WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has shared his thoughts on WrestleMania 36’s unique Boneyard match. The cinematic matchup between The Undertaker and AJ Styles headlined Night One of this past weekend’s WrestleMania event.
Speaking on his podcast, The Hall of Fame, Booker T explained how he feels The Undertaker still has “got a little left in the tank.” He noted how, if ‘Taker had missed WrestleMania, fans would have felt his absence. Booker T agreed with ‘Takers sentiments that he will continue to perform as long as he can “muster up the strength to walk to that ring.” Booker T believes if he can continue to do that, then the WWE Universe can expect him to continue competing.
He admitted how the pro wrestling industry is different from any other business. According to him, the allure of wrestling is a powerful one. Despite this, Booker T believes ‘Taker could still walk away when he chooses to.
“Thirty years the Undertaker’s been walking that aisle. Thirty years is a lifetime for a lot of people, you know what I mean?” Booker T said. “So I say, if it’s something that he loves and it’s something that he can will himself to actually do? I say do it until you can’t do it no more.”
NXT Superstar Rhea Ripley lost her NXT Women’s Championship this past weekend at WrestleMania 36. She was defeated by Charlotte Flair. Following the loss, it was rumored that Ripley’s work visa had expired. This supposedly forced the Superstar to return back to Australia in order to renew it. It was speculated that Ripley’s visa situation could have played into WWE’s decision to have Flair reclaim the championship.
According to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observerforum, however, this may not be the case. He revealed he had spoken with a high up source within WWE who denied the story.
“I’m double checking on this but one person high up just denied that to me. Again, I’m not saying Mike is wrong, in this company the left and right hand rarely know what the other is doing. But the person I checked with would know the creative reason given which was Charlotte to NXT for ratings help.”
He followed up, adding how another high up source also rebuffed the claim. According to this secondary source, Rhea Ripley is still in Orlando.
It had previously been reported that WWE wanted Flair to return to NXT as the champion to help in their ratings war with AEW Dynamite. At the time of writing, it is unclear to the extent WWE intends to utilize Flair now that she holds the black-and-gold brand’s championship.
If Rhea Ripley is currently in Australia, it is likely not possible for her to return in time for the upcoming set of tapings for WWE programming due to the quarantine regulations amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair believes that Randy Orton is the “number one guy” in WWE right now. Speaking with talkSPORT, “The Nature Boy” addressed Orton’s work and his recent feud with returning Superstar Edge.
Flair explained how nobody is a bigger fan of Orton than he is. He pointed to Orton’s recent rivalry with Edge as some of the best work he’s ever done. Flair then pointed out how long Orton has been a part of WWE, adding how “every time he says something, it’s the truth.”
According to Flair, Orton’s level of ability and his current health has helped him reach the top of his game. This, in his opinion, makes Orton the number one guy in the company.
Ric Flair Thinks Charlotte Is The “Female Orton”
Having expressed his high opinion of Orton, Ric Flair then juxtaposed Orton’s ability to his daughter, Charlotte Flair. He admitted that, although people may consider him biased, he believes Charlotte to the be “female Orton.”
“Younger, less time in the business, but she’s picked it up. The art of being able to make somebody look good and make the match the priority rather than what you are capable of doing or not doing is what separates the good from the great. She’s been in that conversation as the greatest ever since, I think, [WrestleMania 32].”
Ric Flair argued that this conversation point is strengthened with every subsequent match she has. He revealed how Charlotte was excited for her WrestleMania 36 bout with Rhea Ripley. He noted how she didn’t “look at it as a step-down.” Instead, she viewed it as an opportunity to wrestle an up-and-coming, talented Superstar.
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has praised the NXT Women’s Championship clash between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. The two battled for the gold this past weekend during WWE’s WrestleMania 36 event. Flair would end up reclaiming the championship, making her a two-time NXT Women’s Champion. Speaking on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray shared his thoughts, noting how Ripley stepped up for the confrontation.
“Bravo to Rhea Ripley. Man, did she step up,” Bully Ray said. “Man, did I enjoy that match, and I enjoyed it for the in-between. […] the little things that those two women did. The physicality of that match. Charlotte and Rhea are some stout women, they are athletic, they are physical, and they were throwing some shots at one another. Punches, slaps, stuff was landing.”
Bully Ray On The “In-Between”
Bully Ray explained how he was impressed by the “in-between” moments between the two Superstars. He described how everything was earned between the two, and nothing was simply given.
According to him these details gave the match a much grittier, realistic aesthetic. To him, it felt like he was watching a fight. He added how it was like watching two Amazon warriors do battle: “Just tall, impressive fighters, impressive warriors just beating the s–t out of one another.”
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
NXT General Manager William Regal will reveal some breaking news regarding the black-and-gold brand Wednesday morning.
Regal will be joining WWE show The Bump as one of their scheduled guests. Other guests for the episode include WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray and impromptu WrestleMania 36 host Titus O’Neil.
At the time of writing, there is no indication as to what William Regal’s reveal will be related to. It could be connected to this week’s episode of NXT. The show airs on the USA Network tonight. This episode was pre-recorded last week during the tapings that saw WWE record RAW and WrestleMania 36 itself.
Tonight’s episode of NXT has a scheduled six-woman Ladder Match. The winner of this bout will become the new number one contender to the new NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. NXT Superstars Io Shirai, Tegan Nox, Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green and Dakota Kai will all vie for the opportunity.
The main event of the show will be the highly-anticipated clash between long-time rivals Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. Their match takes place in an empty arena.
WWE’s The Bump airs at 10AM ET on Wednesdays. Fans can watch the show via the WWE Network and WWE’s Digital Platforms.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.010 million viewers in on the USA Network, which is up from the 1.923 million viewers the previous week.
Last week’s show was the lowest viewership for 2020 thus far and the go-home edition of WrestleMania 36 for the RAW brand.
RAW Viewership
Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
Hour 1: 2.311 million (2.139 Last Week), 0.78 Demo (0.63 Last Week)
Hour 2: 2.063 million (1.986 Last Week), 0.69 Demo (0.61 Last Week)
Hour 3: 1.925 million (1.646 Last Week), 0.64 Demo (0.51 Last Week)
The episode was expected to increase its viewership from last week. The reason for that was due to it serving as the post-WrestleMania edition of RAW. WWE will attempt to increase its viewership for Monday Night RAW next week.
Some of the matches that took place include Asuka vs. Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair & The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Angel Garza, Austin Theory & Zelina Vega in a six-person tag team match, Aleister Black vs. Apollo Crews in a lengthy match that nearly went 30-minutes.
RAW featured Seth Rollins in action in a squash match following his battle with Kevin Owens at WrestleMania. The in-ring return of Nia Jax occurred after she was on the sidelines for nearly a year due to injury.
Finally, the main event saw the return of The Big Show, who challenged Drew McIntyre for the WWE Title.
Former NXT women’s champion Rhea Ripley is reportedly back in Australia and there is no timetable for her return to the United States. According to a report from PW Insider, Ripley’s work visa has run out and she has traveled back to Australia in order to start the process of getting it renewed.
As a result of the quarantine regulations involved with travel into each country, it is likely not possible for her to return in time for the upcoming set of tapings for WWE programming.
Ripley’s match against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 36 opened the main show portion of night 2. It is also being reported that the producer for the match was Adam Pearce and that he put together the match with both Flair and Ripley’s input.
WWE is said to begin filming content for upcoming shows beginning this Friday and going until next Thursday.
Rhea Ripley In WWE
Real name Demi Bennett, the 23-year-old has already achieved the following in her young career:
NXT Women’s Champion
NXT UK Women’s Champion
#7 Ranked women’s wrestler in 2019 by Sports Illustrated
#35 top women’s wrestler by PWI in 2019
CBC Sports Breakthrough Wrestler of the Year for 2019.
Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion PPV once scheduled for April 19th from New York City could take place in an empty arena setting. According to a report from PW Insider, the company has tentative plans moving forward to film new content without fans in attendance including the Rebellion PPV. It is also possible that Rebellion could be changed to a special on AXS TV rather than a traditional PPV, however.
Impact has continued to build toward several planned matches for the event on its weekly show. Tessa Blanchard is scheduled to make a world title defense against Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards in a triple threat match. Also planned for Rebellion is a match between Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock as well as Ace Austin defending the X-Division title against Willie Mack. It is also being reported that Impact will announce 2 new matches for Rebellion on tonight’s show.
The last set of TV tapings the promotion filmed was March 7th from Atlanta.
On last week’s episode, Kylie Rae’s signing with the promotion was made official. Impact also recently signed Chris Bey to its roster. He will compete this week against Daga.
The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling:
AEW has added a new wrestler to its women’s division. Anna Jay has been signed to the promotion. She took a loss to Hikaru Shida on last week’s edition of Dynamite.
“The Star of the Show” was announced as having signed with the promotion through AEW’s social media channels:
They noted on commentary during her match on Dynamite that Jay was trained at the Monster Factory by QT Marshall and Glacier. She is also said to be coming off of shoulder surgery that kept her out of action for six months.
Cody commented on Anna Jay’s signing shortly after it was announced.
“Anna Jay showed up and stepped up. Hung in there with an absolute killer like Shida! Congratulations,” Cody Tweeted.
Video of Anna Jay’s match against the top-ranked Hikaru Shida can be viewed in the player below:
Upcoming AEW Matches
All Elite Wrestling also announced several matches for this week’s editions of Dark and Dynamite.
Matches scheduled for AEW Dark this week:
Kip Sabian vs Tony Donati
QT Marshall vs Lee Johnson
Wardlow vs TBD
Matches scheduled for AEW Dynamite this week:
TNT Championship Tournament (1st Round) Cody vs Shawn Spears’
Kenny Omega & Michael Nakazawa vs. the Best Friends (Trent & Chuck Taylor)
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has shared his thoughts on the current coronavirus pandemic. Taking to his Instagram, Hogan uploaded his feelings on the situation alongside a black and white photo of himself praying during his Hulkamania days. The post itself is deeply rooted in Hogan’s religious beliefs.
Comparing the current pandemic to the plague that affected Egypt in the Bible, Hogan explained how “God has taken away everything we worship.”
He extrapolated his point, noting how he believes God has taken away the things people have chosen to worship:
“God said, ‘you want to worship athletes, I will shut down the stadiums. You want to worship musicians, I will shut down Civic Centers. You want to worship actors, I will shut down theaters. You want to worship money, I will shut down the economy and collapse the stock market.”
Hogan added how if people don’t want to go to church, he will make it where the population cannot go. He wrote how if people humbled themselves, prayed, and sought out God by turning away from their “wicked ways”, God will hear them. According to Hogan, God would then “forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Hulk Hogan Shares What People Should Be Focusing On
Hulk Hogan suggested that maybe a vaccine isn’t what’s needed during this time. He postulated that instead, perhaps, people should use this time in self-isolation for a personal revival—one where people “focus on the ONLY thing in the world that really matters. Jesus.”
Hulk Hogan was due to enter the WWE Hall of Fame once again during WrestleMania week. He was set to be inducted alongside his nWo stablemates. The coronavirus pandemic, however, forced WWE to change their WrestleMania plans. The Hall of Fame ceremony will reportedly now take place during SummerSlam week.
The new WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has reflected on this past weekend’s WrestleMania 36 event. Following his championship victory over Brock Lesnar, McIntyre spoke with the BBC. He shared his thoughts on the final show, in particular the unique Boneyard and Firefly Fun House matchups.
McIntyre shared how he was glad that WWE ultimately decided to deliver WrestleMania 36 despite coronavirus concerns. He admitted that his experience winning the title in front of zero fans made him realize that the fans are what “makes wrestling.” McIntyre joked how the matches had a similar appearance to a video game tutorial mode for a wrestling video game. He then added how the cinematic matches were “brilliant”:
“They were the most cheesy, corny, B-Movie stuff you could ask for,” McIntyre said. “It was funny and completely unrealistic – and that’s what wrestling is all about!
Drew McIntyre confessed that, although it had been a weird weekend, he believes it was an event worth staying up for.
WrestleMania 36’s Cinematic Matchups
The Undertaker faced off against AJ Styles in a Boneyard match. Their cinematic clash headlined Night One of WrestleMania 36. The Undertaker would walk away victorious, having buried Styles in a burial plot.
Night Two of WrestleMania 36 saw John Cena return to face “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. They met in a Firefly Fun House match. Their bout was a much more psychological affair, with Wyatt forcing Cena to relive key moments of his career as the two not only fought physically but mentally for the win. Wyatt would eventually pin Cena.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has commented on Drew McIntyre’s historic championship victory. McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar this past Sunday night to claim the WWE Championship. He is the first British Superstar to have claimed the company’s top prize. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Angle praised McIntyre’s win, referring to him as a “breath of fresh air for WWE.”
“We finally have somebody new in the main event, and that’s Drew McIntyre,” Kurt Angle shared. “He is the breath of fresh air for WWE. Now you don’t need to continuously keep going back to Roman, Cena, and Brock. Drew is the new guy, and he needs to excel this year.”
Kurt Angle pointed to all the WWE Superstars, referees, writers, producers, and directors who contributed towards delivering WrestleMania 36 to the WWE Universe. He stated that the event was very entertaining and hoped that everyone enjoyed the efforts put in to help distract the WWE Universe during such a tumultuous, unsure time.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the WrestleMania 36 bout between Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar. The match headlined Night 2 of the WrestleMania event over the weekend, and only went around 4 minutes. Although this short amount of time has been utilised for Brock Lesnar matches in the past, Bully Ray believes that the match needed to be longer.
Bully Ray on Drew McIntyre vs Brock Lesnar
“What you got from Brock was a typical match when Brock faces a big guy” Bully Ray began. “It’s, ‘we’re going to hit each other with our biggest artillery, because that’s the only thing that’s going to matter. And we’re cutting out all of the stuff that would get absolutely no reaction and fans probably saw in every other match throughout the night. So it’s going to be F5, Claymore, German Suplexes, we’re just gonna, you know, just bombard the match with those moves, and we’re going to get a quick finish.'”
“I don’t think that’s what fans wanted to see”
Bully Ray
Ray would then discuss how this isn’t what he believes fans wanted to see from the match. “I don’t think that’s what fans wanted to see” Bully Ray stated. Nobody is a bigger Brock Lesnar supporter than me. I have been flying the flag for Brock on this show [Busted Open], since day one. Why? Because I was the very first person to get with to get to work with Brock Lesnar. I know who how smart Brock Lesnar is, I know what kind of performer Brock Lesnar is.”
Changing The Formula
Bully would finish by clarifying that he did enjoy the match. “Listen, was the four and a half minutes good? Sure, yeah, it was. But I had seen that before I had seen the formula work with Goldberg. I had seen the Brock before [where he] just destroys everything you know type of psychology before last night. With Drew I was hoping for a little bit more.”
Lesnar vs Goldberg
Brock’s match against Goldberg from WrestleMania 33 went only a few short minutes also and you can check out that match below. The ‘formula’ that Bully Ray refers to does clearly work for that bout from ‘Mania 33, however we have seen in the past just how creative and hard working matches between Brock and ‘smaller men’ can be. Although WWE did have a difficult situation due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, it is arguable that a younger talent such as McIntyre could’ve had a lengthier match against Lesnar, due to the environment and lack of live crowd reaction.
It is also worth pointing out that Ray said that if the exact match as it occurred happened in a full arena with 80,000 people that it would have worked perfectly.
WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash has shared his thoughts on WWE’s historic two-night WrestleMania event. The “Show of Shows” was forced to relocate from Raymond James Stadium to the WWE Performance Center due to the coronavirus outbreak. This decision forced Superstars to perform in front of zero fans, with WrestleMania itself being pre-recorded. Despite these setbacks, “Big Sexy” had high praise for WWE and the Superstars that took part.
Taking to Twitter, Nash shared how much he had enjoyed Night One of WrestleMania 36. He noted how it’s challenging to work in front of an empty arena. He highlighted the Triple Threat Ladder Match, stating how it’s tough to take those kinds of bumps with no one in attendance. Nash also praised The Undertaker and AJ Styles for their unique, cinematic Boneyard Match before congratulating Braun Strowman for his WWE Universal Championship victory—a win Nash called “well deserved.”
Kevin Nash On Night Two Of WrestleMania 36
Tuning in for Night Two of WrestleMania, Nash was thrilled to see the nWo referenced during the Firefly Fun House matchup. This match took place between John Cena and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. Nash thanked both men for the nWo love, admitting it made him smile. “If we had those two gentlemen wearing the colors I might be heading back to the ring in some capacity. Sorry but this is 4 real and 4 life.”
Nash also congratulated the new WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. He stated how it’s a “well earned” victory. He also praised Brock Lesnar, selling the moment and pointing out Lesnar’s professionalism, “A pros pro.”
@DMcIntyreWWE Congratulations big man. So well earned. We had this conversation so long ago. Sweet my brother! @BrockLesnar laid in the ring and sold the moment. A pros pro.
Reflecting on the weekend, Nash stressed how WWE stands for World Wrestling Entertainment. He added how he was successfully entertained. Nash shared how he was immersed with ‘Mania and distracted from the news of the coronavirus pandemic. He ended his notes, thanking WWE for “going beyond what every other product has. Delivered!!!”
Their WrestleMania clash was the culmination of an intense rivalry between the two Superstars. Despite Becky Lynch managing to defeat Baszler, it appears as though the feud between the two is far from over. According to Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE intends to keep their rivalry going.
The manner in which Lynch won was allegedly done in order to keep Baszler protected. Lynch was able to reverse Baszler’s Kirifuda submission hold into a successful pin.
Shayna Baszler Reflects On Her Loss To Becky Lynch
WWE shared a post-WrestleMania interview with Baszler during last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
Addressing her loss, a frustrated Baszler indicated that she isn’t finished with Lynch. “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” she said. “The thrill of victory and, for you, Becky, I promise you, the agony of my defeat.”
Nia Jax made her return to WWE during last night’s post-WrestleMania episode of Monday Night RAW. She defeated NXT Superstar Deonna Purrazzo, utilizing a specific move on her warpath to victory. That move was former WWE Superstar Paige’s finishing move, the RamPaige. According to Paige, however, she was more than happy for her friend to adopt her former signature move.
After Jax’s match, Paige took to Twitter to share her joy at her friend’s triumphant return. She stressed how wrestlers should never use another person’s finisher unless they have permission. Paige then revealed she gave Jax full permission to start using the RamPaige, noting how she “killed it” during her return.
“You never use another persons finishing move unless it is given to you. I gave it to @NiaJaxWWE and she just killed it. I have chills. Proud moment [red heart emoji] @WWE”.
Nia Jax soon responded to Paige. She noted that it’s an honor for her to have been gifted the RamPaige as a new move in her offensive arsenal.
Jax had been away from in-ring action since April 2019 after having to undergo double knee surgery. Her return has seen her go right back to her dominant ways, perhaps leading Jax towards eventual championship contention.
This past Sunday night, Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar to claim the WWE Championship. Their match headlined Night Two of WrestleMania 36, which took place from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
His historic victory makes McIntyre the first-ever British WWE Champion, and it’s something he wants to celebrate and share with fans in the United Kingdom.
Drew McIntyre On A Homecoming Tour
Speaking with the BBC, Drew McIntyre detailed his intentions to headline shows in the UK. He would love to tour the country in an open-top bus, celebrating his win and, no doubt, reveling in a hero’s return. Most notably, he stressed he wanted to help convince WWE to host a pay-per-view in the UK.
“When everything starts resuming back to normal and I get the chance to come back to the UK, I want to bring this title back,” McIntyre explained. “I want to get an open top bus and drive from the top of Scotland to the bottom of England and just promote WWE like crazy. I’m going to make it happen. I made this happen – becoming the first-ever British champion – so I’ll make the pay-per-view happen too.”
WWE hasn’t hosted a major pay-per-view event in the United Kingdom since 1992’s SummerSlam. That show was headlined by The British Bulldog and Bret Hart. The British Bulldog would emerge victorious, claiming Hart’s WWE Intercontinental Championship in front of a hometown crowd.
Charlotte Flair made history at WrestleMania 36 when she became the first woman to win the NXT Championship at the PPV after defeating Rhea Ripley for the title.
The new champion had an interview with TV Insider after the Show Of Shows where she talked about things like the backstage environment on NXT and more.
When asked which NXT women she is looking forward to competing against, the Queen took the names of Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, and Bianca Belair:
“Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, and I’m sure Bianca Belair wants a rematch. I haven’t really thought about that yet. It’s crazy, a whole new group of girls. Everyone knows that I’m probably the most competitive person in the locker room, so I’m going to want to have the best division.”
Fans are curious about Flair’s status on the WWE roster
after her title win and when asked if she will be working Raw or NXT moving
forward, she said that it’s up for debate:
“I guess that is up for debate. Do I need to be drafted
to NXT? [Laughs] How is this going to work? I hope I get to work at all three
brands. “
While the long term plans for Charlotte Flair are not known, reports suggest that she will be working both Raw and NXT for at least the foreseeable future. You can check out a report revealing the reason behind her title win at this link.
The boneyard match between Undertaker and AJ Styles at WrestleMaia 36 impressed a lot of people and it appears that the WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is one of the persons impressed with the cinematic match.
The former World Champion recently had an interview with
WrestlingInc where he talked about the various matches of both nights of
WrestleMania 36, among other things.
Discussing the boneyard match between the Dead Man and The Phenomenal One, Flair revealed his text to the former Champion which he sent after watching the bout:
“I texted Taker, ‘You did it again.’ [Laughs] It’s
incredible. Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn, they create stuff better than
Netflix, Amazon or anything, are you kidding me?
Between that and the Fun House, it was incredible.” said Flair. “If I’m dying as an adult who’s been watching this forever, can you imagine what a 12-year-old is thinking? They gotta be going, ‘Wow! Daddy this is the coolest thing!'”
Ric Flair revealed that he was watching the match with his wife Wendy and according to the 16 time World Champion; she also loved the match between the two veterans.
Later in the interview, the Nature Boy also revealed his text to Stephanie McMahon he had sent after watching the show. You can check out his full interview at this link.
While the WrestleMania go-home episode of Raw had done poor numbers, its counterpart episode of SmackDown managed to hold on better and it actually saw a slight increase in the audience.
Last week’s episode of SmackDown which was the fourth
episode of the show from the Performance Center with no audience drew an
average of 2.398 million viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.
This is an increase from the previous episode of the show
which had managed to get only 2.367 million viewers, making the record for the
lowest SmackDown viewership for 2020.
The episode drew a 0.6 rating in the key demographic of 18-49 and it tied at #3 for the ratings in the 18-49 demographic with 20/20, Blacklist and Dateline.
In comparison, the go-home episode of Monday Night Raw which
featured the return of big names like The Undertaker and Edge had sunk under 2
million. It managed to bring only 1.923 million viewers, which was the lowest
Raw viewership for 2020.
Latest reports suggest that WWE is planning to air live episodes of the shows once again very soon and it would be interesting to see if the live episodes help the company regain the lost numbers compared to the taped shows they have been airing.
NXT star Bianca Belair has made some main roster appearances in recent weeks and she has now officially confirmed her call up to the main roster on Raw.
This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw the team of Angel Garza and Austin Theory with Zelina Vega challenging the RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits in a rematch from night two of WrestleMania 36.
The match ended in the same fashion as their match at Mania and the heels were disqualified after Zelina Vega interfered in their favor.
Vega attacked Montez Ford once again but Belair made the
save for her husband, as she had done during the same spot at the Show Of Shows
as well.
Though what’s interesting to note here is that after the match was over, Bianca announced her official call up to the main roster and the NXT star confirmed that she is now part of the Raw roster alongside The Street Profits.
After this announcement, the now-former NXT star faced Vega in a singles match. However, the two teams got involved again and the bout was then converted into a 6 person mixed tag match.
The team of Bianca Belair and the Raw Tag Team Champions picked up the victory in this match after the female star used the KOD on Zelina Vega and pinned her for the win.
This week’s episode of Raw saw Nia Jax making her in ring return but the former Women’s Champion wasn’t the only superstar who made her return to the show tonight.
During the episode, Aleister Black came out for a match and
then Apollo Crews, who was a part of the SmackDown roster made his way to the
ring.
Tom Phillips then revealed the reason behind this brand switch and he mentioned that Crews has been drafted back to Raw from the SmackDown roster due to the draft picks that were going to expire.
The former NXT star went on to have a lengthy match with
Black and the bout was won by the former NXT Champion after he pinned Crews
with a Black Mass.
Apollo Crews was originally brought up to the main roster as part of the Raw brand in April 2016 but he was drafted to SmackDown not very long after this in July the same year.
He was moved to the Red Brand once again during the 2017 drafts. After this move, the former NXT star joined Titus Worldwide but this storyline didn’t go anywhere.
He was moved a fourth time when Apollo Crews was drafted
back to SmackDown during the Superstar Shakeup in 2019 and it would be
interesting to see if the company has a plan for him this time.
WWE RAW aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. It was the first episode of RAW following WrestleMania 36.
WWE RAW Results (4/6)
Asuka def. Liv Morgan
Street Profits & Bianca Belair def. Garza, Theory, and Zelina Vega
Aleister Black def. Apollo Crews
Cedric Alexander & Ricochet def. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan
Seth Rollins def. Denzel Dejournette
Nia Jax def. Deonna Purrazzo
Humberto Carrillo def. Brendan Vink
Drew McIntyre def. Big Show to retain the WWE Championship
Here are 6 takeaways from the show:
Asuka Got Back On Track With A Win
Asuka. Image Credit: WWE.com
Asuka squared off against Liv Morgan in the first match of the night. Morgan defeated Natalya last night on the WrestleMania Kickoff Show. Asuka and Kairi Sane dropped the Women’s Tag Team Championships to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross at WrestleMania 36.
Match Recap: Morgan tried to roll Asuka up but she blocked it and stomped on Liv’s midsection. Asuka connected with the Hip Attack and went for a kick but Liv ducked and rolled Asuka up for a near fall. Liv hit Asuka with a Dropkick that sent her out of the ring.
Morgan followed her out there and Asuka sent her into the apron. Asuka knocked Morgan to the floor outside the ring as RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, Asuka was still in control as the action had returned to the ring. Liv battled back and hit Double Knees to Asuka’s face.
Asuka planted Morgan with a German Suplex and followed it up with a Shining Wizard. Asuka went for the cover but Liv Morgan got her foot on the bottom rope to break it up. Asuka then applied the Asuka Lock for the submission victory.
Street Profits defended their RAW Tag Team Championships against Angel Garza & Austin Theory in a WrestleMania rematch. Zelina Vega was ringside for the match in her wrestling gear.
Match Recap: Austin Theory and Angelo Dawkins started the match off. Dawkins connected with a shoulder tackle and quickly tagged in Ford. Montez leveled Austin with a Dropkick and delivered a Back Body Drop to Angel Garza when he hopped in the ring. Street Profits then Dropkicked Garza and Theory to the outside as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Dawkins had Theory in an Arm Bar. Theory escaped and hit Dawkins with a Dropkick. Angel Garza tagged in and continued to beat Angelo down in the corner. Theory tagged in and Dawkins battled back with a Side Slam. Ford and Garza tagged in and Montez hit a Crossbody. Ford followed it up with a Dropkick and then a DDT. Zelina Vega hopped up on the ring apron and the referee stopped the match.
Garza and Theory attacked Montez Ford and Bianca Belair rushed the ring. Belair knocked Zelina out of the ring and grabbed a microphone. Bianca told Vega to get in the ring or she will have to come and get her. Belair then battled Zelina Vega with Street Profits, Garza, and Austin Theory ringside.
Vega slapped Bianca in the face and tried to run away but Belair caught her. Bianca launched Zelina across the ring a few times as Street Profits cheered her on. Belair charged at Zelina but she got out of the way and Bianca went flying into the ring post. Zelina hit a DDT and went for the cover but Belair kicked out at two.
Bianca connected with a Suplex and then caught Vega when she went for a Crossbody. Belair lifted her above her head and dropped Vega to the canvas. Austin hopped on the apron and Montez Ford beat him down. The referee then threw the match out again. Montez grabbed the microphone and said his brother and wife is here (Bianca Belair). Ford then suggested a 6-person tag match as RAW went to a break.
Ford and Theory started it off and Montez hit a Dropkick. Garza hit Ford with a cheap shot while the referee was distracted. Theory capitalized with a Clothesline for a near fall. Belair tagged in and connected with a Backbreaker on Vega. Belair hit Moonsault but Garza broke up the cover. Ford chased Garza around the ring and wound up getting a Superkick to the face from Theory. Dawkins took out Garza and then chased Theory to the back. Belair then hit the KOD on Vega for the pinfall victory.
Aleister Black Defeated Apollo Crews In A Great Match
Apollo Crews is now on the RAW roster as well and battled Aleister Black tonight. Tom Phillips said that Crews was picked up via a draft pick that was about to expire.
Match Recap: Crews applied a Headlock to start the match off. Aleister escaped and got Apollo in a Headlock of his own. Black sent Crews out of the ring as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Aleister was in control and had Crews in an Arm Bar. Crews escaped and knocked Black out of the ring with a Dropkick.
Crews followed it up with a Suplex on the floor outside the ring. Apollo connected with a Moonsault off the apron as RAW went to another break. When RAW returned, Crews planted Black with a Powerbomb for a near fall. Apollo shrugged off a kick to the face and connected with a Clothesline.
Apollo went for a Splash but Aleister got out of the way. Aleister locked in a Knee Bar in the middle of the ring. Apollo fought through the pain and reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Crews avoided Black Mass and hit an Enziguri that knocked Aleister out of the ring.
Back from another break, Aleister connected with a Moonsault for a two count. Apollo hit another Dropkick to give himself some time to regroup. Crews sold his knee injury and hobbled over to Aleister. Crews drove Black to the corner but Aleister booted Apollo in the knee. Apollo perched Black up on the top turnbuckle and hit a Superplex for a two count.
Crews followed it up with a Powerbomb and went for a cover but Aleister kicked out at the last moment. Apollo hit a Standing Moonsault and followed it up with a Standing Shooting Star Press for another near fall. Crews climbed to the top rope but Black caught him with a boot to the face.
Apollo sent Black to the canvas and then leaped towards him but Aleister hit a knee to the face. Aleister then hit Black Mass for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I was expecting this to be a quick win for Aleister Black but instead we got a very good match that lasted multiple segments. Apollo Crews has always been excellent in the ring but hasn’t been featured much on the main roster. I don’t really understand the “expiring draft pick” that sent him from SmackDown to RAW but hopefully he finally gets a chance to perform every week.
Match Recap: Burch and Lorcan dominated early and isolated Cedric in the corner. Ricochet tagged in and hit Burch with a Dropkick. Alexander tagged in and hit Lorcan with an Atomic Drop. Ricochet hit Lorcan with a Standing Shooting Star Press and tagged back in. Alexander took out Burch with a Suicide Dive and Ricochet connected with the Recoil on Lorcan for the pinfall victory.
Match Recap: Jax shoved Deonna to the corner and followed it up with a massive Clothesline. Nia grabbed Deonna by the hair and dragged her around the ring. Jax hit another Clothesline and then another one while taunting Deonna.
Jax planted Deonna with a Samoan Drop but didn’t go for the cover. Jax followed it up with a Cradle DDT for the pinfall victory.
Drew McIntyre Defeated The Big Show To Retain The WWE Championship
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre
Footage was shown of Drew McIntyre after his victory over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Drew was interviewed in the ring and said the magnitude of what he has accomplished hasn’t hit him yet.
McIntyre added that he doesn’t believe this real but was able to get the plates changed on the title. Drew thanked Paul Heyman because he said during the match that he will stay down if Brock keeps getting back up. Drew stated that he has fought his entire life and he stopped getting hurt after an F5, he started getting angry.
The Big Show interrupted and came down to the ring with a referee. Big Show said McIntyre was no giant and challenged him to a match. Drew told Big Show that he is not fighting right now because he just beat Brock Lesnar. Big Show claimed that McIntyre is afraid of him and slapped Drew in the face. Drew then defended his WWE Championship against Big Show.
Match Recap: Big Show dominated the match early and beat McIntyre down. Big Show went for a Chokeslam but McIntyre escaped and planted Big Show with a Body Slam. Big Show hit a Chokeslam and went for the cover but McIntyre kicked out. Big Show went for the KO Punch but Drew ducked and hit the Claymore Kick for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Big Show’s Netflix sitcom came out today so this was just done to promote it. Still, it was ridiculous to see Big Show in a WWE Championship match in 2020. I also found it hilarious that Big Show was a face when he returned for the Fist Fight in January and was now a heel tonight. Big Show’s absurd amount of heel turns has been a running joke for a while and WWE even capitalized the word “TURNED” in the tweet above. Overall, after I briefly lost my mind because Big Show was going to win the title to promote his show, it was just a forgettable match. There were a several of those tonight with Black versus Crews being the exception.
Jax did so on Monday’s episode of RAW by beating NXT’s Deonna Purrazzo in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on the USA Network. It was a dominating performance.
The former WWE RAW Women’s Champion had been out of action since last April when she suffered ACL tears on both of her knees that forced her to require surgery to repair them.
At the time of her injury, the expected timeframe for her return was nine months. Just last month it was reported that she was ready to return at any time, which is now.
While on the sidelines, she had been keeping fans updated with her status through social media by sharing photos and videos of her working out.
Over the weekend, Jax fired back after Killer Kross’ comment about Liv Morgan’s WrestleMania gear on Twitter which got fans talking.
It all started when a fan stated that Morgan was wearing gear inspired by Scarlett Bordeaux, who happens to be Kross’s girlfriend.
This didn’t sit well with Jax, who responded with, “You better take a f**ken seat real quick dude.”
It appears that WWE won’t take a break but rather is moving forward will live broadcasts of RAW and SmackDown.
In fact, it’s looking like WWE could return to airing live episodes of their weekly television shows as soon as later this week. It’s known that Monday’s episode of RAW, as well as Wednesday’s WWE NXT episode, are already taped as WWE did film the shows several weeks ago.
With the outbreak of the coronavirus, there was some speculation that WWE could have an off-season if they can’t tape new episodes of these shows.
It turns out that WWE plans to air Friday’s SmackDown and next Monday’s RAW live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, according to @Wrestlevotes
Over the past few weeks, WWE had taped these shows in addition to both nights of WrestleMania 36. The belief is that the Performance Center will still likely be a closed set for the live episodes.
Friday’s SmackDown on FOX could be the first live TV show since early March.
It should be noted that these changes have not been confirmed by WWE. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on how the stay-at-home order in Florida will impact WWE’s plans.
There have also been reports that WWE could film Friday’s SmackDown from a secret location in a shutdown state. There’s still no word yet on where the location is.
