Randy Orton’s longtime tattoo artist, Catherine Alexander, filed a lawsuit against WWE and 2K Sports back in April in the United States District Court of Southern District of Illinois over “The Viper’s” tattoos being used in WWE 2K18.
Alexander is suing for copyright infringement in regards to the tattoo designs. She has been Orton’s tattoo artist since 2003. Alexander wants a trial by jury and is seeking damages over her accusation that the defendants infringed upon her copyrighted work.
According to a report from PWInsider, WWE and 2K Sports have filed motions to dismiss this lawsuit for several reasons. For one, Alexander has apparently not obtained copyright registration for any of the tattoos she alleges to own.
They also argue that the lawsuit should be dismissed due to lack of personal jurisdiction, providing a 22-page memorandum which stated Alexander failed to prove the court had jurisdiction over WWE in Illinois when they are incorporated out of Delaware and headquartered in Connecticut.
WWE has signed a new deal with Fox Networks Group Asia to broadcast Raw in the Philippines on Tuesdays via video streaming service Fox Plus, along with weekly broadcasts of highlight shows Afterburn, Experience and This Week.
Here’s the official press release, including quotes from WWE Co-President Michelle Wilson.
WWE Raw® to Stream Live in the Philippines Exclusively on FOX+
MANILA, Philippines & STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE) and FOX Networks Group Asia today announced a new agreement to stream WWE’s flagship program Raw® live exclusively on FOX+ in the Philippines.
Beginning next week, Raw will stream live on FOX+ at 8 a.m. on Tuesdays in the Philippines with a same day, primetime re-air on FOX Sports at 8 p.m. Additionally, each week, FOX+ will stream on demand WWE weekly highlight shows Afterburn®, Experience® and This Week®.
“We are very excited to bring more of the best content to our viewers in the Philippines with the exclusive live streaming of Raw through FOX+,” said Jude Turcuato, General Manager for FOX Networks Group Philippines. “Having this partnership with WWE further strengthens FNG’s push to make FOX+ the best go-to OTT entertainment platform in the country.”
“FOX Networks Group Asia shares our vision and passion for engaging and entertaining our fans,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE Co-President. “This partnership to stream Raw live in the Philippines on FOX+ allows us to deliver action-packed, family-friendly entertainment to our fans throughout the country.”
FOX+ is FOX Networks Group Asia’s (FNG) video-streaming service and is available on Android and iOS devices as well as on Apple TV and select Android TVs. A free 30-day trial is available for new subscribers.
Impact Wrestling has locked up Tessa Blanchard to a multi-year contract. The 22-year-old prospect started with the company earlier this year but had yet to sign a long-term contract.
Impact Wresting announced the signing earlier today on Twitter.
BREAKING: @Tess_Blanchard will continue to prove she's undeniable in the Knockouts Division as she has signed a long-term contract with IMPACT Wrestling. pic.twitter.com/3SWenkIJyG
Blanchard started with Impact in April this year. She first appeared on the Redemption pay-per-view at the commentary booth while Kiera Hogan wrestled Taya Valkyrie. Over the next few days of tapings, she would defeat Hogan twice.
Blanchard looked as though she would skyrocket to the top of the Knockouts division upon her debut but she dropped two matches to Madison Rayne, knocking her out of title contention. Rayne used pinning combinations to score victories over the stronger Blanchard in each match. Now it will be Madison Rayne, and not Blanchard, who will challenge for the Knockouts Championship at the pay-per-view.
Blanchard attempted to get revenge on Rayne for the two losses last week on Impact. She interfered during Rayne’s tag-team match against Su Yung and one of her undead brides. Rayne’s tag-team partner last week, Allie, fought off Blanchard, however, allowing Rayne to pick up the win for their team over Yung’s undead bride.
Although not confirmed, Blancard and Allie could be on a collision course. Considering they are likely two of the top-ranked Knockouts in the division, a match between them could be scheduled for Slammiversary. Neither has a match booked for the pay-per-view as of yet.
Blanchard also regularly competes for organizations such as RISE, Shimmer, Bar Wrestling, and WOW. Impact is currently touting flexible contracts for their talent, which likely means Blanchard will be free to compete for other promotions while signed to Impact provided they don’t interfere with Impact taping and pay-per-view dates.
On Monday night, Major League Wrestling announced that MLW War Games is coming to Ft. Lauderdale’s War Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, September 6, 2018.
Since then, fans have been wondering how MLW could feature the War Games name, which was created by the National Wrestling Alliance in the mid 80’s, later used by WCW at the annual Fall Brawl pay-per-view and most recently used by NXT last November at their Takeover event from Houston TX.
As it turns out, MLW LLC is the official owner of the “WAR GAMES” trademark. MLW actually has two trademarks on the “WAR GAMES” name, with their usage covering:
“Entertainment services in the nature of organizing and arranging professional wrestling exhibitions for entertainment purposes; providing information and news about professional wrestling via a global computer network; presentation of live wrestling show performances.”
WWE never actually trademarked the name WAR GAMES – and MLW’s usage of the event back in 2003 pre-dated NXT co-opting the show for an event 14 years later.
The original MLW War Games event took place on September 19, 2003 from Ft. Lauderdale, FL during Major League Wrestling’s initial run.
When asked if we’ll see September’s War Games event televised at some point, MLW CEO Court Bauer made it clear that is definitely in the works. Next week’s MLW Battle Riot event from New York City will be airing on beIN SPORTS as a 2-hour television special, so we could very well see a similar rollout for War Games.
Ronda Rousey is no longer advertised for next week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
This has fans speculating as to why WWE pulled her from advertisements for the show. As of writing, WWE has yet to make an announcement on the change.
She has already confirmed that she plans to sit in the front row to watch Alexa Bliss defend her RAW Women’s Title against Nia Jax at this Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena on the WWE Network.
Once it was revealed that WWE pulled her from next week’s RAW, the assumption is that Rousey being in the crowd at Extreme Rules as a fan will possibly see her suspension being extended.
Rousey is currently off WWE television as she serves a 30-day suspension. Despite being suspended, she is still scheduled to appear to work all of the events that she is advertised for.
She most recently beat former Jax in a singles match with Bliss as the special guest referee at a live event on Saturday night in New York, NY at Madison Square Garden then worked a live event on Sunday in Bridgeport, CT at the Webster Bank Arena where Rousey, Jax, Bayley, Natalya and Ember Moon defeated Mickie James, Alicia Fox, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan, and Bliss. WWE is advertising Rousey for the following dates including live events:
– Monday Night RAW TV Event: July 30th in Miami, FL
– WWE Live Event: August 3rd in Augusta, GA
– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 6th in Jacksonville, FL
– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 13 in Greensboro, SC
– WWE SummerSlam: August 19 in Brooklyn NY (RUMORED) – Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 20th in Brooklyn NY – Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 27th in Toronto, CA
– WWE Super Show-Down: October 6th in Melbourne, AUS – WWE Live Event: November 3rd in Madrid – WWE Live Event: November 4th in Barcelona – WWE Live Event: November 9th in Bologna – WWE Live Event: November 10th in Rome
When WWE Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, and UFC Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Cormier, clash in the octagon, Ronda Rousey will not be watching.
TMZ reporters recently caught up with the new UFC Hall of Fame inductee. When asked, Rousey said she will probably not watch the heavyweight clash between her two friends.
Ronda Rousey on Brock Lesnar vs Daniel Cormier
“Both of them are friends of mine so I don’t really want to pick sides,” Rousey said. “I can’t get involved on that one. That one will be hard to watch, I probably won’t watch.”
Rousey double-down on her comments and reiterated she wouldn’t enjoy watching either of her friends get hit.
“I hate watching friends of mine fight,” she said. “It’s heart-wrenching.”
Ronda Rousey on WWE Hall of Fame
Rousey was on her way home from the UFC festivities this weekend when reporters caught up with her. Rousey was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this weekend and reporters asked her about the possibility of someday being inducted into WWE’s version.
“I don’t know, that’s up to them,” Rousey said. “I think I would have to put in a whole lot more work to be worthy of an honor like that.”
When asked if the WWE Hall of Fame was her next goal, Rousey responded, “We’ll see, I’m trying my best,” Rousey continued. “The best I can do is the best I can do.”
With Daniel Cormier winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship this weekend, Rousey was asked if she felt he is the greatest fighter in the world right now.
“I think right now, (Daniel Cormier’s) the best in the game right now,” Rousey said. “Olympic team captain, you don’t get that kind of position for nothing.”
Rousey is currently serving a 30-day suspension from Monday Night Raw. Despite the suspension, Rousey has purchased a front row ticket and will be present this Sunday at Extreme Rules.
PWG returns this weekend with their latest event, which is titled Threemendous V. The promotion announced the full card a few weeks ago and the show will be headlined by The Rascalz defending the PWG Tag Team Titles against The Young Bucks.
5 matches have been confirmed for WWE’s Smackdown and 205 Live shows tonight. Both shows will emanate from the SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH.
Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles will go one-on-one for the 7th time in their rivalry tonight, not including house shows. It will be just the second time they have faced each other without a single’s title on the line.
Additionally, the main event of 205 Live will feature a Cruiserweight Championship match. Cedric Alexander will defend the title against top contender, Hideo Itami.
Smackdown Live 7/10/18 Preview
Team Hell No Kick-Off Smackdown
MizTV will kick off Smackdown tonight. The Miz’s guests will be Daniel Bryan and Kane.
While not invited on the show, one might suspect Team Hell No’s opponents at Extreme Rules, the Bludgeon Brothers, might make an appearance.
Even though Bryan and the Miz aren’t currently in a program with one another, the two long-time rivals always have an interesting back and forth whenever they are in the same segment.
AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura
At Extreme Rules, both AJ and Nakamura will have championship matches. Styles will defend the WWE Championship against Rusev and Nakamura will challenge Jeff Hardy for the US title.
This will be the 7th match between the two (not including house shows). They are 2-2-2 against one another:
WrestleMania 34 – AJ Styles (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE Title
Greatest Royal Rumble – AJ Styles (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura (double count-out) – WWE title
Backlash 2018 – AJ Styles (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura (No-contest) – WWE Title
Smackdown May 15th, 2018 – Shinsuke Nakamura defeated AJ Styles
Money in the Bank 2018 – AJ Styles (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE title.
Asuka vs James Ellsworth – Lumberjack Match
Asuka will challenge Carmella on Sunday for a chance to win her first title on the main roster. She’ll get to enact some revenge on James Ellsworth tonight, however.
Ellsworth’s return to WWE at the Money in the Bank PPV caused enough of a distraction to allow Carmella to pull off a huge upset and defend her title.
Asuka might be looking for revenge tonight but rest assured Carmella is probably looking for an opportunity to soften up her opponent for Sunday.
Tye Dillinger vs Samoa Joe
Last week in a WWE exclusive, R-Truth volunteered up Tye Dillinger to take on Samoa Joe this week.
Truth had originally been trying to recruit Tye as his newest tag-team partner but some comic hijinks resulted in Truth challenging Joe on Tye’s behalf instead.
Sin Cara vs Andrade “Cien” Almas
In a match that has been pushed to the back-burner for a few weeks, Andrade Almas will finally face Sin Cara tonight.
The angle they have been going with is that Sin Cara and Almas used to be friends but now Almas has adopted a new outlook under the guidance of Zelina Vega.
205 Live 7/10/18 Preview
Only one match/segment is scheduled for 205 Live tonight.
Cruiserweight Championship Match
Cedric Alexander (c) vs Hideo Itami
Cedric Alexander insisted 205 Live General Manager, Drake Maverick, make this match as Itami defeated top-contenders Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali in a triple threat match on June 19th.
Maverick was hesitant only because Itami has been interfering in matches and the GM didn’t want to reward bad behavior.
Alexander is the 8th champion in the title’s lineage and the belt is currently in its 10th reign.
Not including house shows, Alexander will be attempting to defend the belt for the 3rd time.
Should Alexander be victorious tonight, his reign will move into the second longest all-time position, passing Enzo Amore’s 2nd run with the belt of 93 days. The longest reign in title history was Neville’s 197-day run between January and August of 2017.
Neville’s 7-title defenses during this reign is also a record.
As noted, former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey has been officially announced as the second pre-order bonus character for WWE 2K19 alongside Rey Mysterio. The news was made on Monday (July 10, 2018). Rousey tweeted the following on her WWE video game debut:
The first segment for next week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW in Buffalo, NY at the KeyBank Center has been announced, which will see Sasha Banks and Bayley giving a post-counseling update to RAW General Manager Kurt Angle. This will also mark the post-Extreme Rules show for the red brand.
Last week’s RAW featured Dr. Shelby making his return to WWE TV as he tried to help Banks and Bayley work out their issues with one another by being their counselor. He became popular with WWE fans him from his work with Team Hell No several years ago.
As seen on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW in Boston, MA at the TD Garden on the USA Network, part 2 of this segment aired on the flagship show of the WWE but Shelby didn’t appear. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on why he didn’t appear on the show.
What are your thoughts on 2K Games selecting Rousey to be the second pre-order bonus character for WWE 2K19?
Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville has surfaced online.
The WWE star appeared this week on the Mid Breath Gym’s Instagram page, which marked his first public appearance in any form on social media since his dispute with the WWE that started back in 2017. You can see the photo here:
It all started once Neville initially scheduled to lose to Enzo Amore in a lumberjack match on RAW in mid-October. However, plans changed to Kalisto wrestling Amore and Neville decided to take time off. WWE has officially denied that he quit the promotion.
At the time, it was reported that Neville was frustrated by the direction of his character, the lack of pay-offs and the rough WWE life on the road. It was also noted that Neville had pushed for his WWE release with the idea of working the indies and making a name for himself there.
As of a few months ago, the belief within the WWE is that the company will not grant Neville his release and will make him sit out the remainder of his contract. Once that deal has expired, then he will have a 90 days non-compete.
Since then, there have been rumors that Neville and WWE were once again talking about how to resolve their differences. With Triple H in creative control of 205 Live, there was speculation that could play a factor in Neville’s return to the WWE but obviously, that is not the case.
The latest update on this situation is the fact that WWE had decided to freeze his contract until both sides could come to an agreement. In the meantime, Neville is not permitted to wrestle for any outside promotions as he still remains technically under a WWE contract.
Daniel Cormier doesn’t have any patience with MMA fans who are calling his altercation with Brock Lesnar “fake” or too much like pro-wrestling. The newly minted UFC Heavyweight Champion issued a challenge to Lesnar following his knockout victory of Stipe Miocic Saturday night.
Cormier, a longtime wrestling fan, channeled his best wrestler persona after the match and called Lesnar into the cage. Despite the two being friends and fans of one another, Lesnar shoved Cormier hard upon walking into the octagon. The WWE Universal Champion then cut a profanity-laced promo on the entire UFC heavyweight champion.
In response to fans who feel his confrontation with Lesnar was too much like pro-wrestling, Cormier had this to say, “Stay broke,” Cormier said. “You’ve got a guy like Brock Lesnar in front of you and you don’t go crazy on him? Are you crazy? Brock is a pro wrestler, he does fake fighting. So I will do fake fighting with you until I put my fist upside your face. I’ll do fake fighting with you, Brock. And then I’ll punch you upside your head.”
Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar Confrontation
“So yeah, yeah. You guys call it fake online,” Cormier continued. “I see a bunch of fighters. ‘Oh, it’s so fake, I don’t want to watch this.’ Tune in and keep lacing my pockets. You’ve guys gotta get on board. These guys get on the microphone after their fights and say, ‘Yeah, it’s whatever the UFC decides.’ OK.”
Cormier also spent time during the interview speaking on his love for pro-wrestling.
“You know me, I love wrestling,” he said. “I watched some WWE stuff this weekend. I watched WrestleMania back in the day. I love it. I think it’s great. But look, Brock Lesnar is the champion of the WWE. So, when he comes over here, there’s no script. There’s no Vince McMahon saying, ‘Hey DC, easy on the punches.’ There’s no [WWE star] Braun Strowman where if Brock punches him hard on purpose he isn’t gonna respond. The moment Brock Lesnar punches me, I’m gonna get in his ass. And we’re gonna have him running across that Octagon like a lot of other dudes did. So he can be big and bad and tough right now. But once that cage door closes, he’s gonna have to answer for his words. And he’s definitely gonna have to answer for that shove.”
A former Ring of Honor World Champion and 3x GHC Heavyweight Champion for Pro Wrestling NOAH has announced he is attempting a return to the ring. Takeshi Morishima retired on the advice of doctors in 2015. Morishima’s test results showed abnormally high levels of glycated hemoglobin, a likely indicator of diabetes.
Morishima’s return to the ring was announced at a show held earlier today and promoted by WON Hall-of-Famer, Riki Choshu. It was revealed Morishima is planning to return this October.
Check out footage of Morishima’s match with Bryan Danielson at Manhattan Mayhem in 2007 below. The match was awarded “Match of the Year” by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Takeshi Morishima
Takeshi Morishima held the Ring of Honor World Championship from February 17th, 2007 until October 6th, 2007. He defeated Homicide for the belt but eventually dropped it to current NXT color commentator, Nigel McGuiness. His 20 defenses of the championship are good for 7th in Ring of Honor history.
ROH World Champion Title Defenses
Bryan Danielson – 38
Nigel McGuiness – 38
Austin Aries – 29
Samoa Joe – 29
Jay Lethal – 28
Adam Cole – 22
Takeshi Morishima – 20
Kevin Steen – 18
Jay Briscoe – 18
Cody – 16
Davey Richards – 10
Morishima is a 3x GHC Heavyweight Champion, 5x GHC Tag-Team Champion, and won the Global League in 2011. He won the Cauliflower Alley Club Future Legend Award in 2007.
His highest ranking ever achieved in the PWI 500 rankings was 10th in 2007. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter awarded him Most Improved Wrestler of the year honors in 2006 and two more awards the next year. In 2007, he won Match of the Year w/ Bryan Danielson at Manhattan Mayhem and also the “Best Brawler” award.
During Monday night’s live Raw taping from Boston’s TD Garden arena, an on-screen graphic advertised a “WWE Live SuperShow” for Sunday, October 21st. That show had previously been advertised as the Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view.
When WWE announced via press release that all future PPV events will feature talent from both Raw and SmackDown, the following shows were listed:
July 15th: Extreme Rules
August 19th: SummerSlam
September 16th: Hell in a Cell
October 21st: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
November 18th: Survivor Series
December 16th: Clash of Champions
According to WWE sources, TLC has been moved to December 16th (from San Jose, CA), effectively bumping Clash of Champions from the schedule.
Making Room For The Australian Super Show-Down
With October’s TLC PPV moved back to December, it appears WWE is clearing the calendar for the big WWE Super Show-Down stadium show from Australia on October 6th.
It seems likely WWE did not want to feature 2 pay-per-views just 15 days apart. Triple H and other WWE officials have stated publicly that holding WrestleMania 34 and the Greatest Royal Rumble show so close together was challenging logistically and creatively.
There have been 9 WWE TLC pay-per-views in history. At last year’s event from Minnesota, Kurt Angle joined Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in the Shield to take on the Miz, the Bar, Braun Strowman, and Kane in a 5-on-3 handicap match.
The battle lines have been drawn…NXT UK and the WoS (World of Sport) rosters have been revealed in some form or fashion and now the new ‘war’ for supremacy on the British Isles has begun.
NXT UK
The long touted NXT UK brand was FINALLY announced as part of the Royal Albert Hall shows back in June with British wrestling legend Johnny Saint at the helm as the General Manager. WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne will be the focal point of the show which is being taped sporadically throughout the year (for the Network but potentially television if a deal can be reached), new Tag Team and Women’s Championships will also be created.
So, here’s the NXT UK roster as we currently understand it:
NXT UK Roster
Mark Andrews
Travis Banks
Tyler Bate
Joe Coffey
Mark Coffey
Joseph Conners
Noam Dar
Eddie Dennis
Jordan Devlin
Pete Dunne
Jack Gallagher
Sam Gradwell
Saxon Huxley
Amir Jordan
El Ligero
Dave Mastiff
Trent Seven
Ashton Smith
Tyson T-Bone
Flash Morgan Webster
Wild Boar
Kenny Williams
Wolfgang
Isla Dawn
Jinny
Killer Kelly
Charlie Morgan
Nina Samuels
Toni Storm
Zack Gibson
James Drake
World of Sport
The story behind the second reboot of WoS has been quite an unstable one. With the initial show airing way back on New Year’s Eve there was a huge opportunity for the programme to capture a whole new audience in the mainstream…unfortunately that did not come to fruition and a co-branding deal with IMPACT/Global Force Wrestling and Jeff Jarrett certainly did nothing for the brand.
Fast forward to earlier this year and WoS held television tapings for a new 10 part series that will be airing later this month. With a huge proportion of UK based stars having signed with WWE’s UK division there was certainly skepticism as to who WoS could even bring in. With former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett/Stu Bennett installed as the ‘Executive’ for the show and essentially the ‘General Manager’ they have a recognisable face for fans in the UK and here is the roster that they have amassed:
WoS Roster
Will Ospreay
Davey Boy Jr
Grado
Moose
Primate
Joe Hendry
Martin Kirby
Iestyn Rees
Viper
Kay Lee Ray
Bea Priestley
Sha Samuels
Doug Williams
Rampage Brown
Lionheart
Nathan Cruz
Kip Sabian
Robbie X
Adam Maxted
Gabriel Kidd
CJ Banks
Liam Slater
NXT UK vs. World of Sport
Deciding which roster is ‘better’ is of course subjective. Even the idea that WWE and World of Sport/ITV are ‘at war’ is speculative at best but with the way that NXT UK seemingly ‘snapped up’ UK stars to contracts was certainly telling. Looking purely at the starpower on offer you have to give it to NXT UK, the likes of Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Jack Gallagher and Zack Gibson are now well established to the WWE audience and Dunne in particular is seemingly being groomed for a huge run on the main roster when WWE deems him fit.
WoS however is not slouching when it comes to in ring talent, with Will Ospreay leading the charge but huge underrated stars such as Nathan Cruz (PROGRESS’ first ever Champion), Kip Sabian and Martin Kirby having charisma and in ring guile that should translate well to a mainstream audience.
Another area where NXT UK appears to have the edge is in their Women’s Division. Viper, Kay Lee Ray and Bea Priestley are indeed three of the best in ring female performers on the planet but when you line them up against the likes of Isla Dawn, Jinny, Killer Kelly, Charlie Morgan, Nina Samuels and Toni Storm it just doesn’t stack up and WoS are found wanting…IF ONLY we could get all of these stars on one programme.*
Something else to factor in is the fact that WoS will only be running for 10 episodes initially, so do they really need a completely ‘stacked’ roster right now? Granted they DO have an incredibly talented pool of performers but in terms of numbers WWE again does have the edge…but seeing the likes of Ospreay light up mainstream British television is an extremely exciting prospect.
What do you think of the two rosters and who do you think has the edge heading into the summer? Let us know in the comments.
Side Note: The Pro Wrestling: EVE promotion can be very proud of the work they’ve accomplished on the UK scene when looking at these Women’s division stars, most if not all have been featured on an EVE card in the past few years and it has given Women’s wrestling a massive platform in the UK.
A lot of fans were upset when it was revealed that Nikki Cross won’t be a part of Sanity when they make their main roster debut as part of the SmackDown Live brand.
Though the female star has finally made her first main roster appearance now and she wrestled in a SmackDown brand Live Event on July 9th from Augusta, Maine.
The event saw the NXT Star teaming up with former Women’s Champion Becky Lynch to defeat the duo known as the Iconics. Below is a video of the two after their victory:
Although it’s worth mentioning here that WWE has had a number of NXT Stars work main roster Live Events in the past but many of them have been kept on the Development Territory for long after that.
Since as of this writing Cross is not scheduled to be a part of this week’s SmackDown Live, it’s hard to say if this appearance means something for her future.
For those who don’t know, when WWE announced that Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain will be joining SmackDown Live, it was reported that the company has decided to keep Nikki on NXT for the time being.
The reason for this was described to be the call up of other top female talents of the brand and the Officials reportedly kept her on NXT because the Champion Shayna Baszler needed an experienced name to work a strong feud with.
The July 9th, 2018 episode of WWE RAW aired live from the TD Garden in Boston, MA. It was the final episode of RAW before WWE Extreme Rules this Sunday. During tonight’s show, it was announced that Kevin Owens will face Braun Strowman in a Steel Cage Match this Sunday at Extreme Rules. Sasha Banks and Bayley are still attending counseling and have to report back to RAW GM Kurt Angle next week. Mojo Rawley also defeated No Way Jose during tonight’s show.
Here are 6 takeaways from the final episode of RAW before Extreme Rules:
Reigns & Lashley Could Not Be Contained
RAW kicked off with Roman Reigns walking around backstage. Bobby Lashley confronted Reigns and Roman told him to get out of his way. Lashley suggested that Reigns go to the ring and call him out. Lashley added that if Roman does, he is coming down to the ring to tear Roman apart instead of talk. The crowd chanted “let’s go Celtics!” as the two Superstars were talking in front of a Celtics logo.
Roman made his way down to the ring to his usual mixed reaction from the crowd. Reigns walked around the ring for a minute without saying a word. Roman finally started talking and the crowd immediately booed.
Reigns spoke about the interaction he just had with Lashley and then told “Bob” to get his ass out here. Lashley made his way down to the ring and stared at Roman the entire time. RAW GM Kurt Angle interrupted and was joined by Constable Corbin on the entrance ramp.
Angle said the fight was not going to happen tonight and asked them to save it for Sunday. Reigns and Lashley ignored him and started brawling in the ring. Several Superstars from the RAW locker room came down to the ring and separated Reigns and Lashley.
Lashley broke free and charged at Roman in the corner. The two were separated once again and Reigns rolled out of the ring. Finn Balor sprinted to the ring and punched Corbin in the face. Balor joined the rest of the RAW locker room as they held Reigns and Lashley away from each other.
Bobby Lashley once again was able to escape and attack Roman outside the ring. Lashley was then dragged away to the entrance ramp but was able to escape for the third time. Lashley Clotheslined Reigns and beat him down some more against the barricade.
Lashley threw Reigns into the ring and was once again dragged to the entrance ramp. Roman got up, bounced off the rope and leaped onto everyone. Reigns then flexed on the entrance ramp as his theme played. Roman wasn’t done and sprinted down to the ramp. Roman hit Lashley one more time before the Superstars were separated once again.
Opinion: This would have been a lot more entertaining if they were actually fighting for something at Extreme Rules. Why is there a pull-apart brawl for a singles match with no stakes? Usually, the reason for a segment like this is because the RAW or SmackDown GM wants to “protect the big match”. I guess this is the “big match” for Extreme Rules on Sunday night, even though there is absolutely nothing on the line.
Alexa Bliss Attacked Nia Jax With A Kendo Stick
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Natalya and Nia Jax faced Alexa Bliss and Mickie James in a tag match tonight on RAW. Natalya started off the match on a roll and beat the hell out of Mickie James and Bliss outside the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Bliss was in control and had Natalya trapped in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Bliss broke the hold and bounced Natalya’s face off the turnbuckle. Mickie tagged in and charged at Natalya in the corner. Natalya dodged her and sent Mickie into the turnbuckle.
Nia tagged in and knocked Bliss off the ring apron. Jax launched Mickie into the corner and connected with a Splash. Nia headbutted Mickie to the canvas and followed it up with a Leg Drop for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Alexa Bliss brought a kendo stick in the ring and attacked Nia and Natalya from behind. Alexa had a smile on her face as she beatdown Nia in the corner with the kendo stick. Nia got out of the ring and grabbed the stick from Bliss.
Nia broke it in half and threw it at Alexa and Mickie as they retreated up the entrance ramp. Jax then exited in the ring and marched backstage. Alexa Bliss will defend her RAW Women’s Championship against Nia Jax this Sunday night at in an Extreme Rules match at the PPV.
Nia was then interviewed backstage and said that Alexa cannot break her. Jax vowed to snap Alexa in half at Extreme Rules and take her RAW Women’s Championship back.
Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel came down to the ring dressed up like Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy. Matt and Bray appeared on the screen and announced that they were here. They then appeared behind Curtis and Bo.
Matt Hardy then battled Bo Dallas tonight on RAW. Matt started off the match in control and bounced Bo Dallas’ face off every turnbuckle. The Revival was shown backstage watching the match as Bo tried to fight back with some punches.
Hardy connected with an elbow to the face that knocked Bo out of the ring. Hardy planted Bo with a Suplex to the floor as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Bo and Matt were still battling outside the ring. Matt brought Bo back into the ring and planted him with a Side Effect. Curtis Axel distracted Matt Hardy for a moment and Bray Wyatt laid Axel out with a shoulder tackle. Bo Dallas then planted Hardy for the pinfall victory.
After the match, the lights went out in the arena went out for a moment. When they came back on, Wyatt and Hardy attacked Bo and Axel in the ring. Bray hit Axel with Sister Abigail as Hardy delivered Twist of Fate to Bo. Bray and Hardy will defend their RAW Tag Team Championships against the B-Team at Extreme Rules.
Liv Morgan faced Ember Moon tonight on RAW. The two Superstars locked up to start off the match. Moon planted Morgan with an Arm Drag and followed it up with a boot to the face. Morgan regrouped with Sarah Logan in the corner for a moment but Moon charged at her. Morgan rolled out of the ring and the referee started counting. Moon went after Morgan once again as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned Liv Morgan was in control and had Moon in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Ember broke free and went for a Clothesline but Morgan ducked under it. Liv grabbed Ember by the hair and whipped her to the canvas. Moon battled back and launched Morgan into the turnbuckle.
Ember kneed Liv in the face a couple of times and then planted her with a Fallaway Slam. Sarah Logan hopped up on the ring apron and got a punch to the face for her troubles. Morgan went for a roll-up attempt but Moon countered into a pin of her own for the victory.
Elias teamed up with Constable Corbin to face Finn Balor and Bobby Roode tonight on RAW. Before the match, Elias performed a song and insulted the Boston crowd.
Corbin asked Elias if he wanted to perform a lullaby for Finn Balor. Corbin struggled with saying the word lullaby and the crowd booed him. They then performed “Itsy Bitsy Balor” before Finn interrupted.
Roode and Elias started off the match. Roode connected with an Atomic Drop and followed it up with a Russian Leg Sweep for a two count. Bobby brought Elias to the corner and connected with a couple of chops to his chest. Roode went for the Glorious DDT but Corbin got into the ring to distract him.
Elias connected with a knee to Roode’s face and then tagged in Corbin. Baron unloaded some punches to Roode and then taunted Balor on the apron. Corbin and Roode connected with a Clothesline at the same time and both Superstars fell to the canvas.
Balor and Elias tagged in and Finn dropped him with a Clothesline. Finn hit Elias with a Double Stomp and then hit Corbin with a chop in the corner of the ring. Corbin distracted Balor and Elias shoved Finn to the canvas as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Corbin hit Balor with a Clothesline for a two count. Elias tagged in and applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Balor escaped and tagged in Roode. Bobby came into the ring fired up and immediately hit Corbin with a Neckbreaker. Corbin responded with a Chokeslam Backbreaker for a two count.
Corbin then Clotheslined Balor on the ring apron and charged at Roode in the corner. Roode booted Corbin in the face and planted Corbin with a Blockbuster off the second rope. Balor pulled Elias off the ring apron before Corbin could tag him in. Corbin and Finn traded shots outside the ring. Balor got the upper-hand and sent Corbin back into the ring. Finn climbed to the top rope but Corbin got up and crotched him on the turnbuckle.
Corbin charged at Roode in the corner but Bobby was ready and launched Baron into the ring post. Elias then got into the ring and Roode greeted him with a Spinebuster. Corbin used the distraction to his advantage and snuck up behind Roode and planted him with End of Days for the pinfall victory.
Drew McIntyre Will Be Ringside For The IC Title Match At Extreme Rules
Seth Rollins and Jinder Mahal had a conversation backstage. Mahal told Rollins that life is beautiful if you just find inner peace. Mahal tried to show Rollins but Seth snuck away and made his way to the ring.
Seth stated that he hated being called former Intercontinental Champion and that he has an opportunity to change that at Extreme Rules in a 30 minute Iron Man Match for the IC Title.
Rollins added that he thrives on facing the best and that he knows that Dolph Ziggler is going to bring it Sunday night. Seth stated that the problem is that Ziggler is also going to bring Drew McIntyre as well.
Ziggler and McIntyre interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp. Ziggler held up the Intercontinental Championship and guaranteed that he was walking out of Extreme Rules still the champion.
McIntyre said that they were the future of RAW. Ziggler said that Rollins is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever set foot in a WWE ring but he is no Dolph Ziggler. Dolph messed up a line and the crowd booed him. Ziggler boasted his amateur wrestling background and Rollins asked if McIntyre helped him win all those matches.
Drew got pissed off and Rollins asked why McIntyre was taking orders from Ziggler. Seth then said Dolph must know Drew’s secrets and wondered if Dolph has photos of McIntyre with sheep. McIntyre then challenged Rollins to a match and Seth accepted. Rollins made a sheep noise towards McIntyre and Drew charged the ring. Seth escaped and laughed on the entrance ramp.
Seth Rollins then battled Drew McIntyre in the main event of this week’s RAW. If Rollins won the match, Drew McIntyre would be banned from the Iron Man Match for the IC Title at Extreme Rules.
Seth hit McIntyre with a few jabs to the face to start off the match. Rollins applied a Headlock and tried to bring McIntyre to the canvas. McIntyre broke free and leveled Rollins with a shoulder tackle. McIntyre then applied a Headlock to Rollins as Ziggler cheered him on from ringside.
Seth battled to his feet and hit McIntyre with a couple of chops to the chest. McIntyre responded with a boot to the midsection and then a Suplex for a two count. McIntyre brought Rollins to the corner and smashed his head off the top turnbuckle. Drew followed it up with a chop to Rollins’ chest and then locked in an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring.
Rollins broke free but McIntyre knocked him back to the mat with another Clothesline. McIntyre locked in an Abdominal Stretch as the crowd chanted “burn it down!” to get behind Rollins. Seth battled to his feet but was knocked back down again by another Clothesline from McIntyre. Seth knocked McIntyre out of the ring and went for a Suicide Dive. McIntyre caught him and slammed him onto the ring apron as RAW went to a commercial break.
McIntyre was still in control when RAW returned from the break. Rollins finally was able to fight back and dropped McIntyre with a Slingblade. McIntyre rolled out of the ring and Seth connected with two Suicide Dives in a row.
The action returned to the ring and Rollins connected with a Blockbuster off the second rope for a near fall. McIntyre slammed Rollins face-first to the mat for a two count. McIntyre ducked under a kick and planted Rollins with a Powerbomb for another near fall.
Rollins crotched McIntyre on the top turnbuckle and then delivered an Enziguri to the face and Drew got his foot caught in the ropes. Rollins climbed to the top rope but McIntyre grabbed him by the neck and slung him back to the middle of the ring. McIntyre went for the Claymore but Rollins was ready and countered with a Superkick to the face.
Seth planted McIntyre with the Falcon Arrow and then went for the cover but McIntyre kicked out at two. McIntyre dropped Rollins with a headbutt for another two count. Drew lifted Rollins up onto his shoulders and made his way up to the second rope. Rollins escaped and planted McIntyre with a Buckle Bomb.
Rollins climbed to the top rope and Ziggler hopped up on the apron. Rollins booted Ziggler in the face and then hit McIntyre with a Crossbody off the top rope. Seth then hit Ziggler with the Curb Stomp but turned around into a Claymore from Drew McIntyre. McIntyre picked up the pinfall victory and will be allowed ringside for the Intercontinental Championship Iron Man Match at Extreme Rules this Sunday.
Opinion: Aside from the main event, there really wasn’t anything entertaining on RAW this week. There are a few matches I am looking forward to at Extreme Rules, but RAW has been quite boring as of late. I’m hoping the show will get better as the build towards SummerSlam begins next week.
What did you think of this week’s show? Let us know in the comments below.
It was announced on 7/19/2018 that the Baddest Women on The Planet is joining the WWE 2K roster this year.
Pre-Order Bonus
Alongside the Master of the 6-1-9, Rousey has been announced for WWE 2K19 as a Pre-order bonus character for the game. You can watch the trailer below:
This will mark Rousey’s first WWE video game appearance. Rousey has appeared in video games before. Her video game debut reverts back to her UFC career as she made her debut on UFC on Next-Gen Consoles. Rousey was even a co-cover athlete on UFC 2 with Connor McGregor.
WWE 2K19 is set to be released on October 9, 2018.
MLW War Games is coming to Ft Lauderdale, FL on Thursday, September 6th. MLW CEO Court Bauer confirmed the 2-ring steel cage match will headline MLW’s return to the War Memorial Auditorium for the first time in 15 years.
Tickets for MLW #WarGames go on sale Monday, July 23rd at MLWgo.com and AXS.com. Talent scheduled to appear includes World Tag Team Champions Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix,
Barrington Hughes, MJF, Sami Callihan and Salina de la Renta.
The original MLW War Games event took place from the same venue on 9/19/2003. The War Games match saw The Funkin’ Army (Bill Alfonso, Sabu, Steve Williams, Terry Funk & The Sandman) defeat The Extreme Horsemen (Barry Windham, CW Anderson, PJ Walker, Simon Diamond & Steve Corino).
MLW has two big upcoming events ahead of War Games in September. This Thursday, MLW returns to GILT nightclub in Orlando, FL the next round of MLW Fusion TV tapings.
Next Thursday, MLW will bring Battle Riot to New York City. That show will air as a 2-hour special on Friday, July 27th on beIN Sports.
WWE has confirmed another big match for Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view. As announced on Raw, Kevin Owens will take on Braun Strowman. The match will be held inside a steel cage, a scary prospect for the 34-year old Canadian Superstar.
There are now 10 matches confirmed for thee show (full card below), including 3 stipulation matches.
Extreme Rules takes this Sunday, July 15th from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena. The dual-brand pay-per-view will air live on the WWE Network.
Updated Card for Extreme Rules
– WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Rusev
– Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley
– Steel Cage Match: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
– 30-Minute Iron Man Match: Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins
– SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Team Hell No
– Extreme Rules Match: Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax
– SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Asuka
– Raw Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy vs. The B Team
– United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
– Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
Be on the lookout for our Extreme Rules Staff Predictions coming this Thursday.
This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live will open with star power.
Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) will be speaking with The Miz on Miz TV in the opening segment of the Extreme Rules go-home show for the blue brand.
Bryan and Kane will be talking about their next match during this segment that will see the recently reunited team challenge Luke Harper and Erick Rowan for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view event this Sunday night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena that will air on the WWE Network.
As noted, The Miz is slated to miss Extreme Rules due to him participating in the MLB All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball game that day at Nationals Park in Washington, DC.
WWE has also announced two other matches for this show in Omaha, NE at the CenturyLink Center Omaha that includes WWE Champion AJ Styles facing Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match as well as Asuka vs. James Ellsworth in a lumberjack match, which is a rematch from last week’s SmackDown Live that ended in a double count out.
Asuka will challenge Carmella for the SmackDown Live Women’s Title at Extreme Rules.
What are your thoughts on the WWE booking this segment?
Seth Rollins has reflected on how the harsh words from WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart went over in the WWE locker room.
During a recent interview with GiveMeSports, the former WWE Universal Champion spoke about his relationship with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon as well as the backstage reaction to the comments made by Hart back in 2016 when he called Rollins unsafe in the ring.
This came after Finn Balor suffered a shoulder injury in their match at SummerSlam to crown the inaugural Universal Champion after taking a bucklebomb to the barricade as well as his match with Sting at the 2015 Night of Champions pay-per-view event.
Rollins noted that he wasn’t sure if McMahon knew about Hart’s comments about him but did note that the talent in the WWE locker room was confused about what Hart was talking about and why he would say something like that.
“So yeah, it was here and there but most people really didn’t take it too seriously because it was so off the wall. So yeah people just make jokes about it for the most part.”
https://youtu.be/cjN8UFmcUdw
Rollins is slated to challenge current WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler for the title in a 30-minute Iron Man match at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view event that takes place on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena and will air on the WWE Network.
It turns out that WWE 2K19 will not be released on Nintendo Switch.
Despite the demand for the game, 2K Games has confirmed through a statement sent to the media on Monday, July 9, 2018 that the upcoming video game will not be available on the platform due to issues that have plagued the game on the Switch version. It was also noted that they did not want to spend the extensive time and resources on releasing a version of WWE 2K19 on a custom engine for the console.
It should be noted that the publisher did make it clear that their intention is to make “the best possible experience” for fans Here is their statement, courtesy of NintendoLife: “WWE 2K19 will not be available on Nintendo Switch. 2K is focused on making the best possible experience for WWE 2K fans and will continue evaluating all opportunities to deliver the franchise across additional platforms.”
It’s already been announced that WWE Champion AJ Styles will be the cover star for the game while Rey Mysterio has been officially announced as the pre-order bonus character. It’s been rumored that there will be a second bonus character but that person has yet to be revealed.
WWE 2K19 will be released on October 9, 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The July 9th, 2018 edition of WWE RAW took place at the TD Garden in Boston, MA.
– This week’s broadcast opens up with a video package looking at Roman Reigns and his feud with Bobby Lashley.
– Roman Reigns is shown backstage walking through the hallways of the TD Garden. Bobby Lashley steps in front of Reigns, and asks where he’s going. Reigns says he’s going to ring, and Lashley tells him he better be going out there to call out Lashley, because Lashley is ready to tear him apart. Lashley steps aside and Reigns keeps walking to the gorilla position.
– Reigns’ music hits in the arena and the Big Dog comes out to the ring. Reigns gets on the mic and says he’s never had anyone stare him in the face and ask to be called out, so now he’s curious what Bob can do. Reigns calls out Bobby Lashley to get his ass down to the ring, and Lashley makes his way out. Lashley steps in the ring and stands in front of Reigns, but Kurt Angle comes out to the stage and tells them to save it for this Sunday at Extreme Rules. Baron Corbin is out on the stage with Angle. Lashley and Reigns ignore Angle’s orders, and they start fighting back and forth in the ring. Part of the RAW locker room, including Corbin, runs down to the ring to separate the two. Lashley and Reigns continue fighting as the locker room drags them apart. Lashley breaks free and attacks Reigns as the crowd pops. Lashley appears to get the upper hand and he kicks Reigns out of the ring. More members of the RAW roster come out to pull them apart. Lashley gets out of the ring and still tries to get at Reigns as the other wrestlers hold them apart. Lashley breaks free again and clotheslines Reigns down on the floor. Lashley throws Reigns in the ring and then the other wrestlers haul Lashley back. Reigns runs the ropes in the ring and hits a suicide dive onto Lashley and the group of wrestlers holding him back. Reigns finally retreats up the ramp, past Kurt Angle on the stage, and he heads backstage. Reigns changes his mind at the last second though, and sprints back down the ramp to fight more with Lashley. Reigns and Lashley fight on the ramp as the other wrestlers continue to try to pull them apart. Reigns finally heads to the back as other wrestlers hold back Lashley.
– Mickie James and Alexa Bliss are backstage watching the brawl on a monitor. They comment that the brawl we just saw was nothing compared to what they’ll do to Nia Jax and Natalya tonight in their tag match. That’s scheduled to take place next.
– Alexa Bliss & Mickie James vs. Nia Jax & Natalya: The opening bell sound sand it looks like Nia and Alexa will start this one off, but Alexa immediately tags in Mickie before anything happens. Nia and Mickie lock up and Nia powers Mickie back into the corner. Natalya tags in and they double team Mickie to kick things off. Natalya looks for the Sharpshooter early on, but Mickie escapes and tags in Alexa. Alexa comes in and brawls with Natalya until the fight spills outside and Natalya baseball slide kicks her down. Natalya also drops Mickie at ringside and throws Alexa into the fan barricade. Natalya takes Alexa back in the ring, but Alexa rolls out the other side for a breather. Back in the ring, Mickie helps Alexa turn things around with a shot on Natalya in the corner. Alexa and Mickie take turns beating down Natalya now and trying to keep her grounded. Natalya breaks free and gets the hot tag to Nia, who cleans house. Nia hits a series of shots on Mickie in the corner and then drops her with a splash. Nia hits a gorilla press slam on Mickie and then a running leg drop for the three count.
Winners: Nia Jax & Natalya
– Immediately after the match, Alexa Bliss comes out of nowhere with a kendo stick and she lays into Nia and Natalya with it. Nia fights back and clears the ring. Nia breaks the kendo stick over her knee as Mickie and Alexa retreat up the ramp.
– Nia Jax does a brief interview backstage where she says she’s going to break Alexa in half at Extreme Rules. She says she remembers everything Alexa has ever done to her, and she’s going to pay it all back, because anything goes in their match.
– Michael Cole introduces a video package looking at Kevin Owens’ issues with Braun Strowman in recent weeks.
– Kevin Owens approaches Kurt Angle in his office backstage and complains about the unsafe working environment with Braun Strowman. Kevin presents Kurt with a doctor’s note saying he cannot compete tonight. Kevin says since he is here but can’t wrestle, he’s going to hang out in Kurt’s office all night so he can be safe.
– We see a promotional spot for The Rock’s new Skyscraper movie, mixed in with clips of high-impact moves from recent episodes of RAW.
– Mojo Rawley vs. No Way Jose: We don’t see the conga line entrance for Jose tonight. The opening bell sounds and they go at it with strikes. They run the ropes and Mojo hits a big running shoulder block. Mojo continues to lay into Jose with strikes until Jose blocks one and fires back with a shot of his own. Jose follows up with a series of punches and knee strikes, and then a clothesline for a two count. They fight in the corner and Mojo hits an Alabama Slam out of nowhere for the three count.
Winner: Mojo Rawley
– We briefly go to some more footage of Sasha Banks and Bayley’s friendship counseling.
– Seth Rollins briefly runs into Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh backstage. Jinder tries to talk to Rollins about meditation, but Rollins walks off.
– Seth Rollins comes out to the ring, and he’s got a mic. Rollins says the fans have given him some good nicknames, but the only one that matters is “former Intercontinental Champion.” Current Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler comes out to interrupt, with Drew McIntyre by his side. Ziggler and Drew trash Rollins, and Ziggler talks about their Iron Man match on Sunday. Rollins says Drew helped Ziggler win, but he hopes that won’t be the case on Sunday. They exchange words and Rollins mocks McIntyre until Drew wants to get in the ring and go at it. Dolph holds back Drew and tells Rollins he’s got it coming on Sunday. Drew takes the mic and calls out Rollins for a fight tonight. Rollins continues to prod at McIntyre until Drew and Dolph finally hit the ring. Rollins ducks them and slides out of the ring and heads to the back as Drew looks pissed off.
– The B Team is shown backstage dressed as Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt, and they’re getting ready to come out to the ring.
– The B Team comes out to the ring still dressed as Hardy and Wyatt. They do their best impersonations of Hardy and Wyatt in the ring and say they’re going to take the Tag Team Titles. Hardy and Wyatt appear on the big screen and cut a promo on The B Team. The lights cut back on the arena and Hardy and Wyatt are standing behind them. The B Team runs out of the ring and regroups at ringside before their singles match next.
– Matt Hardy vs. Bo Dallas: Dallas steps in the ring and removes his Bray Wyatt costume. The opening bell sounds and Hardy starts off strong. The fight spills out to ringside and Hardy hits a vertical suplex on the ringside floor. They fight back into the ring and then back out to the floor, where Hardy looks for the Side Effect on to the ring steps, but Dallas escapes. Back in the ring Hardy suplexes Dallas down and then hits a Side Effect. Axel causes a distraction from ringside and Wyatt drops him on the floor. The distraction leads to Dallas dropping Hardy from behind for the three count.
Winner: Bo Dallas
– After the match, Wyatt and Hardy interrupt the winners’ celebration and beat them down in the ring.
– We go to the broadcast team, where Michael Cole talks about Kurt Angle booking the match between Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre tonight to make it official.
– Bobby Lashley is backstage for a brief interview where he says he has zero respect for Roman Reigns. Lashley says the only thing he likes about Reigns is that he’s willing to fight him. Lashley says when Reigns walks into Extreme Rules to fight him, Reigns won’t walk out, believe that.
– Tyler Breeze is backstage giving fashion advice to Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan. They decline the advice and rip up his shirts and leave.
– We briefly see more footage from Sasha and Bayley’s friendship counseling session.
– They air a selfie video from Alexa Bliss cutting a promo on Nia Jax.
– Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan: The opening bell sounds and Ember takes Liv down early on. Ember dumps Liv outside and looks for a suicide dive, but Liv dodges it so Ember stops. Back in the ring, Liv hits a facebuster on Ember for a two count. Liv goes for a sleeper, but Ember slams her down. Liv dodges a clothesline and slams Ember down. Ember headscissors Liv into the middle turnbuckle. Eber trips Liv down and knees her in the face. Ember hits a fallaway slam on Liv and then knocks Sarah Logan off the apron. Liv rolls up Ember from behind, but Ember escapes and rolls up Liv for the three count.
Winner: Ember Moon
– Logan and Morgan regroup in the ring as Ember retreats up the ramp.
– Finn Balor is backstage for an interview when Bobby Roode interrupts. Roode says they’re teaming up tonight because they’re cut from the same cloth, and they’re going to be victorious and glorious tonight. Balor calls out Baron Corbin and says Corbin may be twice as big but Balor is twice as good. Balor says they’ve said enough, and they’ll do the rest of their talking in the ring.
– We see a look at the outside of the TD Garden in Boston.
– Kevin Owens is shown still backstage in Kurt Angle’s office. Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre walk in and interrupt to complain about Seth Rollins. Kurt says if Rollins wins his match tonight, then Drew will be banned from ringside for Rollins’ match against Ziggler at Extreme Rules.
– Elias is in the ring for a song and he trashes Finn Balor and Bobby Lashley. He trashes the local Boston fans and they turn against him. Baron Corbin comes out to join him for a song, but then Roode and Balor interrupt for their match.
– Bobby Roode & Finn Balor vs. Elias & Baron Corbin: Roode works over Elias in the opening moments, and pins for a two count after an atomic drop and a Russian leg sweep. Elias fights back and tags in Corbin, who drops Roode. Roode fights back and Elias and Balor tag in now. Balor cleans house and looks for a suicide dive on Elias to the outside, but Corbin grabs Balor’s leg from the other side of the ring to distract him. Corbin tags in and starts working over Balor. Elias tags back in and tries to keep Balor grounded, but Balor fights back with a boot to the face and then he throws Elias outside. Elias tags in Corbin to drops Balor again. Corbin throws Balor off the ropes and Balor answers with the Sling Blade. Roode gets the hot tag and cleans house. Roode drops Corbin and goes up to the top rope. Roode comes flying but Corbin catches him and hits a chokeslam backbreaker. Corbin pins but Balor breaks it up. Balor drops Elias outside and hits a dive on him. Corbin drops Balor from behind on the apron, and Roode rolls up Corbin from behind for a near-fall. Roode follows up with a Blockbuster off the middle rope and pins, but Elias breaks it up. Corbin and Balor start brawling at ringside, where Balor boots him in the face and rolls him back in the ring. Balor goes up top but Corbin drops him down. Corbin misses a shot on Roode and Roode sends him into the ring post. Elias runs in but Roode hits a Spinebuster on him. Roode turns around into the End of Days from Corbin, and Corbin pins for the three count.
Winners: Baron Corbin & Elias
– We go to replays as Corbin and Elias celebrate in the ring.
– Kevin Owens is backstage in Kurt Angle’s office eating a sandwich. Braun Strowman walks in and Owens freaks out. Kurt says he invited Braun here because Kevin keeps running from him. Because Kevin keeps running, Kurt is booking them in a steel cage match this Sunday. Braun says Kevin reeks of fear and he sprays air freshener in his face. Kurt laughs and Braun walks off.
– We see a new ad for the new WWE video game featuring Ronda Rousey and voice-over from Roddy Piper.
– We get a brief look at Sasha and Bayley still sitting in the friendship counseling office.
– The announce team introduces a replay of the brawl between Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley earlier tonight.
– Roman Reigns is backstage for a brief interview about Lashley and their match on Sunday.
– Coley, Coach and Graves run down the full card for Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
– Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre: Dolph Ziggler is at ringside for this one. The opening bell sounds and Drew starts off strong and drops Seth. Seth fights back with strikes and applies a side headlock. Drew throws him off and applies a headlock takedown. Drew beats on Seth on the mat and then hits a suplex. Rollins ducks a shot and Drew falls out to ringside. Seth kicks Drew through the ropes and goes for a suicide dive, but Drew catches Seth at ringside. Drew slams Seth onto the ring apron and then drops him on the floor. They fight back into the ring and Drew hits a belly to belly overhead suplex. Drew applies a shoulder lock to Rollins, but Rollins fights out with a jawbreaker. Rollins hits a Sling Blade and dumps Drew outside, then follows up with a suicide dive. Rollins throws Drew back in the ring and hits a springboard flying clothesline for a two count. Rollins goes back up top and hits the Blockbuster for another two count. Rollins looks for the curb stomp but Drew moves. This leads to Drew hitting a reverse Alabama slam for a two count. Rollins misses a kick and Drew hits a sit-out powerbomb for another two count. Drew takes Rollins up top, but Rollins escapes and crotches Drew on the top rope. Drew gets hung upside down in the tree of woe in the corner, and Rollins looks for a stomp, but Drew throws him down. Drew charges but Rollins catches him with a superkick and hits the Falcon Arrow for a two count. They get to their feet and Drew headbutts Rollins down. Drew takes Rollins up top, but Rollins escapes and powerbombs Drew into the opposite turnbuckle. Drew follows up with a superkick, then he goes up top for a frogsplash, but Ziggler distracts him. Drew gets up and Rollins hits a flying cross body for a two count. Rollins kicks Drew then hits the curb stomp on Dolph on the apron. Rollins turns around into the Claymore for the three count.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
– Drew carries Dolph up the ramp on his shoulders as Rollins recovers in the ring and RAW goes off the air.
Former WWE United States Champion MVP recently did an interview with Chris Van Vliet to talk about several professional wrestling topics. MVP first discussed intergender wrestling and explained why he’s not a fan of it:
“Intergender wrestling has become real popular and I’m not a fan of it because I come from a different school of thought in pro wrestling. There are two schools of thought it seems. If you are a fan of intergender wrestling then you look at pro wrestling as scripted entertainment, comic book stuff.
“And if you played Mortal Kombat or one of those video games, Chun Li could whoop your ass. But if we’re doing suspension of disbelief, there’s not very many women on the planet that can beat me in combat if we’re grappling. There are some female grapplers that can catch that joint or they’ll catch that choke and you’ll tap.
“But not if I can punch them and not if I can kick them and that kind of changes things. If you approach pro wrestling the way I do which is this is simulated combat and we’re trying to make the fans forget that it’s predetermined, you can’t do that when you’re watching a grown ass man and a woman do really cool stuff.”
Speaking of female grapplers, WWE Superstar and UFC Hall Of Famer Ronda Rousey was brought up. When asked if he thinks Rousey could beat him up in a real fight, MVP’s response was a simple one –
“No. God no. Of course not.”
In regards to his time with WWE, MVP revealed that he hated his entrance theme when he was with the company. This may come as a surprise to some fans, as many actually enjoyed the theme during MVP’s heyday:
“I always hated that theme. I never liked that theme. As a matter of fact, I remember the first time they gave it to me I took it home and I listened to it and I was like it’s alright. They then called me and told me Vince wanted to talk to me in the arena.
“So I went out by the ring and he was like ‘Yeah, come over here MVP let’s listen to your music.’ They played it in the arena and Vince was very ‘unrhythmically’ bopping to it and he goes ‘What do you think?’ so I said ‘If you like it, I love it boss.'”
MVP then shared a funny story about a fan who actually had sex to his WWE theme. The fan’s wife shared the story with him at a past signing:
“It’s weird when fans come up and they share things with you. At a signing I had a couple come up and this is one of the weirdest but funniest things I’ve ever had. The guy had a United States Championship belt and he wanted me to sign it. His wife was like ‘You are his absolute favorite.’
“He would do my whole entrance in the house and whatnot. And she, the wife told me, because he was kind of standing there sheepishly, the wife told me for his birthday she allowed him to have sex with her with the US Championship belt on and to say ‘I’m coming’ and do the whole thing during it.”
When asked if he’d be open to a WWE return, MVP said that he’d be willing to return to the company when CM Punk does the same:
“Put it this way, I’ll return when CM Punk returns. No. I’m as busy as I want to be. I don’t want a full time schedule in WWE. I always said I’d be out when I’m 45. I’ll be 45 in October, but I still feel good so I think I think I got a couple of years left in me. So I think I’ll just take it year to year.
“If you’re a fan of professional wrestling especially on the indie scene you see guys that were heroes once upon a time and they stay in the game too long and then they become caricatures of themselves. When it gets to a point where I can’t perform at a level that I feel is adequate then I’m done at that point. I’ve always said that I want to walk away I don’t want to limp away. I’m starting to limp now so the time is near.”
This past weekend (Sat. July 7, 2018) New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) hosted their G1 Special event in San Francisco, California. The show was main evented by an IWGP Heavyweight Title match between defending champion Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes.
One spot during the match saw Omega do a running release powerbomb to Cody from inside the ring, dumping him outside the ring and onto the floor after failing to break a table. After the match Rhodes took to Twitter and noted he’d be taking time off to heal his body before September 1st’s “All In.”
Former WCW ring announcer, Gary Michael Cappetta, (the spot can be seen by clicking the following link)took to his official Facebook page and offered a bit of criticism towards Omega and Rhodes’ match. Cappetta’s comments seemed to come from a place of concern and wished wrestlers wouldn’t do spots like this in order to preserve their longevity:
“WRESTLER ALERT: Human bodies aren’t made to do this,” said Cappetta. “Please stop shortening your valuable careers. Stop limiting the health and happiness of your post wrestling lives.”
