Current reigning New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada has been announced for the upcoming ‘Strong Style Evolved’ NJPW/Rev Pro co-promoted shows.
Okada is the first officially confirmed name for the first Strong Style Evolved shows outside of the United States, the original event took place on March 25th from the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. That show saw Will Ospreay defeat Japanese legend Jushin Thunder Liger as well as the hotly contested main event between the Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) and The Young Bucks.
The two-date UK event takes place on June 30th/July 1st from Milton Keynes and Manchester respectively. Tickets are available to purchase via the tweet below or Revolution Pro Wrestling’s official website.
Tonight’s episode of NXT will be a taped show from Winter Park, Florida. 4 matches have been announced for the episode.
NXT May 2nd, 2018
Pete Dunne vs Roderick Strong
Roderick Strong turned on Pete Dunne in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Classic. In the process, Strong aligned with the Undisputed Era to turn the trio into a stable of 4.
Tonight, Dunne has a chance to get even with his former partner as the two collide inside the ring. It’s likely Strong will have his Undisputed Era teammates nearby, however.
Kona Reeves Returns to the Ring
Vignettes featuring a new and improved version of Kona Reeves have taken place over the last few weeks. Tonight he makes his return to the ring.
The 25-year-old Hawaiian was trained by Afa at the Wild Samoan Pro Wrestling Training Center. He was signed to WWE in 2014.
The last time Reeves wrestled on NXT was over a year ago in a loss to Hideo Itami. He’s had 7 matches on NXT television, lost 6 of them and went to a no-contest.
The Street Profits vs TM61
The last time we saw the Street Profits in action they lost a 2nd round match of the Dusty Rhodes Classic to the Authors of Pain.
The team had qualified for the 2nd round of the tournament by defeating Heavy Machinery.
TM-61 were also eliminated by the Authors of Pain in the Dusty Rhodes Classic but they went out in the 1st round.
Both teams will be looking to get into the thick of the title chase in NXT’s tag-team division with a win here.
Bianca Belair vs Candice LeRae
Both of these two are undefeated in single’s matches on NXT television. Candice LeRae is 1-0, and Bianca Belair is 4-0.
Yet another wrestler from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Candice LeRae is looking to win her 2nd straight NXT single’s match. She defeated Zelina Vega on the April 11th edition of NXT.
As for Belair, she is a resident of Knox County, Tennessee and may have voted for Kane recently.
205 Live last night emanated from the Bell Center in Montreal following Smackdown. The show saw the return of a top cruiserweight to the division as well as a match in the burgeoning cruiserweight tag-team scene. The show’s main event featured Drew Gulak taking on Kalisto.
205 Live
Jack Gallagher & the Brian Kendrick defeated Akira Tozawa & Hideo Itami
A GTS from Itami was responsible for Kendrick being out of action for several months in storyline but he was able to get a measure of revenge here.
Gallagher pinned Toazawa after a vicious headbutt to the chin.
After the match, Itami expressed frustration with his partner and shoved him to the ground before walking out of the ring alone. Tozawa looked despondent after.
Later in the show, it was announced that Kendrick and Gallagher will take on the Lucha House Party in tag action.
2. Buddy Murphy defeated Liam Louie
It was announced before the match that Murphy successfully made weight. 3 weeks ago he’d had a title match rescinded as a result of failing to make the 205lbs weight limit.
205 Live GM, Drake Maverick, still has not announced if Murphy will receive a title shot against Cedric Alexander or not.
Murphy had this match won at several points but opted not to finish his opponent. The referee finally stepped in and called the match.
The commentators mentioned this was a new and more vicious Buddy Murphy.
Cedric Alexander came out to confront Murphy after the match.
The two ended up brawling on the entrance ramp before officials broke it up.
3. Drew Gulak defeated Kalisto
Earlier on the show, Gulak cut a promo on Kalisto about how the luchador couldn’t get it done in Saudi Arabia.
Kalisto earned his GRR title shot by winning a gauntlet match on 205 Live. The last competitor he eliminated was Gulak, who had eliminated 2 other competitors by that time.
Gulak was able to lock in the Gu-Lock and get the tap for the victory.
New Japan Pro Wrestling will present two big shows over the course of the next two days. The promotion will be inside the Fukuoka Convention Center May 3rd and 4th this week.
The Bullet Club civil war will take place on both shows as the Japanese version of the faction (Bullet Club OGs) square off against the ROH version in several matches. Additionally, Kazuchika Okada has a chance to set the record for most title defenses in a single reign on Friday.
Wrestling Dontaku Night 1 (May 3rd) Lineup
Yota Tsuji & Shota Umino vs. Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi
Ren Narita, Tomoyuki Oka, Yuji Nagata vs Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, and Jushin Liger
Sho, Yoh, and Rocky Romero vs. Takashi Iizuka, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Lance Archer
Toa Henare, Michael Elgin, Togi Makabe, David Finlay and Juice Robinson vs Yoshi-Hashi, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Jay White, and Hirooki Goto
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships
Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga, and Bad Luck Fale (c) vs Marty Scurll, and the Young Bucks
Hiromu Takahashi, Bushi, Sanada, EVIL, Tetsuya Naito vs El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr, and Minoru Suzuki
KUSHIDA and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada
Kota Ibushi vs Cody
Kenny Omega vs Hangman Page
Wrestling Dontaku Night 2 (May 4th) Lineup
Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Jushin Liger vs Yuya Uemura, Ren Narita, and Shota Umino
Tomoyuki Oka and Yuji Nata vs Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi
Sho, Yoh, Rocky Romero vs Taka Michinoku, Taichi, Takahashi Iizuka
Toa Henare and Togi Makabe vs Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii
Michael Elgin, David Finlay, and Juice Robinson vs Yoshi-Hashi, Jay White, and Hirooki Goto
Hiromu Takahashi, Bushi, Sanada, Evil, Tetsuya Naito vs El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr, and Minoru Suzuki
Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Loa vs Marty Scurll, the Young Bucks, Hangman Page, and Cody
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Will Ospreay (c) vs Kushida
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
Tessa Blanchard made a surprise appearance at the Impact Wrestling “Redemption” PPV on April 22nd, 2018. She did guest commentary alongside Josh Matthews and Don Callis for the Taya Valkyrie vs Kiera Hogan match.
Recently, ImpactWrestling.com conducted an interview with Blanchard, who believes she is the hottest free agent available right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mh7wy_ITbw
Tessa Blanchard in Impact Wrestling
“I came to the Knockouts Division because it’s no secret that the past six months or so IMPACT’s been making strides. The hottest free agents out there – Pentagon, Fenix, Brian Cage – IMPACT has locked them down,” Blanchard explained. “When it comes to the Knockouts Division, I’m the hottest free agent out there right now!”
The Knockouts division in Impact is pretty crowded at the moment but Blanchard believes she’s earned the right to skip the line.
“I’m not looking to work my way up. I feel like I deserve a shot at the Knockouts Championship. On the independent circuit, I’ve traveled the world, I’ve won championships, I’ve won tournaments – I’ve defeated some of the best out there so I feel like I am one of the best.”
It seems as though Blanchard is gunning straight for the Knockouts champion, Allie.
“I’m coming here and I want to be the top dog, I’m going to go after whoever has the Knockouts Championship – and right now that’s Allie. I’ve got my sights set on Allie and if any of the Knockouts get in my way I’ll run right through them.”
Blanchard also spoke on what it is like to carry on the Blanchard name.
“Carrying on the Blanchard name is a huge honor for me because my grandfather, my father and my step-father – they’ve all put a lot into their legacy and for me to carry that on, it’s a lot of weight on my shoulders. I put pressure on myself to be the best and to carry on the Blanchard name with dignity and with pride.”
Glenn “Kane” Jacobs is declaring victory in the Knox County Republican Mayoral Primary, although his victory is still not assured. In a neck and neck race, Jacobs received 14, 633 votes, good for 36% of the vote.
His two opponents were both favored over him in the race. Brad Anders received 14, 616 also good for 36% and trailed Kane by 17 votes. Bob Thomas trailed both with 11, 296 votes for 28%.
Kane’s victory isn’t official yet, however. There are 43 provisional ballots which have to be reviewed before they can count. These are cases where a person may have forgotten their ID or there was no record of voter registration. Once it is determined how many, if any, of the 43 provisional ballots will count then a winner can be officially declared. So long as Anders does not receive 17 more votes than Kane out of the provisional ballots, Kane will be declared the victor. It is expected an official announcement will be made next week.
Kane and his team Tweeted out several messages late last night:
Thanks to everyone who helped win this historic victory!! The people who cast a ballot for me, my great team, my wonderful volunteers. Looking forward to VICTORY in the general election!
Glenn, along with his family, volunteers and supporters declare victory in a hard-fought Knox County Mayoral race this evening. Together we won! Tomorrow, we move forward.
Kane has long been active in politics. He publicly supported Ron Paul in his 2008 run for the Presidency. Kane also used to keep a blog on his libertarian political views.
In addition to wrestling, Kane and his wife, Crystal Maurisa Goins, own an Allstate insurance branch in Knoxville. He officially announced his decision to run for the Knox County Mayoral seat in March of 2017. He set Jim Ross on fire in 2003.
Provided the election results hold up through the counting of the provisional ballots, it could mean the end of Kane’s in-ring career as he prepares for the General Election. The 51-year-old has wrestled less frequently in recent years. He did not participate in last week’s Greatest Royal Rumble event from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but has been involved in storylines involving Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman in recent months.
People were excited about a new Championship when WWE presented Braun Strowman with a brand new title belt after winning the Greatest Royal Rumble.
However, it appears that there was a strong reason why the company didn’t introduce the new belt before the show as they never intended to use it on the main WWE Programming.
As seen on this week’s episode of Raw, Braun came out two times during the show but he wasn’t holding the title during either of his appearances.
The company had also announced that the Monster Among Men will be bringing the Greatest Royal Rumble Championship belt and trophy to Raw in Montreal.
However, while the giant trophy was displayed in the arena, it was noted that the green coloured belt introduced just a few nights ago was nowhere to be found.
If that wasn’t enough, they have now also deleted an earlier tweet about Braun Strowman’s match at Backlash which featured a graphic of him holding the title belt. The deleted tweet can be seen in the screenshot below:
Seeing all this, the logical conclusion is that the company either never intended to use the new green belt on their programming as a regular title or they had plans which have since been nixed.
Either way, it’s safe to say that the absence of the Greatest Royal Rumble Championship will definitely hurt the relevance of the match and the event as a whole.
WWE announced that Daniel Bryan is not medically cleared to compete at tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live by doctors in fear of a potential chest infection.
While in any other case, an announcement such as this would simply be seen as a part of the storyline, things are different for the former SmackDown Live General Manager.
It was revealed before that Bryan was cleared on the condition that he will have to go through medical examination after every bout.
So after wrestling for well over an hour at Greatest Rumble, many wondered if the company kept him away from the ring due to any medical complications.
Thankfully, this wasn’t the case and the whole thing turned out to be a storyline as Bryan ended up wrestling a big dark match after the show went off air.
Daniel faced Shinsuke Nakamura in a dark main event after the show went off air. Though their match ended in a disqualification after Nakamura delivered a low blow to the former World Champion. Below are some photos of their bout:
Daniel Bryan was part of the 50 Men Battle Royal at Greatest Royal Rumble. He lasted in the match for about 76 minutes and broke Rey Mysterio’s record for spending the longest time in a Rumble match.
One of the highlights of his performance during the bout was the stiff chops delivered to Bryan by Roderick Strong which have left Daniel with several nasty looking chest welts.
The May 1st episode of WWE SmackDown Live aired live from the Bell Center in Montreal. It was the final episode of SmackDown before WWE Backlash this Sunday.
In addition to the takeaways below, Paige informed Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville that Absolution was dead. Paige also announced that Mandy Rose will face Becky Lynch next week on SmackDown.
In a brief backstage segment, Lana approached Rusev while he was with Aiden English backstage. Lana was wearing a “Rusev Day” shirt and insinuated that Aiden English was holding Rusev back.
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s episode of SmackDown:
Randy Orton Vowed To Take Back The US Title At Backlash
Photo Credit: @WWEUniverse on Twitter
WWE SmackDown kicked off with SmackDown GM Paige stating that Shane McMahon will not be here tonight after being thrown through the announce table at Greatest Royal Rumble. Paige added that the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura will be No Disqualifications this Sunday at WWE Backlash.
The Miz kicked off this week’s episode of SmackDown and announced that Daniel Bryan was banned from Miz TV for not showing up for his appearance last week. Bryan didn’t show up because he was attacked backstage by Big Cass. The Miz then vowed to win back the IC Title from Seth Rollins at WWE Backlash.
Miz welcomed United States Champion Jeff Hardy down to the ring for an edition of Miz TV. The Miz asked Hardy if he thought he was a better Intercontinental Champion that Seth Rollins. Jeff called The Miz an obnoxious, wannabe movie star. Hardy added that if Miz were better than Rollins, he would have won at Greatest Royal Rumble like he did.
The Miz rolled footage of Jeff “disrespecting” Randy Orton by facing Shelton Benjamin when Randy Orton was supposed to be his opponent. Miz announced that there was another guest tonight and Orton came down to the ring. The crowd chanted “RKO” as Randy got into the ring.
Miz complained about Orton interrupting his introduction of him. Orton stated that he isn’t that mad at Hardy and that they are cool with each other. The Miz told the crowd to shut up and once again brought up Orton being ranked on the SmackDown Top 10 list. Randy noted that nobody cared about the SmackDown Top 10 list and the crowd cheered.
The Miz said that Hardy cost Orton his match against Benjamin last week. Hardy claimed that it was Sunil Singh that cost Orton the match. The Miz tried to get Orton to give Jeff an RKO. Orton responded by saying that he strikes whenever he wants to. Randy stated that he is taking his United States Championship back Sunday at Backlash. Hardy said that Orton can try and The Miz got frustrated that the two Superstars were getting along.
Shelton Benjamin interrupted and shouted “no!” several times. Benjamin claimed that Orton doesn’t deserve a damn thing and boasted about defeating Orton last week on SmackDown. Benjamin claimed that he deserves a championship opportunity. Orton attacked Benjamin as he got in the ring, which prompted The Miz to attack Orton from behind. Jeff Hardy connected with Whisper in the Wind on The Miz to end the segment.
Randy Orton & Jeff Hardy teamed up to face The Miz & Shelton Benjamin tonight on SmackDown. Orton and Benjamin started off the match in the ring. Orton beatdown Benjamin in the corner and then tagged in Jeff Hardy.
Jeff connected with a Dropkick to Shelton’s back for a two count. Orton tagged back in and elbowed Benjamin in the face as the crowd chanted “Brother Nero!”. Benjamin battled back and hit a flurry of jabs in the corner. Orton went for the RKO, but Benjamin blocked it and connected with a spin kick to the face for a two count.
The Miz entered the match as Benjamin connected with a cheap knee to the face while the referee wasn’t looking. Miz applied a Chin Lock, but Orton quickly escaped and planted Miz with a Back Body Drop in the middle of the ring.
Hardy tagged in and unloaded a few punches to Miz’s face. Jeff followed it up with a Swanton Bomb and a Dropkick for a two count. The Miz dodged the Twist of Fate and then kicked out of a roll-up at two. Benjamin tagged in and walked into a Twist of Fate from Hardy. Jeff climbed up the ropes, but Miz distracted him from the apron and Benjamin hit a knee to the face to send Hardy to the floor outside the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
Benjamin continued to beatdown Hardy during the break. When SmackDown returned, The Miz tagged in and had Hardy in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Hardy battled to his feet as the crowd cheered him on. The Miz booted him in the midsection and followed it up with a DDT for a two count.
Shelton got back in and stomped on Jeff in the corner. Hardy connected with a Jawbreaker and both Superstars fell to the canvas. The Miz tagged in and prevented Hardy from crawling over to Orton. Miz stomped on Jeff against the turnbuckle and followed it up with two Dropkicks. The Miz went for a third Dropkick, but Hardy was ready and planted him with a Slingblade.
Hardy finally tagged in Orton as Benjamin tagged in at the same time. Randy planted Benjamin with a Powerslam and then tossed Miz out of the ring. Orton dropped Miz on the announce table and then got back in the ring for a Dropkick to Benjamin. Randy hit a DDT on both Miz and Benjamin while they were hung up on the second rope.
Orton planted Benjamin with an RKO and then tagged in Jeff. Hardy connected with a Swanton Bomb for the pinfall victory. After the match, Orton hit an RKO on Jeff Hardy out of nowhere. Jeff Hardy will defend the United States Championship against Randy Orton this Sunday at WWE Backlash.
Sheamus and Cesaro bumped into New Day backstage at SmackDown. New Day poked fun at The Bar for failing to win back their RAW Tag Team Championship at Greatest Royal Rumble. The Bar stated that they could flatten the New Day like a few pancakes. “Mr. Bootyworth” showed up with a plate of pancakes.
New Day offered them up to The Bar to eat. Cesaro threw the plate of pancakes in the air and they fell all over the place. Sheamus wanted a fight tonight and Big E got in his face. Big E shouted that he was going to take him down. Sheamus said that he wasn’t talking to Big E and challenged Woods. Xavier said that “tonight your soul is mine” and accepted the match.
Sheamus battled Xavier Woods later on SmackDown. Woods started off the match in control and flipped onto Sheamus outside the ring. Cesaro had pancakes in his jacket and distracted Woods. Sheamus took advantage and kneed Woods in the face. SmackDown went to a break with Sheamus in control of the match.
When SmackDown returned, Sheamus planted Woods with an Irish Curse Backbreaker and then posed in the ring. Woods battled back with a couple of chops and followed it up with a knee to the side of the face. Sheamus charged at Xavier in the corner, but Woods got out of the way and Sheamus crashed into the ring post. Woods hit a Leg Drop for a two count and then made his way back up the turnbuckle. Sheamus knocked him down, but Woods connected with a Shining Wizard.
Woods went back to the top rope but Cesaro distracted him. Cesaro shoved Big E into the ring post but got dropped by Woods. Sheamus threw Woods into the barricade and brought him back into the ring. Woods rolled Sheamus up for the pinfall victory.
Big Cass Beatdown “Daniel Bryan”
Photo Credit: @WWE on Twitter
Big Cass walked down to the ring with a ridiculous smile on his face.
The crowd booed as Big Cass said that he was from New York City. Cass noted that New Yorkers are not friendly to people from other cities and that people from New York are better than everyone. Cass shouted that he knows that he knows that he is better than everyone in the crowd and Daniel Bryan.
Big Cass poked fun of Daniel Bryan’s size and stated that a real WWE Superstar is 7 ft. tall and has super-strength. Big Cass said that it will not be a 5-star match at Backlash, he is going to defeat Bryan in 5 seconds. Cass noted that he doesn’t need time to prepare and then challenged Bryan to come down to the ring. It was announced earlier in the show that Bryan had not been medically cleared tonight because his chest was beat up at Greatest Royal Rumble and WWE feared that he might get an infection.
Daniel’s music hit and a little person wearing a wig and a beard came down to the ring as the crowd chanted “yes!”. Big Cass joked that Bryan looked taller tonight and bragged about eliminating Daniel during the Greatest Royal Rumble match. Mini-Bryan kicked Cass in the shin a couple of times as Cass continued to make fun of Bryan’s size.
Cass instructed Mini-Bryan to take a bow for all of his fans and then Cass booted him in the face. Big Cass unloaded a bunch of punches and then raised his fist in the air while walking around the ring. WWE officials came down to the ring as Cass smacked Mini-Bryan in the face. Big Cass then exited the ring with his fist in the air.
Opinion: It doesn’t get much lamer than this promo. The only thing that would have made this even dumber is if a tiny goat came down to the ring instead of a little person. I can’t blame Cass for this crappy promo. He did the best he could, but there really was nothing he could do to make this garbage writing work. The match between Bryan and Cass is still interesting, but I don’t think there was a worse way to promote the match leading into Backlash than what WWE did tonight.
Nakamura Delivered Another Low-Blow To Styles
Photo Credit: @WWE on Twitter
WWE Champion AJ Styles joined Renee Young in the ring. Renee brought up Paige making the title match at Backlash a No DQ match and asked if that will help AJ retain his title. Styles said that he was out here trying to defend the gold, while it seems like Nakamura is more interested in the wrong jewels because of his obsession with giving him low-blows.
AJ said that he would not apologize to Nakamura for what he did to him at Greatest Royal Rumble. Styles claimed that Nakamura ruined WrestleMania for him and called Shinsuke a coward. AJ said that once he gets his hands on him, people are going to find pieces of Nakamura across New England.
Samoa Joe interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp with a microphone in his hand. Joe claimed Styles had lost focus on what is really dangerous around him. Joe said that the match Styles should be focused on is the one where he proves that Roman Reigns is a failure.
Joe told Styles that after he is finished with Reigns at Backlash, he is coming after the WWE Championship. Joe shouted “believe that!” to end the promo as the crowd chanted “Joe!”. Nakamura’s music hit and Joe was ready from him to come out from backstage. Nakamura crept up behind Styles in the ring and delivered another low-blow. Shinsuke started taunting Styles in the ring and then patted him on the head a couple of times.
Nakamura geared up in the corner and decked AJ with a Kinshasa. Nakamura laid down beside Styles and continued to mock him. Nakamura lifted AJ’s head up and taunted him some more before posing over him in the ring. Shinsuke lifted up the WWE Championship and then draped across Styles as he was still on the canvas.
Opinion: I really hope that the match between Nakamura and Styles delivers at Backlash this Sunday. Shinsuke is doing an excellent job as a heel and the crowd should be electric for Sunday’s match. Samoa Joe’s promo tonight was also very good. Every Joe promo is solid. I’m already looking forward to seeing Joe vs. Styles or Nakamura for the WWE Championship.
Charlotte, Becky Lynch & Asuka Closed The Show With A Victory
Photo Credit: @totaldivaseps on Twitter
Charlotte, Becky Lynch & Asuka faced The IIconics & Carmella in a 6-woman tag match in the main event of this week’s SmackDown.
Charlotte wanted to start off the match with Carmella, but the SmackDown Women’s Champion tagged in Peyton Royce instead.
Becky then tagged in and connected with a Dropkick to Royce. Becky missed with a Leg Drop and Billie Kay tagged in. Lynch delivered a Clothesline for a two count. Asuka tagged in to a great reaction from the crowd. Asuka prevented Kay from reaching the corner and decked her with a Hip Attack.
Charlotte tagged in and the crowd shouted “woo!”. Billie Kay beatdown Charlotte a bit and then Carmella demanded to be tagged in. Charlotte knocked Carmella down and then connected with a Crossbody on the IIconics outside the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned. Peyton Royce had Becky Lynch in a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Carmella tagged in and Becky booted her in the face. Lynch threw Royce out of the ring as Carmella knocked Charlotte of the ring apron. Becky booted Carmella in the face and crawled towards Asuka in the corner. The IIconics dragged Asuka off the apron and slammed her into the steel steps.
Charlotte hopped up on the apron and tagged in as Carmella screamed out of fear. Charlotte connected with a bunch of chops and followed it up with a Belly to Back Suplex. Billie Kay distracted Charlotte on the top turnbuckle and Carmella capitalized by shoving her into the ring post.
Billie Kay tagged in as Royce decked Charlotte with a boot to the face. Billie threw Becky out of the ring as Royce tagged back into the match. Carmella tagged in and got pissed off that Charlotte kept kicking out. Carmella grabbed Flair by the hair and slammed her face off the mat. Peyton tagged back in and slapped Charlotte in the face. Royce applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring as a promo for WWE Backlash aired.
Asuka tagged in and hit Royce with a Dropkick. Asuka knocked Carmella off the apron and connected with another kick to Peyton’s face. Asuka hit Carmella and Billie Kay with a Hip Attack that sent them flying off the ring apron. Royce connected with a knee to the face for a two count. Billie Kay jumped into the ring and kicked Asuka in the face. Becky leaped off the top rope and booted Billie in the face.
Carmella Superkicked Becky Lynch and then Charlotte Speared Carmella out of the ring. Charlotte followed it up with a Moonsault off the top rope onto Carmella outside the ring. Back in the ring, Asuka applied the Asuka Lock to Peyton Royce for the submission victory. SmackDown went off the air as Carmella clutched the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the entrance ramp as Charlotte stared at her from ringside.
Opinion: WWE Backlash has the potential to be a very good show on Sunday. The main event of tonight’s SmackDown was solid and the AJ Styles, Samoa Joe & Shinsuke Nakamura segment was the highlight of the show. The rest of tonight’s show was pretty forgettable.
What did you think of this week’s episode of SmackDown? Let us know in the comments below.
The May 1st edition of WWE SmackDown Live took place at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, and was the go-home show for Sunday’s Backlash PPV.
– This week’s SmackDown broadcast opens up with a look at Braun Strowman tossing Shane McMahon through a table at the Greatest Royal Rumble. We see Paige watching on a monitor backstage, and she says that Shane won’t be here tonight. Paige announces that AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at Backlash will be a No DQ match, so we will have a clear winner.
– Tom Phillips welcomes us to the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and he’s joined by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton at the broadcast table.
– The Miz comes out first to kick off SmackDown with Miz TV. The Miz starts off by announcing that Daniel Bryan is banned from Miz TV due to last week’s no-show. Miz also sends a warning to Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins ahead of their match this Sunday, and he rants about how he elevated the IC Title. The Miz gets back to the subject at hand tonight, and introduces his Miz TV guest, U.S. Champion Jeff Hardy.
Jeff comes down to the ring and briefly exchanges words with the Miz. The Miz shows footage of Jeff Hardy coming to SmackDown and interacting with Randy Orton, and then Miz reveals he has another guest tonight. Randy Orton comes down, and The Miz complains that Orton interrupted his introduction. Orton says he and Jeff are cool, but The Miz keeps trying to stir up trouble between the two. Orton warns Miz that no one tells him when to strike, but adds that he will take his U.S. Title back at Backlash. Hardy says Orton can try. Shelton Benjamin comes out to interrupt and he starts talking trash to Orton. Shelton says he is the one who deserves the U.S. Title shot. As Shelton gets in the ring, Orton strikes and goes for the DDT. The Miz interrupts, and Jeff takes Miz into the corner for the Whisper In The Wind. The Miz and Shelton retreat to the floor as Orton and Hardy stand tall in the ring.
– The Miz and Shelton Benjamin vs. Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy: This match was made official during the commercial break. Orton and Shelton start off. Orton and Jeff trade tags now to keep control of Shelton, but Orton misses an RKO and Shelton capitalizes. The Miz tags in now and continues the offense on Orton. Jeff gets the hot tag and unloads on Miz with strikes for a two count. The Miz blocks a Twist of Fate, and Jeff knocks Shelton off the apron in the process. Jeff blocks a Skull Crushing Finale, and then Shelton tags back in. Jeff catches Shelton in the Twist of Fate, and then he goes up top for the Swanton, but Miz grabs his leg. Jeff kicks Miz away, and then Shelton runs up the turnbuckle and knees Jeff in the head, then Jeff gets knocked down.
The Miz takes control of Hardy on the mat now and then plants him with a DDT for a two count. Shelton comes in and Jeff stuns him with a jawbreaker, then Miz quickly tags back in and stops Jeff from tagging in Orton. Miz works over Jeff in the corner and then taunts the crowd. Miz charges at Jeff, but Jeff gets up and clotheslines him down. Orton and Shelton get the tags, and Orton cleans house. Orton slams Shelton down, then throws Miz outside and slams him on the announce table. Orton goes back in and dropkicks Shelton down, then hits a double draping DDT on Shelton and Miz. Orton hits the RKO on Shelton, then tags in Jeff who hits the Swanton on Benjamin for the three count.
Winners: Jeff Hardy & Randy Orton
– After the match, Orton immediately hits the RKO on Hardy. Orton heads to the back as Jeff recovers.
– Renee Young is backstage for an interview with Carmella and The Iconics. Carmella is supposed to be there, but she isn’t. Peyton Royce and Billie Kaye make fun of Renee and Canadians, and then they cut a promo on Asuka and Becky Lynch. They introduce Carmella, and Carmella finally walks in to the interview. She thanks them for the introduction, an dsays she’s excited to team with them tonight, and then to beat Charlotte again on Sunday. Charlotte says that The Iconics and her are an invincible team.
– Still to come: Shinsuke Nakamura demands an apology from WWE Champion AJ Styles.
– Tom Phillips informs us that Daniel Bryan is unable to perform due to not being cleared by doctors out of fear of a chest infection. We see video of Bryan at the Greatest Royal Rumble and his cut open chest from strikes by Roderick Strong.
– The Bar is backstage and they run into The New Day. The New day taunts them about losing the RAW Tag Titles at Greatest Royal Rumble, and The Bar talks some trash to the New Day. Sheamus challenges them to a match, and it looks like we’ll have a singles match between Sheamus and Xavier Woods tonight.
– Rusev and Aiden English are talking backstage about new lyrics for their song, when Lana walks in. The crowd pops big for Lana, who is wearing a Rusev Day t-shirt. Lana says Rusev day is bigger than ever, but something is still holding Rusev back. Rusev wonders what could be holding him back, since he has a holiday in his name every day.
– Big Cass comes out next, and Corey Graves says Cass wasn’t scheduled to come out right now. Cass steps in the ring and gets on the mic. Cass talks about being from New York, and that makes him better than people from other cities. Cass trashes Daniel Bryan, and says he’s too small to be a WWE Superstar, just like all the fans. Cass says his match with Bryan at Backlash won’t be a five-star match, it’ll be a five-second match. Cass says he’ll face Bryan tonight if he’ll come out. This queues the music, and out comes a dwarf dressed as Daniel Bryan, doing the “yes” chant. Cass says Bryan looks taller tonight, and continues cracking jokes. Cass goes to leave, but then he turns around and boots little Daniel Bryan down. Some referees come in the ring and tell Cass to leave, and fans boo as Cass heads to the back.
– Back from commercial break, Renee Young is in the ring for an interview with WWE Champion AJ Styles. AJ comes down to the ring as the Montreal crowd chants his name. She asks AJ about the No DQ stipulation being added to his match with Nakamura on Sunday, and says this is a benefit to Nakamura because he’s a con artist and a cheat. AJ brushes off Nakamura’s demand for an apology, and says he should have left Nakamura in the desert eating sand. AJ calls Nakamura a coward who attacks from behind and below the belt. AJ says he knows how to break rules too, and says we’ll be finding pieces of Nakamura all over the place on Sunday night. Renee asks about Nakamura’s demand for an apology again, and AJ says if he wants one he should come out and get one. Samoa Joe’s music hits and Joe comes out to interrupt.
Samoa Joe comes down and gets the pop from the crowd. Joe talks trash to AJ about losing his focus, and says he needs to focus on Joe coming for him. Joe says after he beats Reigns at Backlash, his sights are set on the WWE Championship. Joe’s music hits, but then Nakamura’s music hits to interrupt. Joe looks behind him on the stage, but no one is there. Nakamura comes out of nowhere into the ring from behind and hits another low-blow on AJ.
Nakamura waits for AJ to get up, then starts taunting AJ. Nakamura hits the Kinshasa on the Champion, and then grabs AJ’s WWE Title and holds it up. Nakamura drops the belt on AJ and walks off.
– Becky Lynch is backstage talking to Asuka about last week’s loss. Asuka tells her to forget it, because tonight they’ll hit back three times harder. Charlotte walks in and says Carmella and The Iconics think they’re invincible, but they’re just annoying and have lost their minds. Flair says she’ll get her Women’s Title back on Sunday, but tonight is all about their six-woman tag match.
– Still to come: Sheamus vs. Xavier Woods
– Sheamus vs. Xavier Woods: Cesaro, Big E and Kofi are all at ringside for this one. The opening bell sounds and Sheamus takes control early on. He drops Woods and beats on him in the corner. Woods ducks a clothesline and kicks out Sheamus’ knee. Woods hits a rolling elbow and a dropkick, and Sheamus falls to the outside. Woods hits a suicide dive on Sheamus, then takes him back in the ring. Cesaro distracts Woods by taunting him with some pancakes, and Sheamus takes advantage with a big knee to Woods. Sheamus pummels on Woods as the fants chant “you look stupid” at him.
Sheamus follows up with an Irish Curse backbreaker, and continues to control the pace of the match. Woods starts firing back with strikes and a leg drop for a two count. They go back and forth until Woods hits a Shining Wizard for another two count. Woods goes up top, but Cesaro distracts him. Big E comes over and brawls with Cesaro on the floor, and the distraction leads to Woods rolling up Sheamus for the three count.
Winner: Xavier Woods
– After the match, The New Day celebrates as Sheamus and Cesaro recover.
– Paige is backstage watching footage of Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville dissing Becky Lynch. The Absolution members walk in and they all hug. They congratulate Paige on being SmackDown GM, and Paige books Mandy vs. Becky for next week. Mandy and Sonya ask Paige for special treatment, but Paige says Absolution is dead. Things get awkward between them and we go to commercial.
– We see a pre-taped promo from Zelina Vega and Andrade “Cien” Almas. Vega says SmackDown will be changing very soon when Almas arrives.
– The broadcast team hypes up this Sunday’s Backlash pay-per-view.
– Asuka, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch vs. Carmella, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce: The opening bell sounds and Charlotte and Carmella start off. Carmella quickly tags in Royce before things get physical, and Flair tags in Becky. Becky takes Royce down and they go back and forth. Billie hits a cheap shot on Becky from the apron, which Peyton capitalizes on with more strikes. Asuka tags in and taunts Billie before beating on her. Billie slaps Asuka across the face, and Asuka smiles and unloads with a series of strikes. Asuka hits the hip attack, then tags in Flair for the double team. Flair continues the offense until Billie slams her down by the hair, then tags in Carmella. Charlotte blocks a superkick, and takes Carmella down for the Figure Four. Carmella escapes and rolls outside with the Iconics, and Charlotte launches herself outside with a suicide dive on them.
All hell breaks loose now between the competitors as the referee tries to restore order. It comes down to Becky and Carmella in the ring, and Becky drops her. Becky looks for the tag, but Billie and Peyon pull Asuka off the apron, and Carmella stops Becky from tagging in Charlotte. Becky fights off Carmella and tags in Charlotte, who cleans house. Billie distracts Charlotte and Carmella slams Charlotte face-first into the turnbuckle as a result. The Iconics double team Flair now, then Carmella tags in and continues the beat-down on Charlotte.
Charlotte starts fighting back and looks for a Figure Four on Peyton, but Peyton escapes. Asuka tags in and unloads with strikes, then hits a flying kick to the face. Billie and Carmella get involved now, and Asuka knocks them both off the apron with a hip attack. Peyton rolls Asuka up from behind for a two count, then argues with the ref. Charlotte and Billie fight on the floor, while Peyton and Asuka continue to go at it in the ring. Asuka counters a move and locks in the Asuka Lock. Peyton taps out for the finish.
Winners: Asuka, Charlotte & Becky Lynch
– After the match, Carmella sits on the ramp clutching her Women’s champion as the babyfaces stand tall in the ring. Charlotte leaves first and stares down Flair, who says she’s taking the Title on Sunday.
The Miz has been an important part of the WWE over the last decade.
The biggest match of The Miz’s career was when defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship back at WrestleMania 27 in 2011 in the main event.
This marked the only time that WWE had booked The Miz in the main event of the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company.
Miz was recently interviewed on CBS Sports’ In This Corner podcast to talk about various topics including beating Cena in the main event of WrestleMania. “I have pinned John Cena at WrestleMania, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my WWE career. To go into WrestleMania as WWE Champion and to walk out of WrestleMania as WWE Champion as the bad guy that people boo, that doesn’t really happen ever and it did with me because I make people believe. “
Now that Daniel Bryan has been cleared to return to in-ring action, it’s just a matter of time before the WWE books Miz and Bryan in a program on the blue brand. Miz gave an interesting response when asked if he was happy about Bryan being cleared.
“Am I happy? No. Good for him that he is back. Congratulations. Bravo. The thing is he was the one that said, ‘fight for your dreams?’ He didn’t fight for his dreams when he walked away like a coward on Talking Smack now did he? That’s real. Fight for your dreams. His playbook goes something like this: go out there, get sympathy, talk about your wife, cry a little and get your ass kicked.”
– WWE is scheduled to hold a live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 7th. The promotion recently updated the advertisement for the show.
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe in a singles match is being promoted as the main event. Keep in mind that this is a match that is also being advertised for several other events this summer.
It should be noted that although the arena is advertising this match, WWE.com is no longer advertising Joe for the upcoming show. This may have been done due to Joe being moved from RAW to SmackDown Live as part of the Superstar Shake-Up. It’s possible that MSG updates the lineup in the coming days.
Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Elias, Matt Hardy, and Bray Wyatt are also being advertised for this live event. – WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry discussed WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins’ latest work in WWE on the latest episode of Busted Open Radio. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion gave high praise to Rollins and said he’s becoming an all-time great. “Seth Rollins is, right now, for your money, he’s one of the most exciting guys wrestling,” Henry said. “He’s getting into that ‘great’ stratusphere, like beyond elite. He’s becoming—dare I say—Hall Of Fame caliber. He’s going to be one of the best before it’s all said and done with.”
The advertised main event for last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW from Montreal, Canada was a Six Man Tag Team match between Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe, Sheamus and Cesaro.
The entire team of Joe, Sheamus, and Cesaro are now on SmackDown Live by way of the Superstar Shake-Up. Instead, Seth Rollins got on the mic after successfully defending his Intercontinental Title against Finn Balor.
The entire Bell Centre was chanting “Thank you Rollins” as he stood in the ring. Rollins said that he wasn’t lying earlier in the night when he said the travel his job requires is strenous, and he wasn’t lying when he said there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. He then said the WWE Universe is like family and they make the ring feel like home.
After winning the RAW Women’s Title from Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania 34 earlier last month in New Orleans, Nia Jax has finally received her custom title plates. Jax will defend her RAW Women’s Title against Bliss at Backlash this weekend:
WWE Monday Night RAW stars Fandango and Tyler Breeze were recently guests on Edge and Christian’s E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Breeze and Fandango’s tag team saw a huge rise in fame due to the success of their Fashion Files segments.
Breeze said that Vince McMahon didn’t really understand the segment, but said to keep it up due to how much success they had on social media:
“A lot of the reason why it was a success and that it became a thing was because of social media.” Breeze recalled, “I guess we did one episode and it was kind of supposed to end after that, but I guess it was the number one trending thing on SmackDown or something like that. And even Vince, he was like, ‘I don’t get it, but the people like it, so keep doing it.’ And it was all-of-a-sudden eight months later because of social media.”
While Breeze was never considered a top talent during his developmental days, it turns out that a spot he had with a young Cesaro during a match actually saved his job:
“I’ve never been the chosen one or however you want to say it, so when I got hired, I kind of had been working for about four years.” Breeze elaborated, “Cesaro, it was his debut in FCW. He just got signed and I had his first match on FCW TV at the time, which got viewed by like 50 people in Florida.
“And they put all this emphasis on it, like, ‘okay, this guy’s special. We’ve got to make it a big thing.’ Whatever. So he did a thing where he threw me up in the air and uppercutted me out of the air and I guess it looked really cool, but I guess the people literally went, ‘okay, don’t fire him yet. There might be something here,’ so one little thing like that saved me for another year.”
Breeze was again almost cut from the company, but he impressed Triple H enough in a match that The Game saved him from receiving his walking papers:
“We end up having the first NXT pilot at Full Sail [University] to test out and see if Full Sail work work for the venue for NXT.” Breeze remembered, “and I ended up having a match with one of the guys in Ascension. He was just basically going to kill me, but he was my friend so he goes, ‘no, let’s have a match.’
“So we have this match and Triple H happened to be there and he just kind of looked over at Dusty [Rhodes] and he goes, ‘who’s this guy? Like, why have I never seen anything of his?’ And, all-of-a-sudden, I got saved again. I just kind of keep getting saved along the way. All-of-a-sudden, Dusty says Hunter liked what he saw and I’m off the list again.”
It turns out that when Breeze was supposed to be cut, it was going to be used as footage for the E:60 special on NXT:
“I was picked on it and it was revealed to me after from Triple H that I was supposed to be the guy who doesn’t make it.” Breeze admitted, “I was supposed to be like, ‘hey, let’s follow you around for ESPN and at the end, you’re getting fired.’ And, of course, I had no clue, so I’m think, ‘oh, that’s awesome – this ESPN thing is going to be really cool.'”
You can listen to E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by clicking this link here.
Last night’s crowd in Montreal, Canada showed a ton of love for their fellow Canadians – but Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens received some major pops. Roman Reigns’ promo opened up the night but was soon interrupted by Jinder Mahal, Zayn, and Owens – all of whom wanted a piece of The Big Dog.
Ultimately all three men jumped Reigns and Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman came out for the save. This led to a Six Man Tag Team match being made later on in the night between the teams of Reigns, Strowman, and Lashley vs. Owens, Zayn, and Mahal.
The match actually proved to be a very entertaining one, and during a physical exchange outside by Owens and Reigns, Owen’s father (Terry) and The Big Dog playfully exchanged words.
Reigns was working on Owens agains the fan barrier when the pair began jawing off at one another. You can check out the video here below:
On last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW, recent NXT call-ups The Authors Of Pain squashed a pair of local talents by the name of Jean-Paul and Francois. Akam and Rezar completely dominated the local Canadian talents before cutting a promo afterwards, putting the RAW Tag Team Division on notice.
It turns out that Jean-Paul and Francois go by the name “3.0.” They’re each billed as Scott Parker and Shane Mathews. Fans may recognize them from their work in the CHIKARA and International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS) promotions.
This isn’t the first time 3.0 has been used in a squash match to make a top tag team look strong. Back on the April 2nd, 2016 episode of NXT, The Revival Squashed 3.0 as well. You can check a photo out form that here:
The Revival derrotaron a Matt Lee & Jeff Parker con total contundencia tras 'Shatter Machine' sobre Matt Lee. pic.twitter.com/1ZOgKFvsfb
Perhaps after being squashed by both AOP and The Revival in recent years, WWE could consider bringing in these young men for an opportunity in NXT. We’ll keep you updated.
Last night former NXT star No Way Jose made his way to the ring in Montreal, Canada, along with his conga line, to take on Baron Corbin. Jose has been dubbed by many the next Adam Rose, who used to make his way to the ring accompanied by his Rosebuds.
It seems that two members of Jose’s conga line have been identified, and they’re quite famous on the local scene in Montreal. The duo go by the name of Tabarnak De Team, and they are one of International Wrestling Syndicate’s most popular teams. They can be seen below (the two men with beards):
Why Sumo Wrestler Worked The Greatest Royal Rumble Match
Many fans were a bit confused when Sumo wrestler Hiroko Sumi appeared in the Greatest Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia. Dave Meltzer recently discussed this in the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.
Apparently when the member of the royal family who booked the show was talking to Vince, he wanted names like Ultimate Warrior and Yokozuna wrestling. Unfortunately both of those men are no longer with us. Hiroko Sumi’s appearance seems to be a way to give that member of the royal family a taste of a Yokozuna-type character.
WWE Hall Of Famer Bully Ray (a.k.a. Bubba Ray Dudley) recently spoke on Busted Open Radio about the possibility of Braun Strowman taking Roman Reigns’ spot in WWE. Ray seemed to suggest the image of Strowman holding the belt for the Greatest Royal Rumble over his head in Saudi Arabia could’ve been a test. Here’s what he had to say:
“What a great experimental picture to paint. There was no prize for the [Greatest] Royal Rumble victory, but they made up this belt, and Braun holding the belt over his head, with the people popping, that was a hell of a picture, right? What a great experiment — well, let’s see how he looks with the championship belt over his head with the people— and it really worked.
“[Jim Ross] recently did an interview where I believe he said Braun could be or would be the face of WWE. I know that’s a discussion we’ve had, whether or not he could be the face—I don’t mean babyface, I mean the ‘face’ ala John Cena or a Hulk Hogan—face of the company. They are obviously on the right track with Braun. In a weird way, Braun is the next Daniel Bryan, because he got over very organically, right? It’s what the people want.
“I can definitely see them—after seeing the Jedda match and seeing how things didn’t exactly go great with Roman, and we’ve given them a chance after chance after chance, and obviously this is not a knock on Roman [Reigns] as a person or a wrestler— it’s just not working. But it really is working for Braun, and I think that they will run with him.”
WWE returns to Europe next week with a live events tour that hits England, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands and France.
The Raw and SmackDown crews will be traversing the continent, with over a dozen shows that will include RAW and SmackDown TV tapings from London, England on the 14th and 15th.
WWE has announced updated lineups for two of the RAW brand’s stops:
Belfast, Northern Ireland (Thursday, May 10th)
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
Baron Corbin vs. Braun Strowman
Elias vs. Bobby Lashley
Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler vs. Titus Worldwide with Dana Brooke
No Way Jose, The Ascension, Breezango vs. The Revival, The Authors of Pain, Curt Hawkins
Handicap Match: The Riott Squad vs. Ember Moon and Natalya
RAW Tag Team Champions Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley
WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Roode vs. Finn Balor vs. Jinder Mahal with Sunil Singh
Dublin, Ireland (Friday, May 11th)
Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin, Samoa Joe, Jinder Mahal with Sunil Singh
Bobby Roode vs. Elias
Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens
The Revival, The Authors of Pain, Curt Hawkins vs. The Ascension, No Way Jose, Titus Worldwide with Dana Brooke
Sasha Banks, Bayley, Ember Moon, Dana Brooke vs. Natalya, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan
RAW Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy vs. Breezango vs. Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler
RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn
WWE is already starting to build the next feud for former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey.
Rousey made her WWE in-ring debut by teaming up with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team Match at WrestleMania 34 last month.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw in Montreal, QC at the Bell Centre on the USA Network, Rousey was ringside for Natalya’s match against Mickie James, which saw Natalya win. After the match, there was a post-match celebration angle that featured WWE RAW Women’s Champ Nia Jax, Rousey, and Natalya.
The previous week, Rousey made the save for Natalya and beatdown James. Mike Johnson speculated on PWinsider audio that this segment could’ve been done as a way to plant the seeds for a future match that would see Jax vs. Rousey at SummerSlam later this year.
“Nia Jax showed up as Alexa was standing on the stage and then Alexa ran away from her and dove into the crowd to get away. Then they did the moment of Nia and Rousey, kinda facing off, which of course they will build that as a dream match at some point. Before the two raised each other’s arms and they’re both happy, happy, joy, joy smiling. It was an interesting little thing. I looked at that and went, ‘there’s SummerSlam.’ That’s were my brain immediately went. That’s the initial tease for SummerSlam.”
Rousey vs. Nia Jax? Meh
The question remains if Nia Jax is the right opponent for Ronda Rousey this early into her in-ring career. Rousey is scheduled to work against with veteran competitor Mickie James during WWE’s upcoming UK tour. This seems like a wise booking decision, as Rousey can continue honing her skills against a seasoned competitor. Nia Jax has improved, but she’s no Mickie James in the ring. She’s also a babyface, as is Ronda Rousey. Who knows if Nia Jax will still be RAW Women’s Champion come August, but Rousey should not be anywhere near a championship match before WrestleMania 35.
Maybe Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax will cross paths eventually, but Rousey would be better suited against someone like Mickie or Alexa Bliss.
What are your thoughts on a potential match between Jax and Rousey at this event? Sound off in the comment section below.
– WWE has already confirmed that WWE Champion AJ Styles will wrestle Shinsuke Nakamura under the sports entertainment banner for the third time thus far this year. Their first match went down at WrestleMania 34 with Styles winning and their second match at the Greatest Royal Rumble event that saw no winner being declared as both superstars were counted out.
Now, Styles is slated to put his title on the line against Nakamura at the upcoming Backlash pay-per-view event in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center on Sunday. The WWE Champion sent out the following tweet to hype the upcoming match:
– WWE’s annual tour of the UK is right around the corner, and more lineups for these events have been revealed, which you can see here: Belfast, Northern Ireland (May 10th) — Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe — Baron Corbin vs. Braun Strowman — Elias vs. Bobby Lashley — Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler vs. Titus Worldwide with Dana Brooke — No Way Jose, The Ascension, Breezango vs. The Revival, The Authors of Pain, Curt Hawkins — Handicap Match: The Riott Squad vs. Ember Moon and Natalya — Raw Tag Team Champions Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn — Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley — WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Roode vs. Finn Balor vs. Jinder Mahal with Sunil Singh Dublin, Ireland (May 11th) — Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin, Samoa Joe, Jinder Mahal with Sunil Singh — Bobby Roode vs. Elias — Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens — The Revival, The Authors of Pain, Curt Hawkins vs. The Ascension, No Way Jose, Titus Worldwide with Dana Brooke — Sasha Banks, Bayley, Ember Moon, Dana Brooke vs. Natalya, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan — Raw Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy vs. Breezango vs. Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler — Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss — WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn
205 Live tonight will emanate from the Bell Center in Montreal. Last week on the show, Kalisto won a gauntlet match to earn the right to challenge Cedric Alexander for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
205 Live GM, Drake Maverick, recently sent out the following:
WWE.com is also advertising we should find out more about Alexander’s next title challenger tonight.
205 Live
Cedric Alexander defeated Kalisto in Jeddah in what was his first televised defense of the Cruiserweight title. He defended the title successfully 4x against Drew Gulak on a recent tour of South Africa, however.
Also waiting in the wings for Alexander is Buddy Murphy. After failing to make weight on a recent episode of 205 Live, GM Drake Maverick rescinded a title match he had preivously earned. We should find out more tonight regarding if Murphy’s title shot will be rescheduled at any point. Murphy will need to successfully make the 205lbs weight limit first, however.
While it still has yet to be acknowledged on WWE programming, 205 Live is also preparing to introduce tag-team titles. Teams such as the Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik, and Kalisto) and Hideo Itami & Akira Tozawa are beginning to become established. Other teams, such as Jack Gallagher & the Brian Kendrick could also be added to a Crusierweight tag-team division.
Also building on 205 Live at the moment is a potential feud between former allies, Tony Nese and Drew Gulak.
Following their appearance at the Greatest Royal Rumble on Friday in Saudi Arabia, it will be interesting to see if the Daivari brothers make an appearance in Montreal tonight. The younger Daivari brother issued an apology recently on Twitter to anyone who was offended by his segment at the Greatest Royal Rumble. The Daivari brothers played up their Iranian heritage to generate heat with the Saudi Arabian crowd. It was the first time the two brothers had been in a WWE ring together.
Former WWE Superstar Santino Marella will be hosting a new weekly show for Impact Wrestling.
Santino (real name Anthony Carelli) and Destiny Wrestling’s ‘Iceman’ are the hosts for Beyond The Lights, a weekly series looking at the worlds of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Destiny World Wrestling, which operates out of Santino Marella’s Battle Arts Academy facility in Ontario, has a working relationship with Impact. Destiny will present Impact’s upcoming One Night Only taping on Sunday, June 3rd from Toronto.
2018 Hall of Famer and former WWE Universal Champion Goldberg made a recent appearance on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast where he was asked about his recent run in the WWE, whether he would make a return to the ring again and how he felt about his induction to the WWE Hall of Fame.
Goldberg’s Latest WWE Run
Talking about his return to the WWE, Goldberg said, “I am an extremely lucky human being to have been afforded the opportunities that I have had in the past and that I am able to twelve years removed from the business go back and do what I did as a father along with just being a normal human, I am one of the luckiest guys in the world.”
“You can understand and millions upon millions of guys can understand the situation that I was in and that I am in everyday being a father. To get that opportunity to basically be on a rocket and shot to stardom again in front of your eyes of your son in real time. How can you write it any better than that?”
Goldberg returned to the WWE ring for the first time in 12 years when he made his return in October 2016. He headlined Survivor Series where he defeated Brock Lesnar under 1 minute and 26 seconds and Fastlane where he defeated Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal Championship.
Even though he lost the title in what would be his last match in the WWE to Lesnar at WrestleMania 33, his short run and comeback were memorable.
Bill Goldberg: WWE Hall of Fame Headliner
Goldberg returned to the WWE again this year as the headliner of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2018 where he would be inducted by none other than Paul Heyman.
Goldberg was asked about the induction ceremony and whether it felt if it was the pinnacle of his career, to which he described it as “bittersweet.” Goldberg maintained that he was honored and happy to be a part of the Hall of Fame, but he wasn’t happy with the fact that half the audience had left the event when it was time for his speech. According to him, the “strange” send-off was “unfair” and “unceremonious.”
“Yes and no. It’s bitter sweet. I’ll start with the yes in that I was extremely and will always be forever honored to the people who chose me to be a member of the Hall of Fame period end of story. The people that I rubbed shoulders with in that hall I don’t deserve to be there by any stretch but did I enjoy being last when half the people left because of a six hour ceremony when people go on and on and on and unfairly try to encapsulate their five to thirty five to forty years in the business? It was an unfair and unceremoniously strange send off because it is just tough.
You try to be professional in consideration for others and I’m not saying that the others were inconsiderate because they deserve their time and you deserve to sit out there and talk for an hour and make people understand how appreciative you are of the accolade and induction and the stories that encapsulate your career.
It’s an injustice for people to not hear those things. But at the same time it makes for an extremely excruciating experience (laughing) sitting out in that crowd. Even more excruciating for someone that has to follow them and capture their career in a short period of time which is what I tried to do and hell, I forgot about Sting and he was sitting in the front row thank God and I forgot about a million people because I didn’t have time.”
Goldberg continued, “I gave my suggestions to Mr. McMahon afterwards and then you carry on to the next night and you carry onto Mania where you are introduced and I was out of there like a hot potato because as long as I am physically able and as I’ve said have the ability to do the things that I used to do, I’m not saying I want to be out there doing it but its tough being around.
It is like being in pads and sitting on the side lines waiting for the coach to put you in but you can’t because you are ineligible. It’s just that I am a competitive person and it is tough to sit back and watch people do it whether it is wrestling or anything else. That transition that is kind of forcefully retire when you get this Hall of Fame induction I am just kind of uncomfortable with that whole situation. I am still walking tall.”
Thanks to Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling for sending in the transcribed quotes. You can check out the podcast here.
Who Are The Spiritual Beings Controlling Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt?
“I promise you if you could see the creature that lay behind these eyes, you wouldn’t be standing in front of me. You would be kneeling before me in a puddle of your own piss.” – Bray Wyatt
During the video, Bray Wyatt reveals that Sister Abigail is no longer controlling him. Now, Wyatt is occupied by a being other than Sister Abigail. Wyatt revealed to the camera that this spiritual being’s name is Samael.
“To me, Abigail was a delicious poison. An intoxicating, overwhelming, poison, but Abigail don’t live here no more. I am Samael” – Bray Wyatt
In Judaism, Samael is the name of the Angel Of Death or sometimes the name given to the devil. In other religions, the name is also associated with demons, though sometimes it is a name just given to angel of high-ranking. There is also a theme of blindness related to the name. The Sethians used the name Samael to describe “the Blind God”.
“Samael and my essence, Zenith, have been together since the Genesis. And now, Samael is no longer suppressed by Abigail!” – Matt Hardy
The word “Zenith” is normally used to describe the highest point of something. As in, if you climbed to the top of Mount Everest, you reached the mountain’s zenith.
Hardy and Wyatt have been given the tag-team name “Deleter of Worlds” and are now the new Raw tag-team champions. The immortal duo of time-travelers defeated the Bar at the Greatest Royal Rumble to win the vacated titles. The belts had previously been held by Braun Strowman and Nicholas.
