Zack Ryder suffered a knee injury on Monday night and will be unable to compete in Friday’s 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble event.
Ryder competed against Mike Bennett in a match taped for Main Event (prior to RAW). Ryder announced on Tuesday morning that he suffered a knee injury during the bout. As a result, instead of flying to Saudi Arabia, he’s headed to Orlando, Florida for an MRI.
Ryder tore his ACL back in December 2016 and was out of action for several months after that. The Long Island Broski vows to return soon from this unfortunate setback.
This pic is from last night b4 my match with @RealMikeBennett on #MainEvent. We treated it like we were wrestling on #Raw. Unfortunately, I suffered a knee injury. While the rest of the roster is flying to Saudi Arabia 2day for #WWEGRR, I’m flying back to Orlando to get a MRI. pic.twitter.com/YkW1fwOElR
The Bullet Club/the Elite organized “All-In” show for September 1st in Chicago gained 3 more names yesterday. The show is scheduled for the Sears Center in Chicago and will be accompanied by a fan and podcast convention (Starrcast) in the days leading up to the event.
Yesterday the organizers of the event announced Penelope Ford, “Bad Boy” Joey Janela, and Chelsea Green have declared they are “All In”.
As the list of All In performers continues to grow, we’ve got an updated roster below:
Confirmed for All In:
Penelope Ford (new)
“Bad Boy” Joey Janela (new)
Chelsea Green (new)
Kazuchika Okada
Deonna Purrazzo
Pentagon Jr.
Ray Fenix
Cracker Barrel
Tessa Blanchard
Kenny Omega
Matt & Nick Jackson
Hangman Page
Cody
Specifically not Flip Gordon
Stephen Amell
Marty Scurll
New Japan Pro Wrestling Cow Palace Show on July 7th, 2018
The Elite’s planned “All In” show is getting eclipsed somewhat by the scheduled NJPW show at California’s Cow Palace. New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the show at Strong Style Evolved this year.
While reports vary, it is believed the Cow Palace can currently hold 13,000 – 15,000 for wrestling. This makes it a bigger venue than the Sears Center in Chicago.
All in on September 1st, 2018, is not associated with any promotion. There are also no plans to air the show on a paid-streaming service such as Honor Club or New Japan World. For that reason, it is open to wrestlers contracted to other promotions. As it stands now, the World Champions in NJPW and Impact Wrestling are scheduled for the show. NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Nick Aldis, has also expressed interest in competing on the show. On a recent edition of the “10lbs of Gold” YouTube series, Aldis appeared on the Busted Open radio show and spoke on how the NWA title should be at All In.
Gail Kim’s 2011 exit from WWE is among the most daring ways anyone has ever burned their bridge with the company. Frustrated with how women were being used on WWE programming, Gail Kim went off script (kind of) in a women’s battle royal match on Raw.
The Raw battle royal on August 1st, 2011 was to determine a new #1 contender for the Divas title. Kim was told to be eliminated early in the match. Shortly after the match started, Kim decided to simply roll out of the ring, walk to the back, and quit.
Kim then signed with TNA and finished up her career there. She still works backstage with the company.
Check out Gail Kim give her reasons for leaving WWE in 2011:
Gail Kim on Stephanie McMahon
The TNA Hall-of-Famer recently gave an interview to AfterBuzz and expressed her opinion that Stephanie McMahon had zero interest in women’s wrestling while she was in WWE.
“WWE always thinks in a business mindset. For them, they are thinking, ‘ok this woman’s revolution is becoming hot, Ronda Rousey, this “Me Too” movement’; so of course, to be honest, I’m going to say this, because I’ve said it on Twitter; Stephanie (McMahon) could have been fighting for us a long time ago. She was there every single time I worked there and she had zero interest in fighting for the women back then. So, for them, everything is business motivated. So, them having this women’s revolution, and it’s from the fans as well….the fans did demand it through social media and Vince heard it and made it happen. And I think finally the girls are getting treated the way they want to get treated.”
In addition to working backstage for Impact, Kim married celebrity chef, Robert Irvine, in 2012. Kim had studied nutrition at the University of Ryerson in her hometown of Toronto, ON, Canada. She topped the PWI Top 50 Female Wrestlers list in 2012.
31-year-old Eric Arndt, better known to wrestling fans as Enzo Amore, posted to his Instagram account yesterday. The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion has been silent on social media since his release from the company in January.
All of Enzo’s previous Instagram posts, including his videos from the Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor fight, have been taken down. The following post is all that remains:
The image of boots being hung up could be Enzo expressing that he is “hanging up the boots”. The last time Enzo posted to Twitter was January 23rd, 2018. The post only includes a statement from his lawyer.
Enzo has also changed his bio on Instagram to read: “Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear.”
After news broke of the pending investigation into an alleged sexual assault committed by Enzo, WWE suspended and then fired him. It is speculated that the company released him for failing to notify them of the pending investigation.
Enzo’s WWE career lasted a little under 5 years. He debuted in NXT on May 22nd, 2013. He was quickly paired with Colin Cassady and the Enzo and Big Cass tag-team was born. Although the team would never win the NXT tag-team championships, they were quite popular. Enzo and Cass were called up to the main roster in 2016.
The following year, Enzo and Cass were split up with Enzo remaining babyface and Cass turning heel. An injury to Big Cass led to Enzo turning heel as well and joining the cruiserweight division on 205 Live. An attempt was made to build the show around Enzo but was later abandoned after his release in January of 2018.
Roman Reigns has main evented 4 WrestleMania in a row now and the talks about who he may face at the next edition of the Show Of Shows have already begun.
During a recent interview with WWE’s Spanish Team to promote the company’s upcoming tour of Spain, The Big Dog talked about a number of things and revealed his choice of opponent for WrestleMania 35.
According to Reigns he wants to face Daniel Bryan once again and if that’s not possible then he’ll like to face his Shield mates Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins:
“I think I’d like to face Daniel Bryan again. It could be a great fight for next year at WrestleMania. Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns But if it cannot be, then I’d like to face the rest of The Shield, Seth, and Dean again.”
It’s been a while since Roman Reigns last wrestled Daniel Bryan on the Fastlane PPV back in 2015 and a rematch between the two certainly has potential.
However, with all three former Shield members being on the same Brand at Raw, a rematch between the three from Battleground 2016 looks to be a more realistic possibility.
Whether or not any of these matches actually take place on the Grandest Stage Of Them All will be revealed down the line, but the comments from Roman are certainly enough to fuel the fire for a discussion.
Fans have been waiting to see a confrontation between the Miz and Daniel Bryan ever since Bryan got cleared to return to the ring and it appears that we’ll finally get to see a faceoff between the two at SmackDown tonight.
The Miz was drafted to SmackDown Live from Raw during Superstar Shakeup last week but the A-Lister only appeared on the show via a pre-taped video saying that he will make his return to the Blue Brand next week.
Now the company has revealed that the former Intercontinental Champion will be holding a Miz TV segment during his return at the Blue Branded Show this week and his guest will be none other than Daniel Bryan.
It’s worth mentioning here that this is not the only thing announced for tonight’s episode. WWE announced on their site that Jimmy Uso will take on Erick Rowan in a one on one match during the event.
They have also revealed that Charlotte will cash in her rematch clause against Carmella at the upcoming Backlash PPV and a contract signing segment between the two will take place on SmackDown tonight as well.
Now it’d be interesting to see if the Miz TV segment finally turns out to be the start of a physical rivalry between Bryan and Miz or if it ends up being just another verbal battle with another tease for the future.
WWE has confirmed both Raw and SmackDown’s Women’s Championship matches for the upcoming Backlash PPV in the last few hours.
First, the company announced on their site that the new Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax will be defending her title against the former Champion Alexa Bliss at Backlash in a rematch from WrestleMania 34.
After this, they revealed that Charlotte Fair will be cashing in her rematch clause against the former Ms. Money In The Bank and the current SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella at the upcoming PPV as well.
In addition to the Championship match, they also announced a contract signing segment between Carmella and Charlotte for tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live.
After this revelation, the number of bouts which have officially been announced for the upcoming show has become 4.
WWE Backlash Card
Raw Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella
Intercontinental Championship: Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns
The company is expected to announce more bouts for the upcoming PPV in near future but Officials are most likely holding off the announcements to create suspense for the matches taking place at the Greatest Royal Rumble event this Friday.
WWE Backlash will take place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on May 6, 2018.
The April 23rd, 2018 episode of WWE RAW aired live from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. It was the final episode of WWE RAW before WWE Greatest Royal Rumble this Friday afternoon.
RAW kicked off with a tribute to Bruno Sammartino. The RAW locker room stood on the stage with Vince McMahon as the bell was tolled ten times. WWE then aired a video tribute for Sammartino and there will be a documentary about his life available on the WWE Network following tonight’s RAW.
Here are 10 Takeaways from this week’s show:
Roman Reigns Confronted Brock Lesnar Before Greatest Royal Rumble
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came down to the ring. Heyman asked the crowd if they thought they were in the ring to gloat and say “we told you so”. Heyman noted that he doesn’t offer predictions, he delivers spoilers. Heyman added that Lesnar does not gloat, he conquers. Paul admitted that he gloats all the time and gloated about Brock using “non-PG era elbows to the face” to Reigns at WrestleMania 34.
Heyman turned his attention towards the Greatest Royal Rumble event this Friday. Paul stated that Lesnar craves so badly to be in a UFC fight, he will now fly to Saudi Arabia just to be locked inside a cage, The camera conveniently cut to a section of fans that were all chanting “Roman!”. Heyman bragged about Lesnar signing a contract with a substantial raise, in which he earned by beating Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
Paul stated that WWE came to Lesnar and said that they needed the Universal Championship defended at Greatest Royal Rumble. It was Lesnar who asked for the match to a be a cage match. Heyman vowed that Lesnar is going to shred Roman Reigns at Greatest Royal Rumble and that Reigns will come back to the United States in multiple boxes as a former WWE Superstar.
Roman Reigns interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp. Roman paused for a bit and had a stare down with Lesnar. Reigns made his way down the ramp and got into the ring with Lesnar. Roman guaranteed that he was coming home with the Universal Championship and that Lesnar can believe that. Reigns dropped the microphone and traded a few words with Lesnar before exiting the ring.
Opinion: There really is no reason to be excited for this match at all. If you weren’t looking forward to seeing it at WrestleMania 34, I don’t know how you’d be hyped to see it again this Friday afternoon.
Elias Escaped With A Victory
Elias battled Bobby Roode tonight on WWE RAW. Elias was set to perform before the match, but Roode interrupted him immediately.
Roode started out the match in control and beatdown Elias in the corner. Roode connected with an inverted Atomic Drop and followed it up with a Dropkick for a two count. Roode Clotheslined Elias out of the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Elias was in control of the match and connected with a couple of chops in the corner. Elias applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Roode connected with a Back Body Drop to break up the hold.
Elias was the first Superstar back to his feet. Roode decked him with a forearm to the face and followed it up with a Clothesline in the corner. Bobby connected with a Neckbreaker and then another Clothesline off the top rope.
Roode went for the Glorious DDT but Elias blocked it. Roode planted Elias with a Blockbuster off the second rope and Elias rolled out of the ring. Bobby followed him and threw him back into the ring. Elias pulled Roode’s shoulder into the ropes and then won the match with a roll-up.
Hardy & Wyatt Dominated Ahead Of Their Title Match This Friday
Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy faced The Ascension tonight on RAW. Hardy cheered Viktor to start off the match after he performed a cartwheel in the ring. Hardy slammed Viktor to the mat and Wyatt tagged in.
Konnor tagged in and he was promptly leveled by a shoulder tackle from Bray. Matt tagged in and went for a Neckbreaker, but Konnor knocked him back to the corner. Viktor tagged in and stomped on Hardy in the corner.
Viktor applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Matt escaped and tagged in Bray Wyatt. Bray connected with an elbow to the face and then posed in the corner. Hardy tagged back in and hit Viktor with the Side Effect.
Bray planted Konnor with the Sister Abigail and then tagged back into the match. Bray held up Viktor as Matt planted him with a Twist of Fate. Bray then pinned Viktor for the victory. Matt & Bray will face Sheamus & Cesaro at Greatest Royal Rumble for the vacant RAW Tag Team Championships.
Opinion: It has already been announced that Sheamus & Cesaro are heading to SmackDown during WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up. So, it seems quite obvious that Hardy and Wyatt are going to win the titles on Friday. Hardy and Wyatt are certainly an entertaining team, but WWE really needs to build up RAW’s tag division again. It’s ineptitude culminated in a 10-year-old winning the titles at WrestleMania 34. I’m hoping that we get some great rivalries within the division going forward, because I’m currently not invested in the RAW Tag Team Championships after WrestleMania 34.
Kurt Angle Was A Guest On The Sami & Kevin Show
RAW GM Kurt Angle was a guest on The Sami & Kevin Show tonight on RAW.
Sami and Kevin sat down at a desk set up in the ring. Owens welcomed everyone the show and Sami claimed that this was the hottest new interview show. Owens said that a huge void on RAW was created when The Miz was sent to SmackDown. Sami and Kevin then vowed to win the Greatest Royal Rumble match as the crowd chanted “you both suck”.
Owens said that tonight was about new beginnings and sang a song for Kurt Angle. The song was simply “you suck!” along to Angle’s theme. Owens grabbed a beach chair and set it up for Angle in the ring. Kurt smirked and took a seat.
Kevin Owens claimed that Stephanie McMahon had Kurt’s manhood in a jar in Stamford, Connecticut. Owens brought up headbutting Vince McMahon and Sami stated either Stephanie is really big fans of theirs, or she just really hates Kurt Angle.
Owens stated that Kurt Angle desperately needs this job because of his six kids. Zayn said that Angle only had five kids and Owens corrected him and pointed out that Zayn had forgotten about Jason Jordan. Sami nodded his head and added “that is okay, for years Kurt Angle forgot about Jason Jordan too”.
Angle responded that he appreciated the way that Sami and Owens were treating him tonight. Angle noted that he will be the Greatest Royal Rumble match with Owens and Zayn. He stated that Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho will also be in the rumble match and might look to get some revenge on Owens and Zayn. Angle announced that Owens and Zayn will face Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman in a tag match.
Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler battled Apollo Crews and Titus O’Neil tonight on RAW. Titus beatdown Ziggler for a bit to start off the match. McIntyre tagged in and took control. McIntyre lifted Crews up in the Alabama Slam and Ziggler Superkicked him in the face.
McIntyre and Ziggler then hit the Claymore into the Zig Zag for the pinfall victory. Dolph and Ziggler shouted at Crews and taunted him before performing the Claymore/Zig Zag.
After the match, Ziggler was asked why he brought McIntyre. Ziggler said that now he has someone watching his back and that McIntyre is dangerous. Drew grabbed the microphone and stated that he is dangerous, especially to a locker room that his gone soft. Drew said that he walked around and saw people that just collecting checks and it makes him sick.
Drew added that he is not what WWE wants, he is the wake-up call and reality check that WWE needs. Dolph grabbed the microphone and shouted that they are not worried about stealing the show because they are the show.
Opinion: This was an excellent promo. McIntyre has stated in various interviews that he wanted to prove himself in WWE once again and become the main event. That passion is now being shown in his on-screen character and he got a great reaction in his promo tonight. The fans, myself included, already dig this team and I’m looking forward to see what the future holds for them.
You couldn’t create a Superstar that looks better than Drew McIntyre on paper if you tried.He has the look, the body and the in-ring skills to be at the top of the card. The problem was that he failed miserably to connect with the crowd in his first run with the company and wound up in 3MB with Mahal and Slater. I don’t think McIntyre is going to let that happen again and we could be in for something special on RAW every Monday night.
Jinder Mahal and Chad Gable had a confrontation backstage. Jinder thought he was the child that won the tag titles with Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 34. Mahal then thought he was Mini-Me, but said that was impossible because he passed away this week. RAW GM Kurt Angle announced that they will have a match right now.
Sunil Singh distracted Gable Mahal attacked him before the match started and beat him down. The match officially started and Jinder connected with a boot to the face. Jinder connected with a Clothesline outside the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Mahal was still in control and had Gable in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Gable broke free but was sent back to the canvas with a Clothesline. Jinder whipped Gable into the turnbuckle and went right back to the Headlock. Mahal followed it up by dropping a couple of knees across Gable’s chest. Mahal went for a third, but Gable got his feet up and connected with a kick to the face.
Gable connected with a boot to the face and then targeted his attack on Mahal’s legs. Jinder battled back and hit a running knee to the face. Jinder went for the Khallas, but Gable countered by running up the turnbuckle and flipping into a roll-up for the pinfall victory.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens faced Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley in a tag match tonight. Sami and Owens rolled out of the ring before the match started. Braun and Bobby tried to follow them and Owens & Zayn rolled in the ring to avoid them
Braun caught Sami and Owens outside the ring. Strowman through Zayn into the barricade and rolled Owens into the ring. Lashley connected with a Neckbreaker and followed it up with a Spinebuster to Owens.
Lashley beatdown Owens in the corner and shoved his boot in his face. Owens battled back and tagged in Sami Zayn. Sami connected with a few right hands in the corner and then taunted him. Lashley exploded out of the corner and planted Zayn with a Suplex for a two count.
Sami connected with a boot to the face and Owens tagged back in. Owens beatdown Lashley once again in the corner. Owens knocked Lashley out of the ring and connected with a running Senton as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Lashley was still trapped in the ring as Owens and Zayn took turns beating him down. Owens dragged Strowman off the ring apron so that Lashley couldn’t tag out. Strowman finally tagged in and absolutely leveled Owens with a shoulder tackle outside the ring.
Owens connected with a Clothesline to Zayn in the ring and then shoulder tackled Owens once again outside the ring. Strowman planted Owens with a Dropkick outside the ring. Back in the ring, Lashley planted Zayn with a Vertical Suplex and held him up in the air forever. Braun tagged back in and planted Sami with a Running Powerslam for the victory.
Baron Corbin rejected his match against No Way Jose tonight because of the conga line that was present. Corbin said that he sniffed out Jose’s plan that several members of the line were going to attack him from behind. Corbin added that No Way Jose wasn’t on his level.
The conga line danced backstage and then Jose waved to the crown and Corbin attacked from behind. Baron Chokeslammed Jose into a Backbreaker on the entrance ramp. Corbin then posed at the top of the ramp as RAW went to a commercial break.
"You know what my idea of fun is? It's ruining other people's fun…Jose, you're just not on my level." – @BaronCorbinWWE #RAWpic.twitter.com/XP1jeo4zYt
Opinion: It is pretty amazing how far off the radar Baron Corbin has fallen. His first feud after the Superstar Shake-Up is with No Way Jose. If Corbin defeated Jose 100 times in a row, it wouldn’t do anything for him. Corbin is barely even a midcarder at this point.
The Miztourage Didn’t Find A New Leader
Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel spent the first two hours trying to find a new leader because The Miz is now on SmackDown. Both Rollins and Balor rejected The Miztourage and it resulted in a tag match later in the show.
Balor dominated Curtis Axel to start off the match. Axel battled back and tagged in Bo Dallas. Bo applied a Chin Lock and dragged Balor to the canvas. Balor broke free and tagged in Rollins and he cleaned house.
Seth knocked The Miztourage out of the ring and then delivered a Suicide Dive to Axel. Seth brought Curtis back into the ring and planted him with a Blockbuster off the second rope. Balor tagged in and hit the Coup de Grace for the victory.
Seth Rollins will defend the Intercontinental Championship in a Ladder Match against Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and The Miz at Greatest Royal Rumble this Friday.
Ronda Rousey Beatdown Mickie James
Natalya, Ember Moon, Nia Jax, Bayley & Sasha Banks battled Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Ruby Riott in the main event of tonight’s RAW.
Mickie James beatdown Sasha Banks to start off the match and applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Natalya tagged in and locked in the Sharpshooter on Mickie but Sarah Logan broke it up.
Ruby Riott tagged in and dragged Bayley to the mat with a Chin Lock. Bayley broke free and tagged in Nia Jax. Nia planted Ruby with a Samoan Drop and followed it up with a Leg Drop. Alexa, Mickie, Liv and Sarah rushed the ring and a brawl broke out.
Mickie James kept attacking Natalya on the outside of the ring. Ronda Rousey’s music hit and Rousey came to check on her friend. Mickie connected with a Dropkick to Rousey’s back. Ronda got up and charged the ring and locked in the Arm Bar on Mickie James. The referee called for the bell and Rousey checked on Natalya as her team was disqualified.
Opinion: This week’s episode of RAW was pretty dull. We got another Lesnar & Reigns promo and a series of matches that really didn’t mean anything at all. The highlights of the show for me were Gable picking up a win and McIntyre & Ziggler’s promo.
What did you think of this week’s episode of RAW? Let us know in the comments below.
Major League Wrestling has announced Brian Cage has signed on to compete at the upcoming Intimidation Games live event on May 3rd from Orlando, FL at Gilt Nightclub.
Cage, who competes for Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground, will be wrestling against “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (with Aria Blake).
“Styles make fights,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “Cage is a freak.He’s got unprecedented power but a vertical leap that would put most to shame in the NFL combine. This will be a battle of a power wrestler versus a complete maniac brawler… and I can’t wait.”
Here’s the updated card for Intimidation Games, which will be an MLW Fusion TV taping:
MLW World Champion Shane Strickland vs. Pentagon Jr. (with Salina De La Renta)
ACH vs. Rey Fenix (with Salina De La Renta)
Jeff Cobb vs. Jake Hager (wth Col. Parker)
Brian Cage vs. Joey Janella (with Aria Blake)
Also signed to appear: MVP, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Barrington Hughes, MJF and more.
The April 23rd, 2018 edition of WWE RAW aired live from the Scottrade Center in Saint Louis, MO.
– RAW opens up with a tribute to Bruno Sammartino with the entire roster and Vince McMahon on the stage. We see a video package looking at Bruno’s legendary career.
– WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar comes down to the ring with Paul Heyman. Heyman gets on the mic and talks about Lesnar’s various victories throughout his career, and when it comes to Lesnar the Universal Title belt is real. Heyman says Lesnar used non-PG Era elbow smashes to Reigns’ face to beat him, and gloats about Lesnar hitting multiple F-5’s on Reigns and leaving him laying like a “piece of Samoan trash.” Heyman talks about Lesnar heading in to the Greatest Royal Rumble on Friday to beat Reigns again. Heyman says this is a spoiler: The greatest cage fighter ever will destroy Reigns in the cage match this Friday. Roman Reigns’ music hits and The Big Dog comes out to interrupt. Reigns steps in the ring and comes face to face with Brock and they briefly exchange words off-mic. Reigns gets on the mic and keeps it short, and tells Brock he’s coming home with the Title. Reigns walks off and Brock stares him down from the ring.
– Elias is backstage getting ready for a match with Bobby Roode tonight.
– We see another video package looking at Bruno Sammartino and celebrity reactions on Twitter.
– Elias is in the ring for a song, but he’s immediately interrupted by Bobby Roode.
– Bobby Roode vs. Elias: The opening bell sounds and Roode and Elias trade chops to the chest back and forth in the opening moments. Roode misses a shot off the middle rope, but he hits a spinebuster for a two count. They fight into the corner where Roode connects with some more chops to the chest. Elias comes back with some strikes of his own and throws Roode in to the ring post. Elias gets in control now and tries to keep Roode grounded with a chin lock. Roode comes back with a flying clothesline off the middle rope, and the goes for the Glorious DDT but Elias escapes. Roode kicks Elias away, then hits the Blockbuster off the middle rope. Elias rolls outside to avoid being pinned, then Elias hits a cheap shot on the apron and rolls up Roode for the three count.
Winner: Elias
– Roode looks surprised after the match as Elias heads up the ramp.
– We see a pre-taped promo from Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt about their intentions to go after the RAW Tag Team Titles.
– Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt vs. The Ascension: Matt starts off cool, but The Ascension starts trading frequent tags and repeatedly double-teaming Matt. Wyatt comes in and evens the odds with a Sister Abigail on Konnor, then gets back on the apron and tags in. Wyatt and Matt hit a double team move on Viktor for the three count.
Winners: Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt
– Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn come out to the ring next and get on the mic. They have pictures set up in the ring of them on SmackDown beating up Shane McMahon, and there’s a table with chairs. They tell us this is the hottest new interview show in WWE, “The Sami and Kevin Show.” They bring out Kurt Angle, and they give him a small child’s lawn chair to sit on. Sami and Kevin tell Kurt that they want to have a good relationship with him, but Kevin adds that his bosses in Connecticut have Kurt’s manhood in a jar. They talk about the toxic environment at SmackDown caused by Shane McMahon. They talk about how Kurt better be nice to Stephanie because he needs this job. Kevin and Owens make some jokes about Kurt forgetting about Jason Jordan, then they ask Kurt how he’s going to use Kevin and Sami to the best of their ability. Kurt says he appreciates how nicely Sami and Kevin have treated him, so he’s going to repay them. Kurt says in the Greatest Royal Rumble match on Friday – Kurt will be in it, Daniel Bryan will be in, and Chris Jericho will be in it, along with every other star who Kevin and Sami have crossed over the years. Kurt says that’s Friday, but tonight, Sami and Kevin will have a tag match against Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman. Kurt heads to the back, and Sami and Kevin don’t look happy about their match tonight.
– Seth Rollins is backstage talking to Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. Dallas and Axel talk about leaving The Miz behind, and then they reveal their Seth Rollins shirts under their jackets, and say they want to be the new Shield. Rollins tells them no, and walks off.
– Titus Worldwide vs. Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre: Titus Worldwide comes out first, then Drew and Dolph come out separately. Ziggler and Titus start off and Titus takes control early on. Crews tags in and hits a moonsault on Ziggler for a two count. Crews continues the offense until Drew gets the tag and double teams Crews. McIntyre works over Crews and taunts Titus on the apron. Ziggler and McIntyre hit some double team moves now, and finish up with the Claymore – Zig Zag combo on Crews for the three count.
Winners: Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler
– After the match, Ziggler and McIntyre do an interview in the ring with Charly Caruso. They talk about how dangerous Drew is, and Drew says he’s a superstar and he’s the reality check WWE needs. Ziggler says they don’t care about showing off, because this is the show. They walk off and heads to the back.
– Kurt Angle is backstage watching the monitor, and seems impressed by Ziggler and McIntyre. Chad Gable walks in and thanks Angle for bringing him to RAW. Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh interrupt and complain about Jeff Hardy. Jinder says he wants to be sent back to SmackDown, but Angle says that’s not happening. Gable gets in Jinder’s face and they trade insults. Jinder and Chad starts shoving and Angle makes it a match.
– Jinder Mahal vs. Chad Gable: Gable makes his entrance and gets distracted by Sunil on the ring steps, which leads to Jinder hitting a cheap-shot on Gable from behind. Gable recovers and gets in the ring, and the ref starts the match. The opening bell sounds and Gable comes out strong, but Jinder shuts him down. The fight spills out to ringside and Jinder hits a big clothesline on the floor. Back in the ring, Jinder hits a suplex for a two count, then stomps on Gable. Gable tries to fight back, but Jinder shuts him down and takes him in to the corner. Gable starts making a comeback and takes out Jinder’s knee. Jinder comes back with a knee to Gable, then he drops Gable over the top rope. Jinder hits a running knee, then goes for the Khallas, but Gable fights out. Gable escapes and rolls up Jinder to steal the three count out of nowhere.
Winner: Chad Gable
– Gable looks shocked after the match and leaves the ring. Jinder looks shocked as well, and he’s not happy about the loss.
– The Riott Squad is backstage for an interview with Renee Young. They talk about sending a message to the entire women’s division, and they’re here to disrupt, not make friends.
– Dallas and Axel are backstage still looking for their next move. They approach Finn BAlor wearing Balor Club shirts, but Balor tells them “thanks but no thanks.”
– Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are backstage getting ready to come out to the ring.
– We see a pre-taped promo from Samoa Joe wondering if he’ll have an opponent for Backlash after Lesnar rips apart Reigns on Friday.
– Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Lashley & Braun Strowman: Strowman and Lashley chase Zayn and Owens out to ringside early on. Lashley finally gets his hands on Kevin in the ring and hits a neckbreaker and a spinebuster. Lashley tees off on Owens in the corner and hits a series of elbows to the head. Sami finally gets the tag and they briefly double team Lashley. Sami slaps Lashley across the face, and Lashley fires up and suplexes Sami. Lashley hits an elbow to the face and then charges, but Sami blocks him with a big boot. Owens comes in but Lashley throws him outside, then hits a running powerslam on Sami. Owens comes back with a cheap shot on Lashley, and now Sami starts beating on LAshley. Lashley finally comes back and throws Sami across the ring. Braun looks for the hot tag, but Kevin stops Lashley from reaching him. Owens looks for a Senton on Lashley, but Lashley blocks it with his knees. Sami tags in and Lashley hits a back suplex. Both men are down, and Lashley crawls over to Strowman, but Owens pulls Strowman off the apron. Lashley knocks Owens down, then knocks down Sami, and gets the hot tag to Lashley. Lashley drops Sami, then rolls outside and tackles Kevin into the barricade. Braun tackles Kevin int othe barricade again, then hits the ring and clotheslines Sami down. Back at ringside, Braun hits a running dropkick on Kevin. Braun gets back in the ring now, but Sami Zayn runs off and runs up the ramp. Lashley catches Sami and catches him, then throws him back in the ring. Braun beats on Sami and hits a running splash in the corner. Braun tosses Sami across the ring, then tags in Lashley. Lashley picks up Sami and hits a stalling vertical suplex on Sami. Braun tags in and hits the running powerslam on Sami for the three count.
Winners: bobby Lashley & Braun Strowman
– We go to replays, then Lashley and Strowman celebrate their win as Sami and Kevin are still laying.
– No Way Jose comes out and dances around the ring with a conga line. Baron Corbin comes out to the stage and starts trashing Jose. He says he sees Jose’s trap – people fro his conga line will attack Corbin from behind during their match. Corbin says unlike Jose, he’s here to be a serious contender, and Jose isn’t on his level. Corbin says as long as the conga line is there, there’s no match, and Corbin walks off. Jose gets on the mic and says just because there’s no match tonight doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. The music hits and Jose starts dancing with the conga line again. As Jose stands on the stage and waves at the crowd, Baron Corbin attacks Jose from behind with a mic. Corbin beats down Jose on the stage, and hits the chokeslam backbreaker.
– We see a pre-taped promo from Alexa Bliss where she pretends to do an anti-bullying PSA. Alexa tells a story about Nia ripping a bowl of food from an old lady and eating it and laughing. She says she’ll never forget the sound of Nia chewing and laughing in the old woman’s face. Alexa says she’ll beat Nia and prove that bullies never win.
– Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel vs. Finn Balor & Seth Rollins: Balor and Axel start this one off, and Dallas tags in early to get the numbers advantage over Finn. Dallas and Axel take turns working over Balor and trying to keep him grounded. Balor finally fights them off and tags in Rollins, and Rollins cleans house. Rollins hits a suicide dive on to both Axel and Dallas at ringside, and then back in the ring Rollins hits a Blockbuster on Axel. Rollins looks for the Curb Stomp on Axel, but Dallas runs in for the distraction. Rollins superkicks Dallas, then hits the stomp on Axel. Balor tags in, then Rollins takes out Dallas at ringside. Balor hits the Coup De Grace on Axel in the ring for the three count after a short match
Winner: Finn Balor & Seth Rollins
– Natalya is backstage with Ember Moon, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks and Bayley. Natalya tries to give them a pep talk, and Ember and Nia say some one-liners. They walk off, except Sasha and Bayley, who come face to face, then Bayley walks off.
– Natalya, Ember Moon, Nia Jax, Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Ruby Riott: Logan and Banks start off trading kicks and knees. Banks hits some knee strikes in the corner, then Liv tags in and continues the offense. Sasha comes back with a slap to the face, and then starts working over Liv’s arm. Ember Moon tags in and continues the offense on Liv. Moon hits a spinning elbow to the face in the corner, then a springboard cross body. Moon hits a suicide dive on Liv at ringside next, then takes things back in the ring. Logan and Banks tag in now and Logan gets the upper hand. Mickie tags herself in and Logan looks surprised. Mickie continues beating on Sasha and keeps her grounded. Mickie and Logan come in now and Logan starts working over her knee. Mickie comes in and hits another shot to Natalya’s knee, as Bayley tags in. Ruby tags in and drops Bayley then keeps her grounded. Referees check on Natalya at ringside. Nia tags in and hits a splash on Ruby in the corner then a gorilla press slam and a leg drop. Mickie breaks up the pin, and the aprons clear and chaos breaks loose. All of the women brawl out to ringside, and Nia comes off the apron on to all of them on the ringside floor. Mickie is the first up, and she takes out Natalya with a dropkick. Ronda Rousey comes out for the save and she chases off Mickie. Ronda helps up Natalya, but Mickie dropkicks Ronda from behind. Ronda gets up and drops Mickie in the ring and puts her in the armbar. The ref calls for the DQ and the bell sounds.
Winners via DQ: Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Ruby Riott
– Ronda helps Natalya back, and we go to the broadcast table where Michael Cole promotes Friday’s Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. We see Ronda helped Natalya behind the curtain as RAW goes off the air.
Europe’s biggest all female promotion Pro Wrestling: EVE has confirmed the combatants for their first ever ‘War Games Rules’ match which takes place Saturday May 5th as part of the Wrestle Queendom event.
Wrestle Queendom will be the largest ever All Female event held in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. EVE recently announced that the show will be broadcast LIVE on iPPV across the world via the FITE app.
The announced stars for the ‘War Games Rules’ match will be former EVE Champion Rhia O’Reilly teaming with Laura Di Matteo, Addy Starr and Emi Sakura (Squad Goals) and they will be taking on Blue Nikita, Charli Evans, Jamie Hayter and Jayla Dark (The Deserving).
The stacked mega card will be taking place Saturday May 5th from the world famous York Hall in Bethnal Green, London. The rest of the lineup is as follows:
Pro Wrestling: EVE Championship Match – Sammii Jayne (c) v SHE-1 Tournament Winner and ACE of EVECharlie Morgan
International Dream Match – Aja Kong v Viper
International Dream Match – Meiko Satomura v Kay Lee Ray
Winner Advances to the Wildcard Ladder Match – Kris Wolf v Jinny Couture
IPW:UK has announced that Pro Wrestling NOAH will be making their way to the United Kingdom this September for a one night only ‘Global Clash’ event. The show will be taking place from Rochester’s Casino Rooms alongside IPW:UK’s Anniversary XIV weekender including the Saturday 22nd International Super 8 event.
The first name announced for the Global Clash 2018 is a big one. Pro Wrestling NOAH and Japanese wrestling legend Naomichi Marufuji will be making his way to the United Kingdom for the first time since his Lucha Forever ‘Ultimo Battle’ match against WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne. Marufuji is a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Super J Cup winner (2004, 2009), 3 time GHC Heavyweight Champion and GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion amongst a litany of incredible accomplishments over his career.
Tickets for this stellar event are available to purchase now via the official IPW:UK site.
Former PWG Champion Keith Lee has taken to Twitter to offer his congratulations to the man who dethroned him at this past weekend’s All-Star Weekend.
It is being described as an enthralling main event between three of the top independent performers in the world. wXw and PROGRESS star WALTER defeated both Keith Lee and Jonah Rock to become the PWG Champion for the very first time. Lee made the following comments on Twitter following his loss: “*sigh* @WalterAUT….do it right. Do it with passion. Do it with pride. But most importantly….do it BIG.”
The man who asks you to “bask in his glory” also made the following statement regarding the company and their fans: “Just wanted to start this morning off with an enormous thank you to @OfficialPWG and its fans. I love you. All of you.”
Whilst this is in no way an indication that he will be leaving the independent scene for a run in WWE/NXT the title loss and this message certainly come at an intriguing time. Lee and interestingly WALTER have both been linked with WWE in the past few months and both appeared at the Axxess shows over Wrestlemania weekend.
You can see the report from earlier this year linking the two men with WWE here.
Just wanted to start this morning off with an enormous thank you to @OfficialPWG and its fans. I love you. All of you.
We now know who former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey will face while working the upcoming WWE UK tour.
The newest member of the WWE roster is heading to Europe as part of the sports entertainment company’s annual post-WrestleMania tour and will be working the following dates:
– May 16th: Geneva, Switzerland
– May 17th: Vienna, Austria
– May 18th: Turin, Italy
– May 19th: Paris, France
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 earlier this month.
You can add another big name confirmed to be working the upcoming 50-Man Royal Rumble Match at the upcoming WWE Greatest Royal Rumble event.
That star is former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry. If you recall, the WWE Hall of Famer hinted that he would be wrapping up his career as an in-ring performer in WWE when the WWE Network aired an episode of “Table For 3” last year.
The episode featured Henry and WWE Hall of Famers Ron Simmons and The Godfather. During the show, Henry dropped a bombshell by revealing a bit of information regarding what’s to come in his WWE career.
The longtime Superstar officially announced later that his 21-year in-ring career is coming to an end. He will transition from being a WWE Superstar to a WWE employee to help all of the up-and-coming male and female talent develop and become successful in the company.
He confirmed his status for this upcoming event by posting the following on his official Instagram account:
The WWE Greatest Royal Rumble event takes place on Friday, April 27, 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at the King Abdullah International Stadium and will air on the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on Henry working this match? Sound off in the comment section below.
Braun Strowman has risen up the ranks in WWE in a short amount of time after making his main roster debut just a few short years ago as part of The Wyatt Family. He has learned as he goes to be a top Superstar. It’s well known that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is a fan of big men. Strowman recently appeared on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast.
During the interview, he discussed McMahon being such hands on his character on the sports entertainment company’s flagship show, Monday Night RAW. Here is what he had to say (h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcript):
“Vince McMahon is a genius and he has been hands on with the development of Braun Strowman and all of the stunts that we do and the segments, and it’s working. There is no ‘ifs,’ ‘ands’ or ‘buts.’ I am enjoying the process. I am having such an amazing time travelling around the world, entertaining my fans and seeing the kids and everything. It is really humbling to me,” Strowman said. “I am a country boy in a little small town of Sherrills Ford, North Carolina and I have an unbelievable job.
Every big stunt that you have seen, he [McMahon] has been there. It’s funny, because a couple of times we have had to edit him out because he’d make the accidental Stan Lee appearance in the thing, and you see him stepping out, but yeah, he steps out from meetings and everything and tries to go out there and tries to put RAW together and make sure everything is perfect in how he wants it, which is why it is working.” What are your thoughts on the way that the WWE Chairman books Strowman? Sound off in the comment section below.
WWE is loading up the card for the next Network special and it could be argued that the Greatest Royal Rumble event might be bigger than WrestleMania 34.
With construction underway, a new video has surfaced of the stadium design and ringside for the upcoming event. You can see the progress that the workers have been doing over the past few days here:
The WWE Greatest Royal Rumble event takes place on Friday, April 27, 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at the King Abdullah International Stadium and will air on the WWE Network with a special start time of 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT with the event airing one hour later.
Impact Wrestling is once again in a rebuilding period and has changed the product around.
The promotion held their Redemption pay-per-view event on Sunday night (April 22nd, 2018) in Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app. It was a solid show with some good wrestling and booking, which is a trend that has started to bring back fans.
Before the show went live on pay-per-view, they showed off the new designs for their championships. At the show, two titles changed hands.
Pentagon Jr. won the Impact World Championship against Austin Aries and Fenix in a Triple Threat Match. Eli Drake and Scott Steiner won the Impact World Tag Team Championship from LAX.
WWE Superstar Liv Morgan recently did an interview with NorthJersey.com prior to WrestleMania 34 earlier this month. Morgan first discussed her run in NXT and needing to prove herself before making the jump up to the main roster:
“I spent three years in NXT doing whatever I could to be better and be noticed. It was a lot of hard work and proving yourself. So, I don’t want to say it was quick. Looking back, it feels like it was a blink of an eye, and it’s amazing. It’s been amazing to come from WWE Performance Center and now to be on SmackDown Live. Thinking about that itself is insane, because it doesn’t feel real.”
Now Morgan has a home on SmackDown Live and is a part of the Riott Squad. Although currently with a faction, Morgan hopes to capture the SmackDown Live Women’s Title on her own one day:
“I want to be the SmackDown women’s champion. I want to be the longest-reigning SmackDown women’s champion. I don’t set a limit for myself. I want the respect. Who doesn’t want it all?”
Morgan had a rough upbringing after losing her father at a young age. She wants to be a role model to young girls the way WWE Hall Of Famer Lita was to her:
“I grew up in an unstable environment. If you look at my life on paper, I shouldn’t be here. WWE was the only thing that made me and my brothers happy. Watching Lita, I’d see this red-haired chick with baggy pants and sneakers, and she’s wrestling with the boys and is a tomboy. I was such a tomboy growing up. I liked baggy pants and sneakers. Even today, I wear tights and wear sneakers. Just looking at Lita, I felt like she could be my friend.
“She was someone I related to. That’s all I want to do for girls growing up. I want them to see me and think, ‘Liv can be my friend.’ So, if I’m anyone’s role model, it’d be very cool. I don’t try to be anything I’m not. I’m just myself. If I can relate to anyone, or they can relate to me, it’d make me very happy.”
You can read Morgan’s full interview with NorthJersey.com by clicking this link here.
Pete Gas, former member of Shane McMahon’s Mean Street Posse, recently did an interview with CBS Local Sports to talk about his WWE run. Gas first discussed taking heat for riding around in a limousine rather than driving from show to show:
“I got called in once. For one incident, I got called in probably like two or three weeks in a row. Got yelled at for doing something. It’s never fun, and I still claim innocence on it, but it doesn’t matter. We were in Memphis, Tennessee for training. So when we weren’t on television, we were there. We were told that we had to do all these shows in Memphis. So we had one loop where we had to go down to Louisiana through Mississippi.
“We had a huge loop on our off time. Then get back up to Memphis to travel. It was a lot of driving and I had a car that I didn’t want to put all the miles on. I had met this guy in a bar who had a limo service. He goes, ‘Hey, I’ve got this stretched Navigator. How about you guys hop in and I’ll drive you guys around? I’ll do it for nothing.’ He was just a wrestling fan, you know? Now we’ve got eight guys piled in. Actually, it was a bunch of guys from MCW, Memphis Championship Wrestling. Some of the guys were also doing developmental for WWE stuff, where they were on television as well, but they weren’t doing much. We all piled into this big stretched limo with cans of beer and stuff.
“We’d pull up to these shows and open up the limo door and literally have a couple cans of beer falling out of it. Kevin Kelley would pull up and he’d be doing commentary for us in Memphis. So, he’s pulling up in a Ford Taurus and we’re pulling up in a stretch and have all these cans. So word got back to the office that we weren’t paying our dues in driving on the road, we were driving in stretched limo. So, literally, I got called into the office. They literally yelled at me two to three weeks in a row, and talked to me. Said, ‘Do you understand why you’re doing that?
“You’re supposed to be paying your dues.’ I understood, but I also thought, it’s a free and it’s someone driving us. We don’t have to put the miles on the car. My theory was like, ‘I understand but the guy was doing it for free.’ The guy never took a dime or nothing, gas money, nothing. He was just happy to be driving us.”
As for Shane McMahon’s in-ring style, Gas still doesn’t believe that time is catching up to Shane O’Mac:
“No, I think that’s exactly why you saw what you saw out of him. Not to mention, he had an infection as well, which added to the fact of why he was in the hospital. He also has a hernia. Anyone who has ever had a hernia can understand what kind of pain the man was going through. But for the people who knocked the guy, I don’t know how you can. He puts it all on the line for the company and really gives an effort like no other.
“He does some crazy stuff for a guy who’s not a full-time wrestler. The guy’s in a lot of pain, but he’s not gonna allow that to stand in the way of performing at WrestleMania. He goes above and beyond. I know that he’s got some of those things fixed. I know that [for] a hernia alone, from what I understand, a normal person can’t do anything for six weeks, let alone wrestle.
“So I wouldn’t expect to see him in the ring doing anything for at least that amount of time. I haven’t spoken to him since right after Mania, so I don’t know what his intentions are. I know that he has a very high pain threshold, and he got through that match. He did a lot. Kudos to him for being able to do what he did.”
You can read Gas’ full interview with CBS Local Sports by clicking this link here.
Brie Bella recently did an interview with People to promote Total Bellas and discuss her sister, Nikki’s, recent break-up with John Cena after a six year relationship. Bella first offered an update on Nikki and how she’s doing:
“She’s good, they call her fearless Nikki for a reason,” Brie said. “She always puts on that brave face. My sister has more strength than any other woman I know, especially Wonder Woman. She’s bigger than that.”
She also noted how tough it was to step back from her twin sister on this season of Total Bellas, and allow things to play out
“I really had to take a step back and allow it and that was really hard on me because it’s my twin. I want to protect her from everything,” Brie admitted. “This has been the hardest season to film for me because all I want to do is protect her and keep everyone away, but this is what we do.
“I have to give a lot of credit to John and Nicole,” Brie responded. “They really opened up their lives and they really wanted to close the curtain and be like this is it, we’re done. My sister is really great with her fans in a way where she lets them connect with her. She lets them like go, ‘My life isn’t perfect and isn’t easy’ and lets them see the playbook of her life.”
Brie also noted that John and Nikki allow some very personal conversations to air on the show – some conversations that Brie wouldn’t let get out if they were between herself and Daniel Bryan:
“John and Nicole allow the fans to see some very personal conversations, that to be honest, I was mind blown about,” Brie responded. “[Daniel] Brian and I both said, ‘I don’t think we’d allow them to see those conversations’ but they do. I give them a lot of credit. You get to see where they’re at today and see that unravel.”
You can check out Brie’s full interview with People by clicking this link here.
WWE Superstar Samoa Joe, who recently moved from Monday Night RAW to SmackDown Live by way of the Superstar Shake-Up, took to Twitter to note the amount of negativity he always see on social media.
Joe noted that he doesn’t really care too much for the comments, but stated one day the people leaving those comments will have to explain them to people in their lives who actually care:
Every morning I wake up with my social media rife with hate, racism, etc. I can only shake my head when I realize at some point your going to have to explain those statements to people in your life that actually care.
I think some of y’all think the last statement was to express “frustration” from me, it’s quite the opposite . Im good, I’m just amazed at how many of you self sabotage on social media. If anything it makes for great entertainment in ignorance
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Batista is set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel tomorrow night (Tues. April 24, 2018); alongside Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johannson, Danai Gurira and Tom Hiddleston, to promote the release of their new film Avengers: Infinity War.
On the latest episode of WWE Hall Of Famer Edge and former WWE World Champion Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, the pair discussed the recent passing of the legendary Bruno Sammartino. The Rated-R Superstar called Sammartino’s passing the “end of an era” and labeled him the greatest Superstar of all time:
“It feels like the end, the kind of end of an era in terms of, he’s the biggest star of the WWF/WWE ever. I mean, you can say ‘Stone Cold’ [Steve Austin] and you can say [Hulk] Hogan, but if you’re looking at MSG sellouts, if you’re looking at… I mean, Bruno, man, was champ I think you’re looking at, combined in two reigns, 11 years, like, 4,000 however many days. That doesn’t happen nowadays.”
Christian discussed how Sammartino transcended the sport and put him over for selling out Madison Square Garden as many times as he did:
“To be able to stay on top and in that position wouldn’t happen unless you’re drawing money, right? Christian added, “so it just goes to show you the type of star magnitude that he had, especially being able to sell out Madison Square Garden as many times, consecutively, as he did. Obviously, maybe the first true superstar maybe that even transcended the sport of wrestling maybe.”
Aside from the legendary career he had in the professional wrestling ring, Edge said Sammartino was a class act and all around nice guy:
“I think you had an entire culture, especially to Italians and immigrants coming over to this country, here’s a guy who came over without anything and really made himself.” Edge continued.
“It’s just a classic underdog, everyman story, but more importantly than whatever the accolades are in [pro] wrestling, which are obviously numerous, stack up better to anybody’s, to be honest, in meeting Bruno over the years, he was just a thoroughly classy, professional. He was just a classy, classy man and there’s just no other way to explain it.”
Edge also revealed that, following his second neck surgery, Sammartino actually called to check up on him:
“Bruno Sammartino found out I was in town and having neck surgery, got the number to my hotel room, and called me post-surgery to make sure I was okay. And it completely blew my brain.” Edge reflected, “I think that to me kind of exemplifies what kind of man he was.”
You can listen to E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by clicking this link here.
There have been some reports going around recently indicating that Sasha Banks could’ve lost her big push due to her poor attitude with fans in public. The Legit Boss has a history of not being too happy with fans approaching her in public for photos or autographs.
Banks recently took to Twitter to issue out a cryptic Tweet, telling fans to “be patient” and it’ll be worth the wait. While it’s unknown if Banks is addressing these reports indirectly, the timing certainly is interesting:
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) April 23, 2018
Chris Jericho Runs Into “No Way” Jose
Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho recently posted a photo on Instagram of himself and current RAW Superstar “No Way” Jose. It turns out Y2J ran into Jose at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina:
Monday Night RAW is live tonight from St. Louis, Missouri, and it’s the go-home show to the Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia. PWInsider is reporting that newly acquired SmackDown Live talent, Asuka, is backstage for tonight’s show. She could be making an appearance before moving to SmackDown Live full-time.
Jim Ross Praises Ronda Rousey’s WWE In-Ring Debut
TMZ recently caught up with WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross to get his take on ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s WWE in-ring debut. Rousey teamed up with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team match.
Ross had some high praise for The Rowdy One’s debut, calling it the most impressive thing he has ever seen in his 40-year professional wrestling career:
“I thought Ronda Rousey’s debut was the most impressive thing I’ve seen in pro wrestling in my 40-year career – best debut I ever saw.”
