestlers who were released were under a 90-day non-compete clause until July 15th, which at the time had prevented them from officially signing a deal with any promotion.
Over the last few weeks, it was reported that Anderson and Gallows had agreed to signing with Impact. The promotion made it official earlier on Saturday. They also agreed to a separate deal with another promotion, which will allow them to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Before this event, the promotion had been teasing the return of EC3 to Impact as his entrance music was played on an episode of Impact.
The Motor City Machine Guns made their Impact Wrestling return at Slammiversary.
The Rascalz, Wentz and Dez, issued an Open Challenge during Saturday’s Slammiversary pay-per-view event. This is when the music of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin hit. The Guns won the match after Sabin pinned Dez.
Sabin had previously been teasing an appearance at Slammiversary while Shelley had recently tweeted, “The past year of my career has been one of my absolute favorite, and it’s been because of my autonomy, my freedom, and the respect I get and give to and from my peers and fans.”
Sabin and Shelly began teaming together back in 2006 where they found success in every promotion they worked for by winning titles.
The Motor City Machine Guns broke up in 2018 months after Shelley suffered an injury and Sabin went off to retire from the pro wrestling business.
Their tenure in Impact goes back to when the promotion was named TNA from 2007 until 2012. Sabin returned to the promotion to work as a producer for last year.
On the flip side, Shelley last wrestled this past February for ROH. This came after he had worked a tag team match where he teamed Kushida in a losing effort to the Grizzled Young Veterans as part of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in January under the WWE NXT banner.
Joey Ryan has released a new video addressing allegations made against him as part of the #SpeakingOut movement. Ryan begins the video by saying he has been silent this long on advice from both his therapist and his attorney. He then noted that since no legal action is being taken against him, he can now address the accusations against him.
“Since no legal action is being taken, I’m going to address them in this video,” Ryan said. He continued to deny individual allegations made against him.
“I have never had sex with a woman without her consent, I have never acted criminally towards a woman and I have never acted criminally with sex and unlike these allegations, I have actual evidence that can show you that,” Ryan continued.
Ryan continued to say he has text messages and other evidence that can refute all the allegations being made against him.
He then spends a good deal of time dealing with individual allegations and issuing evidence to refute claims. Most of the evidence Ryan shows to refute the claims are DMs or text messages from his accusers.
Possible Legal Response From Joey Ryan
Ryan ended the video talking about having lost friends to the allegations and people not even reaching out to him. He said many people said they couldn’t believe the allegations against him and Ryan said that’s because the allegations are not true.
Ryan also noted that he lost a job with Impact Wrestling because of the allegations. He also said that Impact said they would investigate the claims but never did and his contract stated he could not be fired for things that took place before he signed there.
“These are all things that I still have to consider and I’m still thinking about and considering all the legal recourse I have to take with any of these accusations but for right now I want to continue to work on myself and focus on myself because I believe we can all be better people.”
“I’ve also taken this opportunity to reconnect with God. I’ve always been a believer but a very, very dear friend of mine in the industry has reached out to me to remind me that being a believer is much different than being a follower. I can’t help but think that God has put this on my journey because I was going down a bad path and I had fallen away too far away from him.”
After WWE filmed the Swamp Fight this past Thursday night, some additional details about the taping have surfaced.
Braun Strowman will not defend the Universal Championship against Bray Wyatt at this show. The location was roughly two hours outside of Orlando.
According to a report by Wrestling Inc, filming lasted between 6 – 7 hours and they had to do multiple takes in order to get the various angles for editing purposes. There were various spots that were done multiple times like in a movie to get all the angles.
Regarding the match length, the belief is that it will be edited down to approximately a 20 – 30 minute match. WWE had several reptiles such as an alligator and a snake that were used for filming the segment.
The finish of the match was described as something straight out of Friday The 13th and a horror movie as someone is taken away or disappears only for that person to return to continue this feud.
It was added that Vince McMahon was not involved with the match in addition to there being a difference that is notable in the final cut from other recent cinematic matches. Wyatt had various ideas for the match but had to adjust things in order for them to work.
Impact Wrestling is back with another show, so let’s take a look at the card for the Slammiversary pay-per-view event.
Slammiversary takes place on Saturday, July 18, 2020 from Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Eddie Edwards vs. Trey vs. Ace Austin vs. mystery opponent to crown a new Impact World Heavyweight Champion is expected to serve as the headliner.
The show kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be distributed on cable, satellite and digital pay-per-view, including DISH, DirecTV, iN Demand, Vubiquity, Rogers, Bell, Shaw and Sasktel across North America, and streaming live globally exclusively on the FITE.tv app
This will be the second PPV event of the year for Impact. The card that features several big matches appears to be finalized. Impact has teased that a former World Heavyweight Champion would be among the surprises in store for this show.
Drew McIntyre recently appeared on Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling and spoke about being the first British-born WWE Champion.
“Yeah, it felt incredible,” McIntyre said. “It was a dream of mine when I first came to America. I was just surprised that no Brit had ever won the title before especially the Bulldog. Regal was on a bit of a run and never quite pulled it off. Wade Barrett was on a run with the Nexus, I thought he’d do it and I’d have been happy for him but never pulled it off.”
“To be the first Brit just blew my mind,” he continued. “I really did take a moment sitting in the office here when I had the title, which I keep by my side at all times. Looking at it like ‘wow, that’s my life’s work.'”
“To see the world’s response was insane but to see the UK in particular, the way they reacted, mainstream media. I remember the BBC, the biggest media outlet in the UK, the special report that day, the two top headlines were Queen gives a speech and Drew McIntyre becomes first British Champion.”
Impact Wrestling has been heavily teasing that EC3 could be returning to the promotion tonight at Slammiversary. EC3 has been teasing his return to pro-wrestling following his release from WWE in April on social media through a series of videos. He just released a new video in the series last night.
During the rather intense video, he walks past people dressed in “Free EC3” shirts. There are also images from his WWE career burning in the video. The line “You have been warned” is also featured throughout. He then seems to walk into an underground wrestling event and beats up an unnamed opponent. EC3 finished him off with a reverse DDT followed by a modified crossface submission hold.
The full video can be viewed in the player below:
EC3 In Impact Wrestling
Known as Ethan Carter III, EC3 is a 2x former TNA World Heavyweight Champion. There’s a chance he could end up in the Impact World Title fatal 4-way match tonight at Slammiversary. One spot is open in the match that will determine a new title-holder for the vacant belt.
EC3 never won a title in WWE other than the 24/7 championship, which he held on 4 occasions.
Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows recently announced that they have signed with Impact Wrestling. They also put out a podcast last night that detailed their departure from WWE and problems they experienced with Paul Heyman while on RAW.
During the conversation, they detailed re-signing with WWE last year after not being happy with their run with the company since 2016.
“We knew AEW would be successful, we knew they would pop off,” Anderson said. “We just succumbed to the amount of money and promises, kept or unkept, whatever that doesn’t matter, from WWE.”
They continued to say they were offered a lot of money to stay and that ultimately was the biggest factor in their decision.
“We signed because of the thought that this was going to be our last contract and we were ready to ride it out and wave the WWE flag as f***ing high as we could.”
Anderson & Gallows Re-Signing With WWE
Anderson and Gallows continued to say they don’t believe Triple H was aware of what they had done in NJPW. They said they felt as though he wanted AJ but wasn’t that interested in them.
Anderson and Gallows noted that Impact made them a good contract offer in 2019 as well. They also said they told the Bucks for about 6-months that they were coming into AEW before they eventually re-signed with WWE. Anderson and Gallows mentioned there may have been some hard feelings between the two sides as a result of how it all turned out.
“You can’t expect a global pandemic to hit but I didn’t think we would be on the first list for f***s sake,” Anderson said regarding their release during a pandemic.
Anderson & Gallows on Paul Heyman
During the podcast, the Good Brothers also detailed problems they encountered with Paul Heyman.
“To the end, (Heyman) is putting us over and telling us how good we are,” Gallows said.
“This is a quote (from Heyman), ‘If I ever lie to you, go on social media and f***ing bury me! F***king put me under the dirt because I deserve it and I want those guys in the locker room to know that I can’t fuckin’ be trusted!’ Guys in the locker room, he can’t be trusted and we’re online and I just buried him.”
During the conversation, it was also noted that there was some confusion over who made the decision to release them. AJ Styles is said to have confronted Heyman who denied being the one to make the decision but then Vince McMahon told Styles their release was a “Heyman decision.” This led to Styles requesting a move to Smackdown.
Heath Slater spent 14 years signed to WWE. He was released this past April in the middle of a global pandemic. Slater released a video on Instagram recently where he teases entering the next stage in his pro-wrestling career.
The video features Slater waking up from a nightmare that featured images of his WWE career.
“Leaving WWE may have not been on my terms, but moving forward the choices I make regarding my career and my life will be ONLY on my terms. Over the last 14 years, I lost the man I thought I was… but Thank God I’m finding him again,” Slater said in the posts’ comments.
“I’m ready to reignite my fire. I’m ready to be the wrestler I was meant to be, while being the father and the husband that my family deserves. Now it’s my turn and I’m going to rise. So y’all better watch the hell out.”
At the end of the video, Heath receives a “wake-up call” in his hotel room.
Impact Wrestling has been teasing that the next stage of Heath’s career could begin at Slammiversary tonight. The promotion has already confirmed that Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows will be on the show.
Ahead of tonight’s Slammiversary PPV, Impact Wrestling has announced that Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows have officially signed with the promotion. They will both appear on tonight’s show.
“It’s been 3 long months and everybody’s wondering what the good brothers are doing. Everybody’s wondering what countdown to **** town is,” Anderson said in a video Tweeted by Impact. “Everybody wants to know where the Machine Gun and the Big LG are going to land.”
“I think the most important thing right now is that we are live and the countdown has expired,” Gallows said before the camera revealed they were in an Impact ring. “The rumours are true. The internet buzz was correct. We have officially signed with Impact Wrestling. It’s midnight, we’re live, and we’re going to be live on PPV tonight for Slammiversary.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfxFMw349mk
Impact Wrestling Slammiversary
Tonight’s Impact PPV is being built on the idea that any of the recently released WWE Superstars could appear. Heath Slater, EC3, Eric Young, and several others have been teased for the show. Additionally, a new Impact World Champion will be crowned in a fatal 4-way match. Former champion Tessa Blanchard was recently stripped of the title.
WWE SmackDown aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. It was the final episode of SmackDown before WWE Extreme Rules: Horror Show this Sunday. AJ Styles defended the Intercontinental Championship against Matt Riddle tonight. Sheamus attacked Jeff Hardy during a backstage interview and claimed that he was going to “cleanse Hardy of his demons next week on SmackDown”.
AJ Styles def. Matt Riddle to retain the Intercontinental Championship
Here are 4 takeaways from this week’s show:
New Day Will Defend SmackDown Tag Titles In A Tables Match At Extreme Rules
Big E battled Cesaro in the first match of the night as Shinsuke Nakamura and Kofi Kingston were ringside. The winner of the match will get to pick the stipulation for the Tag Team Championship match at Extreme Rules.
Match Recap: Cesaro controlled the action early and leveled Big E with a Clothesline for a two count. Cesaro applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring but Big E battled to his feet after Kofi fired him up. Big E got in a couple punches but Cesaro sent him back to the canvas with a Body Slam.
Cesaro made his way to the top rope and leaped but Big E caught him. Big E hit three Belly to Belly Suplexes in a row and followed it up with a Splash. Big E brought Cesaro to the ring apron and hit another Splash as SmackDown went to a commercial break. When SmackDown returned, Cesaro trapped Big E in the Swing before locking in a Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring. Big E broke free but Shinsuke Nakamura hit him with a cheap shot while the referee was distracted. Cesaro capitalized and hit the Neutralizer for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Cesaro and Nakamura grabbed a table from under the ring. Kofi flipped onto them and set the table up. Kofi put Cesaro on top of the table and made his way to the top rope but Nakamura got Cesaro out of the way. Nakamura and Cesaro then announced it will be a Tables Match at Extreme Rules.
Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross came to the ring for an episode of A Moment of Bliss. They noted that it was the fifth year anniversary of the women’s evolution in WWE. Alexa predicted the LA Lakers will win the NBA Championship, Matt Riddle will win tonight, and that Braun Strowman will walk out of Extreme Rules still the Universal Champion. Nikki Cross went on a rant about how she is going to embarrass Bayley at Extreme Rules before the Women’s Tag Team Champions interrupted.
Bayley and Sasha scolded Bliss and Cross for not mentioning how they are the foundation of the women’s evolution and boasted about being the first ever Women’s Tag Team Champions. Bayley vowed to defeat Nikki Cross at Extreme Rules and said Sasha Banks will defeat Asuka to become the new RAW Women’s Champion at the PPV as well.
Alexa Bliss revealed that Asuka was the mystery guest on the show and a brawl broke out during her entrance. This led to a tag match between Asuka & Nikki Cross vs. Bayley & Banks.
Match Recap: Nikki and Bayley started off the match and Cross sent the SmackDown Women’s Champion to the corner. Bayley battled back and bounced Nikki’s face off the top turnbuckle. Sasha tagged in and planted Cross with a Suplex for a two count. Banks and Bayley spent the following several minutes taking turns beating Cross down as Asuka pleaded for a tag.
Asuka finally got the tag and connected with a Clothesline that knocked both Sasha and Bayley to the canvas. Asuka sent Bayley flying out of the ring with a Hip Attack and then trapped Sasha in the ring apron. Nikki tagged in and trapped Bayley in the ring apron as well and beat her down. Asuka hit a sliding knee to Bayley’s face and Nikki followed it up with a Crossbody. Asuka and Nikki then danced on the announce table as SmackDown went to a break.
Sasha drove Asuka to the corner and slammed her into the turnbuckle when SmackDown returned. Nikk tagged in and hit Sasha with a Bulldog for a two count. Cross climbed to the top rope and went for a Crossbody but Banks got out of the way. Sasha hit Nikki with a Dropkick and went for the cover but Cross kicked out at the last moment.
Bayley tagged in and made her way to the top rope but Nikki caught her with a right hand. Bayley hopped down and launched Nikki out of the ring. Nikki hit an awesome Tornado DDT outside the ring and rolled Bayley back inside. Nikki went for the cover but Sasha broke it up at two. Asuka went for a Hip Attack but Banks got out of the way and knocked her out of the ring. Bayley was about to reach for a tag but Banks got distracted by Asuka. Nikki went for another Tornado DDT but Bayley countered into a roll-up. Bayley used her feet on the ropes but the referee didn’t catch it and Nikki couldn’t kick out.
Braun Strowman Vowed To End Bray Wyatt At Extreme Rules
Bray Wyatt cut a promo from the swamp to hype the Universal Championship match at the PPV. Wyatt claimed that Strowman didn’t embrace the monster that he was destined to be so now he must destroy the monster that Braun has become.
"Once you enter, you can never truly leave. Part of you will live here forever." – @WWEBrayWyatt
Strowman then came down to the entrance ramp and said he has to go home to the swamp to face his fears against Bray Wyatt. Braun stated that he doesn’t want Wyatt to turn into The Fiend and he needs to go to the swamp and end Bray before he ends him. Strowman then marched to the ring for a match against John Morrison.
Match Recap: Strowman launched Morrison to the corner and followed it up with a massive Clothesline. Strowman stomped on Morrison’s ribs several times as the audience cheered. Strowman then planted Morrison with the Running Powerslam for the pinfall victory. After the match, Strowman’s voice got real deep and he said that he hoped Bray was watching because he is coming home.
Opinion: I enjoyed Wyatt’s vignette and Strowman’s promo that followed. I think this match has the potential to be fun this Sunday at Extreme Rules. I’m just hoping it doesn’t turn out as terrible as the House of Horrors match between Wyatt and Orton a few years back.
"I am ready and willing to walk through the gates of Hell and slap The Devil himself in the face… I have to go home before HE ends ME!"
AJ Styles Retained The Intercontinental Championship
AJ Styles & Matt Riddle
AJ Styles defended the Intercontinental Championship against Matt Riddle in the main event of this week’s SmackDown.
Match Recap: Styles thought he had the match won early and threw a tantrum by slamming on the announce table outside the ring. Riddle followed him out there and mocked AJ. Styles got pissed off and wound up running into a boot to the face from Riddle as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Riddle was in control and hit AJ with a knee to the ribs. Matt continued to beat Styles down but AJ was able to reach for the ropes and the referee separated them. Styles sent Riddle to the corner and stomped him to the mat. Styles connected with a Dragon Screw and went to work on Riddle’s left knee.
Matt battled back with a forearm to the face and followed it up with the Broton. Riddle lifted up AJ in the Fireman’s Carry and hit him with the Bro to Sleep. Riddle followed it up with a running knee and went for the cover but AJ kicked out at the last moment as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
AJ was back in control when SmackDown returned and was still targeting Riddle’s left knee. Riddle hit a German Suplex out of nowhere and then delivered some body jabs to AJ in the corner. Styles decked Matt with a Superkick to the face and set up for the Styles Clash but Matt blocked it.
Riddle hit the Ripcord Knee (Final Flash) and made his way to the top rope. Matt went for the Floating Bro but Styles got out of the way and Riddle crashed to the canvas. Styles planted Matt with a Brainbuster and went for the cover but Matt kicked out at the last second. AJ connected with a Michinoku Driver for another near fall.
Styles locked in the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring but Riddle countered into a submission of his own. AJ escaped into a roll-up for the pinfall victory. AJ Styles is still the Intercontinental Champion. After the match, Styles shook Riddle’s hand but King Corbin attacked Matt from behind. AJ exited the ring and Corbin planted Riddle with the End of Days to close the show.
Opinion: Riddle and Styles put on a very good match tonight and Matt looked like he belonged. A feud against Baron Corbin does nothing for me and hopefully Riddle just walks through him. Overall, this week’s episode of SmackDown was a decent show that did very little to create excitement for Extreme Rules: The Horror Show this Sunday night.
The betting odds for all of the matches that will take place at the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event have been released.
The card for the show that takes place this Sunday from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center is likely or closed to be finalized. The company has yet to announce the pre-show match.
Make sure to join us for match recaps and our takeaways from this latest pay-per-view event held by WWE. Odds call for there to not be any titles changes. Instead, all champions are favored to retain their titles including Asuka edging out former champion Sasha Banks to retain the WWE RAW Women’s Title.
WWE Extreme Rules Betting Odds
The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds courtesy of BetOnline:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre (-2000) vs. Dolph Ziggler (+700)
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka (-300) vs. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Sasha Banks (+200)
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley (-600) vs. Nikki Cross (+350)
Bray Wyatt (-150) vs. Braun Strowman (+110) – Swamp Fight
Eye For An Eye Match: Seth Rollins (-150) vs. Rey Mysterio (+110)
WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews (-450) vs. MVP (+275)
