We’re just 6 weeks away from the biggest event in WWE’s year. WrestleMania 36 will be taking place on Sunday April 5, 2020 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Whilst two big bouts have already been confirmed for NXT and RAW, SmackDown’s main event matches are apparently still in a ‘state of flux.’
SmackDown at WrestleMania
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray discussed the upcoming event on Busted Open Radio. “I’ve heard rumblings within the WWE. Nothing is set in stone on on the SmackDown side of WrestleMania” Bully Ray began. “When it comes to the Universal Championship for WrestleMania, a lot of matches are in a ‘state of flux.’ I think we only have two definitive matches so far set, you know, Brock [Lesnar] and Drew McIntyre plus Charlotte [Flair] and Rhea [Ripley], everything else is up for grabs.”
WWE WrestleMania 36
WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt will be defending his title this Thursday against Goldberg at Super Showdown in Saudi Arabia. It is expected that Roman Reigns will be challenging for the belt at WrestleMania against the winner of the SS match. “Roman is going to be involved somehow” Bully stated. “And I think it’s probably time for them to kind of get Roman back into the championship mix. Although I can’t say positively if I think that’s a good idea or not.”
A year ago today Roman Reigns announced to the world that he was in remission from cancer. Of course the reception to Roman has changed from the live audiences since then, but there’s a palpable feeling that WWE may he hesitant to put him back into the title picture.
Do you think that Goldberg will defeat Bray Wyatt in Saudi Arabia? Let us know in the comments
Sammy Guevara attempted to interfere during the tag team battle royale on AEW Dynamite last week. He took a rather painful-looking superkick from Matt Jackson for his trouble, however. Guevara took to his YouTube vlog to comment on the spot. He noted that he ended up rolling his ankle when taking the move.
“So last night, I took a pretty nasty superkick and I actually ended up rolling my ankle,” Guevara said on the vlog. He then read some comments posted on Instagram about the spot.
“So I don’t know if I’m going to be able to wrestle in Australia,” Guevara continued to say about an upcoming booking.
“I took a superkick to the face and rolled my ankle, how is that even possible?” Guevara continued.
Guevara also visited with Jack Evans in the video who expressed that someone may have drugged his milk and that is why he did not win the battle royal. Guevara and Marko Stunt then attempted to convince each other they don’t hate one another. He finally ended the video by noting it was noon and he hadn’t been kicked out of his hotel yet.
Guevara’s latest blog can be viewed in its entirety in the player below:
Cathy Kelley’s final televised appearance with WWE took place at NXT TakeOver: Portland back on February 16th. In the days leading up to her departure, Kelley posted a lengthy statement on social media announcing the move.
Since then, the former WWE broadcaster appeared on Maria Menounos’ podcast to discuss her decision to leave the company.
“I just knew that it was the right time and really feeling like I had planted a lot of seeds,” Kelleysaid. “There’s so many things that I want to do in my life.”
Kelley revealed the hectic grind of the WWE schedule played a role in her decision. She just moved to Los Angeles and working with WWE was preventing her from working on projects outside of wrestling.
“With the WWE schedule, it’s so time-consuming because you are traveling so much,” she continued. “Being me, I wanted to do everything so I wanted to work as much as possible which also meant being away from Los Angeles, which I just moved to. That wouldn’t have allowed me to continue to do the other things, or work on the other things that I wanted to do.”
AEW has added another match to this Sunday’s Revolution PPV in Chicago. The promotion recently confirmed several matches for the show including an AEW Women’s World Championship match pitting champion Nyla Rose against Kris Statlander.
BREAKING NEWS A new match has been added to #AEWRevolution#AEW Women's World Championship Match@callmekrisstat vs. @nylarosebeast (c) Who is leaving Chicago with the championship held high?
Recently on Dynamite, Statlander and Big Swole confronted Nyla Rose during an interview segment. Rose defeated Riho to win the AEW Women’s World Championship on the February 12th, 2020 card.
All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes has shared how the promotion’s Women’s Division is still “growing.” He made the comments during a recent media call. Cody noted how he is aware of the fan criticism, and that it’s something the company is open to as they work towards improving.
“The women’s division is growing. I actually would say when you hear the criticisms—you hear the good things about your show, things people don’t like and you’ve got to keep your ears open. You can’t be close-minded to it,” he said. “One thing that is going to take time is the women’s division in particular. It’s a merit-based show. It’s a merit-based wrestling show and the best wrestlers are going to wrestle on that show.”
He continued, “I think we have some of the best wrestlers and some of the best women’s wrestlers. I’d really like to see Big Swole emerge. Britt Baker is on absolute fire. Nyla Rose becoming the second AEW Women’s World Champion, an amazing moment and maybe the best match on the best show we’ve done all year. That speaks to the talent level of Nyla and Riho and that international involvement that will always be there as far as bringing in the Joshi talent.”
Cody Rhodes’ Request
Cody Rhodes then asked fans to be patient with AEW as they are “doing everything” possible to further grow the division. He reflected on how popular women’s wrestling has become in recent years. AEW’s ultimate goal is to cultivate the division and make it a big part of their brand going forward.
His brother, Dustin, recently shared a similar sentiment. He acknowledged how the division is taking a “slow, steady” approach towards building and establishing itself.
“The women’s division is developing,” Dustin said. “It is slow, but it is developing, and we will get there over time. You know, this isn’t a race, it’s not a sprint, it’s a slow, steady build, like simmer on the stove, man.”
“Superstar” Billy Graham has reacted to Vickie Guerrero’s recent revelation that WWE Superstars are no longer allowed to appear on her podcast. The decision was reportedly made after Vickie appeared on an episode of All Elite Wrestling’s YouTube show, Dark. She joined Excalibur in a guest commentator role. She was also present during Chris Jericho’s recent Rock’ N’ Wrestling Rager cruise.
Taking to his Facebook account, Graham lambasted the decision, labelling Vince McMahon a “scumbag bastard.”
Superstar Billy Graham Lets Loose
“[…] This man has to be the single most evil human being walking the face of the earth. To deny a woman’s right to make a living when her husband gave his life for this unworthy pile of dung,” Graham wrote. “He won’t let her have any of his talent to simply sit and talk on a Podcast, while this coming Thursday, Febuary 27 he will be putting on a show in Saudi Arabia with his partner the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohamed bin Salam who will be paying 50 million dollars for this one night show and oh yes, personally ordered the murder and dismemberment of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”
Graham vented his frustration at Vince’s refusal to allow Vickie to “make some nickles and dimes” with her podcast. He stressed the point, highlighting how Vince is about to make “50 million dollars soaked in Khashoggi’s blood.”
Billy Graham accompanied his post with a picture of himself next to the late-Eddie Guerrero.
Vickie had previously shared her shock at WWE’s decision: “I was just like, ‘Wow. They’re gonna be like that.” So you just quietly move on and you see how they are and you just have to take care of your own business.”
She appeared on the 12/11 episode of AEW Dark, which you can watch below:
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has addressed his “quality of life” comments. Angle recently confessed how his “quality of life right now sucks,” admitting that he’s hurting pretty badly.
Angle addressed his words during an interview with the Table Talk with D’Von and Mo Podcast. He shared how he was “utterly surprised” at the reaction his statement garnered. He noted how the sentiment was taken out of context and blown out of proportion.
“I competed from a very young age, from 7 years old all the way until I was 50, either amateur wrestling to pro wrestling, that’s a lot of years, that’s going to do a lot of damage to your body,” Angle stated. “My quality of life, it does suck, I’m not going to lie to you, especially staying clean, which I continue to do and always will. Your knees, your back, your neck, your shoulders, as you age and get older it catches up to you.”
Kurt Angle On Dealing With Injuries Then Vs. Now
Angle also spoke about the differences that exist now in how current talent deal with injuries. Angle divulged how, in his era, “we worked through it and finished the match.” He pointed to Triple H’s quad injury as an example of this, as well as breaking his own neck while wrestling Brock Lesnar.
“We were having a match and I knew right away, I knew something was wrong but we worked through it. That’s not the smartest thing in the world to do. There’s a big difference now and I think they’re doing the right thing with that. Injuries occur, you can’t pretend they never occur, they do.”
Kurt Angle wrestled his “Farewell” matchup at year’s WrestleMania 35. He lost to Baron Corbin.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T joined Lilian Garcia on her podcast, Chasing Glory. During their conversation, Booker T shared his thoughts on WWE’s heavily scripted promos.
He compared these scripts to how things were when he was an active in-ring competitor. Booker noted how scripts can “take away a lot of the originality.” Despite this, however, Booker T also addressed the positives scripts can provide. He pointed to his experiences as King Booker as an example.
“I remember back in the day, John Laurinaitis, he used to write a lot of my matches for me. Just the finish, he would write the finish for me,” Booker T explained. “In the beginning I told him, I go, “Man, I don’t work like this. I’m an artist.” He’d go, “Just look it over and just try it.” I went out and I was like, “All right, I’ll try it.” I went out and I did, and I was like, “Wow, man, I look like a million bucks.””
He continued, “If I got someone working with me and I know they can make me look better and then they give me the liberty to say, “Hey, use it if you like it. If you don’t, throw it out,” that’s going to make me a whole lot better, opposed to someone just telling me, “Hey, this is what you got tonight.” For me, I had Brian Gewirtz, back when I was doing the King Booker.”
Booker T has previously praised Gewirtz for helping him with the King Booker character. With his notes, Booker T was able to embrace the gimmick and deliver his promos with a little ad-libbing thrown in.
‘The Dead Man’ Undertaker is traveling to Saudi Arabia for Thursday’s Super Showdown event, according to reports from Wrestling Observer Radio.
Previous reports have revealed that Taker is expected to compete against The Phenomenal AJ Styles at this year’s edition of WrestleMania.
Styles is currently scheduled to wrestle in a gauntlet match for the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy on the Saudi show. Other participants for the match include Andrade, Bobby Lashley, Erick Rowan, R-Truth, and Rey Mysterio.
While there is no word yet on what the Last Outlaw will be doing at the event, it’s speculated that he can set up his upcoming match with the former World Champion in some way during the PPV.
It’s been a while since the Undertaker last wrestled for WWE
and his last match for the company was a tag team bout where he teamed up with
Roman Reigns to face Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre at Extreme Rules in July
last year.
Some photos of the former World Champion had sparked rumors of him returning at the Royal Rumble PPV earlier this year but the appearance obviously didn’t happen.
Taker was also recently spotted at the Performance Center in
Orlando and it would now be interesting to see if he gets physical in any
capacity at the upcoming show.
The Super Showdown this year will be taking place from
Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this Thursday,
February 27.
Last week on AEW Dynamite, Cody Rhodes wrestled Wardlow in a Steel Cage match. Cody would ensure their clash was a memorable one, delivering a moonsault off the top of the cage. Talking with Sports Illustrated, Cody reflected on his matchup and the backstage reaction to his intentions.
Cody likened his moonsault to one by Terry Funk, noting how “I’m a bigger guy than people think, so the moonsault doesn’t come off easily. The only piece of thinking in my mind was to throw my head back. My body will go where my head will go, that’s something John Laurinaitis and Dean Malenko told me when I first started doing the moonsault. As long as I threw my head back, I knew I’d be OK.”
He argued how this is what he brings to AEW. Cody compared himself to his Elite teammates. He highlighted how Matt and Nick Jackson have introduced a new style of tag team psychology. Kenny Omega delivers a “different way of doing wrestling” that Cody considers important to the evolution of the sport. Hangman is a “big run-and-gun heavyweight.”
What Cody believes he brings is his ability to “plug into the wrestling I grew up on” from the late ’80s to early ’90s. “That style was a little bit more disciplined, a little bit more deliberate, and I complement those guys by doing that.”
Having thought about the moonsault all day leading up to the matchup, Cody shared how there were some backstage who didn’t want him to do it, including AEW President Tony Khan. According to Cody, Khan was “adamant” he didn’t deliver such a dangerous move from such a height.
“I’ve never seen a boss like him and how he leads, and the way he cares about his investments,” he said. “Too many people were trying to talk me out of it. Typically, I’m by the ‘Go position’ during our show, but I stayed away.”
Cody Rhodes is set to wrestle against his former-best friend Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The two will face off at AEW Revolution on February 29th.
All Elite Wrestling’s Joey Janela has opened up about working a storyline with Kip Sabian and his ex-girlfriend Penelope Ford. Speaking with Wrestling Inc. Daily, “The Bad Boy” shared how he doesn’t feel uncomfortable working the feud with the new couple.
“Not really at all. I’ve been in the wrestling business for 15 years now so nothing’s really weird or uncomfortable,” Janela stated. “I’ve seen it all and heard it all. I’m trying to find my footing and they are as well. Who knows how all of this will turn out after this is all said and done.”
When it comes to his in-ring work with Sabian, Janela noted how he isn’t surprised at how well they’ve been working together. He highlighted how they are “polar opposites” and that, despite some doubts, he’s happy with how the feud has been going to date.
Joey Janela Wrestling On Dark, Not Revolution
The two recently clashed in a Falls Count Anywhere matchup. This match will be aired on this week’s episode of AEW Dark via the promotion’s YouTube channel. But would Janela have preferred for this matchup to have taken place at AEW’s upcoming pay-per-view, Revolution?
“Of course. Of course. That’s what we thought it was going to be but it is what it is,” he revealed. “They wanted to do a match on TV and a match on Dark. There’s so much stuff on the PPV but I would have done a few things differently, not necessarily politic for my match to be on a PPV. But on a PPV you’re a little more lenient – no commercials and more time to tell your story – but I have no issue with the direction it’s gone.”
He admitted that, once the Sabian feud wraps up, he isn’t sure what’s next. Janela shared how he usually lives “week by week” but is still getting adjusted to having a more stringent schedule to adhere to.
AEW Revolution takes place on February 29th, 2020 from Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
WWE Superstar The Big Show recently joined “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on Broken Skull Sessions. During their conversation, Big Show was asked about the current state of WWE’s locker room. Given Show’s extensive career, he has undoubtedly witnessed the ever-changing attitudes within the locker room, making him a knowledgable spokesperson on the subject. Right now, he believes the current WWE roster is “too friendly” with each other.
“It’s too nice. Too friendly,” he revealed. “People are too comfortable and too happy to be working there. Vince will tell you himself, ‘if you don’t step on toes, you’re never gonna make it in this business.’ I wanna see some toe-stepping.”
Big Show continued, “I’m not saying be a dick in the locker room. I wanna see somebody that stands up, does business, and has that drive that, if he has to eat through somebody, that’s fine. We’re not all friends. We’re here to make money. I think we’re making good progress with somebody like Drew McIntyre. I’ve always liked Drew.”
He explained how McIntyre looks like a million bucks with his new attitude. Show noted how he McIntyre isn’t “handing out flapjacks.” He then stressed how he isn’t knocking the New Day before sharing how he’d love to see Big E make an impact of his own and become more aggressive.
This week’s episode of Raw saw Paul Heyman hyping Brock
Lesnar’s upcoming matches but his WrestleMania opponent Drew McIntyre was kept
off the show.
McIntyre still took part in the episode but he appeared in a pre-recorded video with Charly Caruso where he talked about his career in WWE so far and claimed that he will fulfill his destiny at WrestleMania 36.
Though the Scottish Psychopath did make a live appearance after the show went off air and he competed in a one on one dark match against the Monday Night Messiah, Seth Rollins.
Drew apparently cut a promo before his bout with the former
Universal Champion and the crowd was hugely behind the former NXT star.
The finish of the match saw Drew McIntyre picking up a pinfall victory over Rollins after hitting him with a Claymore kick. Below are some photos and videos of the bout:
For anyone that wants to know, the dark match was McIntyre Vs. Rollins. Crowd was hyped when McIntyre talked. McIntyre even got them to chant “tiny balls” at Rollins #RAW
It’s worth mentioning here that Seth pulled double duty during the night and he had also competed against Montez Ford of the Street Profits during the broadcast of the show.
Drew McIntyre has chosen Brock Lesnar as his opponent for WrestleMania after winning Royal Rumble. On the other hand, Seth Rollins’ match for the show has not been announced yet but he is likely to face Kevin Owens at the event.
The intentional glitches seen on SmackDown broadcast recently have been creating buzz among wrestling fans. People have been speculating names which can be behind it and the latest WWE signee Killer Kross is one of the top rumored stars for the spot.
While appearing on the Main Event podcast, reporter Dave Meltzer discussed these rumors and suggested that there could be something to the story of Kross being revealed as the mystery man behind the glitches.
It was previously reported that Killer Kross could be fast-tracked once he signs with the company and Meltzer noted that at the time of his signing, the word was that he was brought on for “something big”.
The former TNA star is not expected to take the usual route of going through NXT before joining Raw or SmackDown and WWE Officials are instead planning something significant for him on the main roster.
Though Meltzer put a stop to the rumors of Kross facing John
Cena at WrestleMania 36, saying that he specifically asked if this was the plan
and was told no.
WWE officially announced the signing of Killer Kross on February 5 but at the time, he wasn’t assigned any brand. The company had only confirmed that the former Lucha Underground star has reported to their Performance Center to begin his training.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced the lineup for the first round of their annual springtime single-elimination tournament, the New Japan Cup.
NJPW has confirmed that the winner of the New Japan Cup 2020 will challenge Tetsuya Naito for his IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships at Sakura Genesis on March 31st. All days of the New Japan Cup 2020 will be broadcasted live on NJPW World with an English commentary option.
Similar to last year, the field will consist of 32 NJPW wrestlers. The first round will take place over four events on March 4, 7, 8, and 9. The second round will take place over four events as well, on March 10, 12, 13, and 14. The quarter-finals will be held over three events on March 16, 17, and 18. Finally, the semi-finals will take place on March 20th, with the final match to decide the New Japan Cup winner on March 21st.
In the 2019 New Japan Cup, Kazuchika Okada took victory against SANADA in the final, and used the victory to challenge Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He would go on to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the G1 Supercard event at Madison Square Garden during WrestleMania weekend.
John Cena will be returning to WWE this Friday Night on SmackDown and there are speculations that he will kick off his WrestleMania feud during his comeback.
WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T talked about Cena’s return on the latest episode of his podcast and revealed his choice of WrestleMania opponent for the 16-time world champion.
Booker interestingly suggested that the Cenation Leader should face the current face of WWE, Roman Reigns, at this year’s edition of the Show Of Shows:
“Roman Reigns, Roman Reigns being the guy now, John Cena being the guy who has put in so much time, one of the greatest WWE Champions in history.
I know John Cena could pull it off, I know Roman Reigns could pull it off. Both of those guys know the art of going out there and doing Romeo and Juliet.”
Booker T later acknowledged that a lot of people would not want to see the match between the two on paper but he claimed they will be impressed when the bout takes place.
John Cena has locked up with Roman Reigns before. The two
faced each other in a one on one match at No Mercy 2017, and the Big Dog came
out victorious in the bout.
Cena was originally expected to face Elias at WrestleMania 36 but recent reports indicate that WWE has shaken up the card for the event recently. You can check out a detailed report on the matter here.
WWE RAW aired live from he Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was the final episode of RAW before WWE Super ShowDown. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar appeared during tonight’s show.
WWE RAW Results (2/24)
Angel Garza def. Humberto Carrillo
Aleister Black def. Erick Rowan
Ricochet def. Luke Gallows
Bobby Lashley def. R-Truth
Angelo Dawkins def. Murphy via DQ
Seth Rollins def. Montez Ford
Randy Orton def. Kevin Owens
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Ricochet Picked Up A Win
Ricochet
Ricochet squared off against Luke Gallows tonight on RAW. AJ Styles and Karl Anderson accompanied Gallows to the entrance ramp but he told them to go back to the locker room.
Match Recap: Ricochet connected with a Dropkick that sent Gallows out of the ring. Ricochet flipped onto Gallows and tried to fire up the crowd. Back in the ring, Gallows leveled Ricochet with a massive boot to the face. Paul Heyman was shown backstage smiling as Gallows beat the hell out of Ricochet in the corner. Gallows hit a Backbreaker and went for the cover but Ricochet kicked out at two.
Ricochet battled back with a Jawbreaker and followed it up with an Enziguri. Ricochet connected with a Crossbody and then a Standing Shooting Star Press for a near fall. Ricochet hit the Recoil and then another Shooting Star Press off the top rope for the pinfall victory.
Brock Lesnar will defend his WWE Championship against Ricochet at Super ShowDown on Thursday.
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar came down to the ring with Paul Heyman. Paul stated that Brock doesn’t need a catchphrase because it is a fact that Lesnar reigns as your champion whenever he wants to.
Heyman said that WrestleMania will completely change if Ricochet beats Lesnar at Super ShowDown. Paul then joked “if my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle” and that Ricochet has no chance on Thursday.
Paul claimed that Lesnar is going to take Drew McIntyre to Suplex City at WrestleMania and be done with him. Lesnar then posed with the WWE Championship on top of the announce table to end the segment.
Opinion: Heyman’s promo was great tonight as always but I don’t think anything can be said to get me invested in Lesnar’s match against Ricochet at Super ShowDown.
Drew McIntyre Vowed To Fulfill His Destiny At WrestleMania
Drew McIntyre was interviewed backstage tonight during RAW and said that he doesn’t care who he faces at WrestleMania. McIntyre added that he has been waiting on this for a long time and brought up his WWE debut in September of 2009. Drew pointed out that Vince McMahon proclaimed him as the chosen one but he hasn’t won a single’s title since.
McIntyre said that he deserved to get fired and didn’t think he would ever return to WWE. However, he became determined to get back to WWE so that the world doesn’t remember him as an idiot playing air guitar. Caruso complimented McIntyre on his run in NXT and making his way back to RAW.
Charly brought up McIntyre eliminating Lesnar and Drew claimed that he had to win that match. McIntyre added that he will fulfill his destiny at WrestleMania and become WWE Champion.
Natalya, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Ruby Riott, Asuka, and Shayna Baszler had a contract signing for the Elimination Chamber match. Jerry Lawler started talking but Asuka ripped the microphone away from him. Asuka demanded that Shayna come to the ring but Lawler claimed to have no idea where she is.
Sarah Logan, Natalya and Liv signed the contract. Morgan then walked to Ruby Riott and handed her the contract. Ruby signed and got in Liv’s face but Lawler broke it up. Asuka then signed the contract and Shayna’s music hit. Baszler made her way through the crowd and hopped over the barricade. Shayna signed the contract before looking each superstar in the eye.
Shayna stopped at Natalya and stared at her. Natalya and Baszler started trash talking before Asuka shoved Natalya to the canvas. Asuka told Shayna to bite her and then a brawl broke out. Liv Morgan leaped over the table and tackled Ruby Riott as WWE security rushed the ring.
Shayna was the only standing in the ring and Becky Lynch’s music hit. Becky tacbkled Shayna but Baszler quickly battled back and planted Becky with a Spinebuster. The two were then separated for a moment before breaking free and brawling some more.
Randy Orton kicked off this week’s episode of RAW by saying that he needs to apologize and that his emotions have become unbalanced. Orton said that he was the Intercontinental Champion 15-years ago when RAW was last in Winnipeg and was punched in the face by Edge that night.
The crowd chanted “we want Edge!” but Orton informed them that Edge cannot be here because of what he did to him. Orton added that he was very sorry for what he did to Edge as the crowd booed.
Kevin Owens interrupted and marched down to the ring. The crowd greeted Owens with a great reaction and chanted his name while he stood in the ring with Orton. Kevin stated that he has been dealing with delusion people for months and said he has an issue with Orton.
Owens told Orton that he didn’t believe his apology and asked him to explain his actions. Orton warned Owens not to go down that road but Kevin persisted and brought up Edge’s retirement. Owens added that he was watching as a fan when Edge returned at the Royal Rumble and again asked Orton to explain himself. Orton declined to answer and Owens suggested that they fight instead. Randy accepted but said that the match won’t happen until later tonight.
Match Recap: Owens controlled the match early and threw Orton out of the ring. Kevin connected with a Cannonball on Randy while he was against the barricade. Rollins, Murphy, and AOP came to the entrance ramp to distract Owens and Orton took control as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, the Viking Raiders and Street Profits attacked AOP, Rollins, and Murphy. Rollins hopped on the apron and Randy capitalized with a Clothesline on Owens. Randy then planted Rollins with a DDT and went for the cover. The referee counted to three incredibly fast and rolled out of the ring.
After the match, Seth slid a couple of chairs in the ring but Owens got up and grabbed one. The referee grabbed the chair from Owens as Orton retreated up the entrance ramp. Owens brought the referee into ring and it was revealed that he was wearing a Seth Rollins t-shirt under the uniform. Kevin planted the referee with a Stunner as Rollins shouted that the referee was a good human being. Owens then Powerbombed the referee through a table to close the show.
Opinion: The referee being a Rollins disciple was silly but a fun nod to the Montreal Screwjob. Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo had an excellent match tonight and Aleister Black versus AJ Styles next week should be great. Rollins and Ford had a solid match as well and I’m looking forward to the RAW Tag Team Championship match at Super ShowDown. Overall, RAW was a solid show and I’m glad the build towards Super ShowDown is over.
It appears that former United States Champion Rusev has been pulled from the Gauntlet match he was announced to compete in at the upcoming Super Showdown event.
There was some confusion over the graphics used to promote the match on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw and WWE has since confirmed that Rey Mysterio will be replacing the Bulgarian Brute in the upcoming match:
The company has not given a reason for Rusev’s removal but the two sides have been locked in a contract dispute for a while now and reports suggest that the officials have pulled Rusev from WWE TV due to the same.
Rusev has not wrestled since the January 20 episode of Raw where he and his partner Liv Morgan lost a mixed tag match to Lana and Bobby Lashley.
When WWE originally announced the Gauntlet match, it was
reported that the announcement was not a sign of things being resolved between
the two parties.
It’s believed that Rusev will leave WWE once his contract expires. Though it was reported earlier this month that he still has “plenty of time” left on his current deal.
His wife Lana on the other hand, signed a new 5-year deal just recently so she will be staying with the company until at least 2025, whether the former NXT star decides to leave or stay.
After being off of WWE television for a month, the return date and location for Edge has been revealed.
The WWE Hall of Famer is being locally advertised to appear on the March 9th episode of RAW by Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, which is hosting the show.
It should be noted that this episode will be the night after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event when the road to WrestleMania 36 starts to heat up.
After making his return to the ring in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match, Edge has been off TV for several weeks after receiving the beatdown by Randy Orton. The belief is that this feud will lead to a match between them at WrestleMania 36.
The following is the promotional material listed for the show but keep in mind that these matches are likely dark and only shown to the fans in attendance:
Edge live to give a medical update on his condition
2020 Royal Rumble Match Winner Drew McIntyre vs Randy Orton
RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs, Seth Rollins & Murphy w/The AOP
RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and 2020 Royal Rumble Winner Charlotte Flair vs. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg did a recent interview where reflected about his first encounter with The Undertaker.
He did so on the Total Slam podcast. The match between Goldberg and The Undertaker took place last year at the WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view event.
It had received a ton of criticism from fans as the start of the match was good but it quickly went downhill due to unforeseen circumstances.
“My match with Taker was the perfect storm with no good. At the end of the day, I was not in the ring for two years. It was 150 degrees. Undertaker and I never worked together before,” said Goldberg. “My character is based on realism. My character is based on intensity and sometimes I forget I’m a little bit older than I used to be and my body is not [the same].
It was a spot over the years that I knocked myself out at times. Why? Because I refuse to do in there something that doesn’t looks real. If I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it 100 percent. If I knocked myself out, so be it, I knocked myself out.”
Goldberg Reflects On The Match
Goldberg noted that he had to deal with it and it was only his fault because he went too hard. He said that fans can’t fault him for it because he wanted to give the best show possible and make his family and fans proud.
Goldberg noted that he wanted to complete a dream of his and have a good match with Taker, but it doesn’t always turn out the way you want and unfortunately, it was on TV.
Goldberg continued by noting how everybody saw it but thinks that the match doesn’t defy him as a human being. He admitted that for two weeks he felt bad about it and he thinks they should get a pat on the back for putting ourselves out there at our age and doing the things that we do to entertain the people.
Goldberg returns to the country at this same event when he challenges Bray Wyatt for the Universal Title this Thursday.
Matt Riddle wanted to make sure that Goldberg has some extra confidence heading into his next match under the WWE banner.
The WWE Hall of Famer is slated to make his return to in-ring action when he steps into the ring to challenge Bray Wyatt for the Universal Title at WWE’s next special.
WWE presents the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event on Thursday, February 27, 2020 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the Mohammed Abdou Arena that will air on the WWE Network.
Riddle took to his official Twitter account where he sent a good luck message to the legendary pro wrestler. You can see his tweet here:
Riddle’s “booger bro” mention is a reference to the recent comments made by Goldberg, who compared Riddle to a booger.
The history between Goldberg and Riddle has been well documented. Thus, it will be interesting to see what Riddle has to say about Goldberg’s latest match after the show via social media.
Because of these types of comments made by Riddle as well as calling out main roster stars such as Goldberg and WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, it has led to him getting heat with WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has announced a new match for their upcoming Revolution pay-per-view.
On Monday, the promotion officially announced Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara in a singles match for the show. The match announcement came during a Road to Kansas City video that was uploaded to AEW’s social media.
AEW presents the Revolution pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center. The show will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and is available for purchase via iN DEMAND cable operators, DirecTV, DISH Network and B/R Live. International fans can purchase the event at FITE.TV.
The event is being promoted in conjunction with the popular C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo) convention and will mark the fourth AEW PPV event. AEW will be announcing more matches for the show in the coming weeks.
AEW Revolution Card
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley
AEW Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Adam Page vs. The Young Bucks
Cody Rhodes vs. MJF
Jake Hager vs. Dustin Rhodes
Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
The viewership numbers are in for Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX from Glendale, AZ at the Gila River Arena.
SmackDown averaged 2.484 million viewers, according to ShowbuzzDaily. This is up from the 2.464 viewers that the show did for last week’s episode of SmackDown on FOX.
The show averaged 2.490 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was up from the 2.482 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
WWE SmackDown Viewership
The first hour drew 2.542 million viewers while the second hour did 2.438 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.521 million viewers while the second hour did 2.442 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.70 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from the 0.70 rating as last week’s show.
This episode was expected to see its viewership stay steady and it did so due to it featuring an appearance by WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg to do a segment with Universal Champion Bray Wyatt.
Matches
Matches that took place on this show included The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) & The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) defeat Dolph Ziggler, John Morrison, Robert Roode & The Miz, Braun Strowman & Elias defeat Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura in a Symphony Of Destruction Tag Team Match, Daniel Bryan defeats Heath Slater, and Naomi defeats Carmella in a WWE SmackDown Women’s Title #1 Contendership Match.
WWE is expecting to see an increase in viewership for the following episode this coming Friday night as the show will feature the fallout for the Super ShowDown event.
Watch: Top 10 Moments from Friday Night SmackDown (2.21.20)
While WWE hasn’t announced many things for tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW, it’s expected to be a big show.
As of this writing, only three things – two matches and segment – have been announced. That includes an appearance by WWE Champion Brock Lesnar to further promote his title defense against Ricochet at Super ShowDown.
Also, Angel Garza will square off with Humberto Carrillo in what is being hyped as a first-ever match on the show between the two stars.
WWE will also be building on the hype for existing feuds that will take place heading into the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event. This will be the go-home edition of RAW for the latest PPV event under the WWE banner.
WWE holds this show in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the Bell MTS Place. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Angel Garza to square off with Humberto Carrillo
Who will Randy Orton target next?
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar to appear live
Will Becky Lynch and Shayna Baszler come to blows in the same building?
Erick Rowan will face Aleister Black in a rematch
As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for RAW.
Join us here later tonight for our post-show RAW Takeaways feature.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T recently commented on the now infamous match between him and Buff Bagwell back in 2001. The match has been described on WWE.com as “the most awkward ever.”
The former King of The Ring winner seems to agree.
Booker T vs Buff Bagwell
The match was seemingly the true death knell for the WCW brand. Whilst Vince McMahon had already bought his competition; there was a belief that WCW could still function as a separate entity. With the rumors at the time indicating that Nitro would become the Monday show and SmackDown would be the WWF show later in the week. Due to the massively negative reaction that the match got in the main event of the July 2, 2001 edition of RAW the idea was seemingly scrapped. Although it seemed as though Bagwell and Booker undelivered; it’s arguable that they were never put in a position to succeed in the first place.
Booker T discussed the bout during the most recent episode of Lillian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast. “It was a real war back then between WCW and WWF, you know,” Booker began. “And it didn’t help putting Bagwell and I in that spot, I think we were Tacoma, Washington.”
Booker T elaborated further, mentioning how they were never going to succeed in that position. “It was one of those things where, we were in a position. You know. Fail or succeed. [Except] it wasn’t designed for us to succeed, I understood that. I think Bagwell may have understood that, as well. And and what happened happened I go back and I look at the match, and it wasn’t the crappiest match in the world but it was no way that we’re gonna succeed.”
