During Finn Balor’s entrance last night on Monday Night Raw, Corey Graves inadvertently referred to “Bullet Club”. Michael Cole would quickly correct Graves, insinuating he meant to say “Balor Club”.
A few hours after Raw went off the air, Graves sent out the following reaction to his flub:
Finn Balor hasn’t been placed alongside his Balor Club teammates, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a few weeks. After spending several weeks working as a trio together, Balor was placed in the Intercontinental Championship picture while Gallows and Anderson fell out of the Raw tag-team Championship hunt.
With the WWE Superstar Shakeup in full swing, it’s possible any of the 3 Raw members of the Club could be moved to Smackdown. AJ Styles, another historical member of the faction, is currently the WWE Champion on the blue brand. Styles, Gallows, and Anderson also had a brief run as a trio under the name, “the Club” not long after signing with WWE.
Finn Balor was one of the four founding members of the faction in 2013, though it can be argued he was the most important member of the group at the time. Balor was the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion but was frustrated over a recent loss to Hiroshi Tanahashi. Then known as Prince Devitt, he brought out Bad Luck Fale as his new personal bouncer and the pair aligned with Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga as well. Not long after, Balor would go on to sweep the Best of the Super Juniors, winning every single match in the tournament.
Devitt would leave NJPW for NXT in 2014. Anderson, Gallows, and Styles would all follow suit in 2016. A later member of Bullet Club, Adam Cole, was signed to WWE in 2017 after having won the ROH World Championship on two occasions as a member of the faction.
Two more matches have been set up for next month’s WWE Backlash pay-per-view, the first event of the new monthly joint-brand PPV era.
After losing the RAW Women’s Championship to Nia Jax at WrestleMania, Alexa Bliss announced on RAW that she’s getting her rematch at Backlash.
The first Superstar traded to RAW as part of the Superstar Shake-Up was United States Champion Jinder Mahal. In his first match back on the RAW brand, Mahal lost the gold to Jeff Hardy, making Jeff the latest Grand Slam Champion in WWE. Later in the show, Mahal declared he’ll be getting his rematch at the Greatest Royal Rumble next Friday (4/27) from Saudi Arabia. Whoever is United States Champion coming out of the Greatest Royal Rumble will defend against Randy Orton at Backlash.
WWE Backlash Card
As of Tuesday 4/17, here is the updated card for WWE Backlash:
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton
RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
WWE Backlash takes place on Sunday, May 6th from Newark, New Jersey and streams live on the WWE Network.
Join us here on Sunday, 5/6 for WWE Backlash Results & Live Coverage.
Last week, Shane Strickland defeated Matt Riddle in the World Title tournament finals to become the new MLW World Heavyweight Champion. That same night, Pentagon Jr. defeated Rey Fenix to become #1 contender. Major League Wrestling has announced that Strickland vs. Pentagon Jr. will take place at MLW: Intimidation Games, scheduled for Thursday, May 3rd from Orlando, FL at Gilt Nightclub.
This will be a TV taping for MLW’s new weekly series FUSION, which premieres this Friday night on beIN SPORTS. Other talent scheduled to appear at Intimidation Games includes Rey Fenix, MVP, Barrington Hughes, Maxwell Jacob Friedman and The Dirty Blondes. If you’re in the Orlando area, tickets are now available over at MLWTickets.com.
https://twitter.com/MLW/status/985900915348660236
MLW Fusion Trailer
Ahead of Friday night’s FUSION premiere on beIN SPORTS, MLW has released the following trailer. Click Here for details on how you can watch beIN SPORTS.
Apollo is Apollo Crews once again. In February, WWE removed the last name Crews from his gimmicked name (his real name is Sesugh Uhaa). There was speculation that his name change may have been in response to Nikolas Cruz, the Florida school shooter who killed 17 people earlier this year.
Crews’ last name has been added to his profile on WWE.com. It is also once again his listed name on Wikipedia. Last night on Raw, Apollo was also wearing a T-shirt which featured the last name “Crews” written on it.
Apollo’s name has not been changed back on Twitter or Instagram, however.
Titus Worldwide on Raw
Last night on Monday Night Raw, Apollo and the other members of Titus Worldwide were taken out by Dolph Ziggler and the returning Drew McIntyre. Ziggler arrived on Raw from Smackdown as part of the Superstar Shakeup. McIntyre returned from injury for the first time since Takeover: War Games.
Crews still has never won championship gold in his WWE career. He was signed to the company in 2014 and debuted on the main roster in 2016, a quick ascension to the main roster by today’s standards.
Despite advancing to the main roster quickly, Apollo has struggled to win titles. Recently, his tag-team along with Titus O’Neil was in the mix for the Raw tag-team Championships. A week ago on Raw, they lost to Bray Wyatt and “Woken” Matt Hardy, taking them out of title contention for the Greatest Royal Rumble. Wyatt and Hardy defeated the Revival last night to punch their ticket to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where they will take on the Bar for the titles. The Bar lost the titles at WrestleMania 34 to Braun Strowman and Nicholas. The new champions, however, were forced to vacate the titles due to Nicholas’ schedule in the 4th grade.
The match of Kurt Angle, Ronda Rousey, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H received praise from fans around the world and was considered one of the best matches of the night on WrestleMania 34.
However, during a recent interview with USA Today for promoting the Superstar Shakeup, the Raw General Manager revealed one setback of his WrestleMania return match.
According to Angle, he pulled a muscle in his quad just two days before the event, similar to what happened before his in-ring return at the Survivor Series PPV last year:
“The only setback was, again, because of my overtraining, I pulled a muscle in my quad just like I did before Survivor Series. I was more concerned about that than the match itself. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. When I was training a couple of days prior, I couldn’t push off of my one leg. And I was like ‘oh God, not again.”
Continuing on the topic, Kurt also talked about how Survivor Series was a big letdown for him as he couldn’t do much and hence he did whatever he had to do to make his Mania match as good as it was.
Apart from this, Kurt Angle also talked about Bobby Lashley’s WWE return and how he wants to see Lashley vs Brock Lesnar somewhere down the line. You can check out his full interview here.
WWE has been promoting the Greatest Royal Rumble event on TV for weeks now and the company has announced several big and interesting matches for the show including Casket match of the Undertaker and John Cena vs Triple H.
Though the biggest attraction of the show has to be the Greatest Royal Rumble match. It was announced long before any other fight for the event and will see 50 participants battling each other in a battle royal.
However, two big questions regarding the match people had in mind were how the bout will play out with so many contestants and what the winner of the match will receive.
In a latest tweet, Justin Barrasso of sports illustrated cleared one of these doubts and revealed that the match will play out like the regular Royal Rumble with contestants entering one by one:
Confirmed with #WWE: Saudi Arabia's Greatest Royal Rumble match will have a Royal Rumble format with separate entrances, as opposed to a battle royal with all competitors starting in the ring.
Although in the following tweet, he claimed that the officials are yet to decided what the winner of the Rumble will be rewarded with, opposed to the guaranteed title match of the Traditional Royal Rumble:
In a follow-up, WWE rep stated that the company has yet to decide on the prize (title shot, etc) for the winner of the Saudi Arabia Rumble
It’s a surprising news as the Greatest Royal Rumble was the first match to be announced for the show and officials had plenty of time to figure out a reward for the winner.
Now there are less than two weeks remaining for the event so it’d be interesting to see what plan the company comes up with in such a short time.
The Greatest Royal Rumble will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on April 27th. Click here to check out an updated match card for the event.
When WWE announced that Dean Ambrose would be out of action for 8-10 months, many fans found it hard to believe and they saw it as a work from the company. They believed that Ambrose would return sooner rather than later and now a new development has fuelled these speculations about the former WWE Champion.
WWE is set to hold several Live Events in South Africa later this week and The Lunatic Fringe is being advertised for shows on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Interestingly the inquiries sent to the company about his injury status have not been answered as of this writing, leaving fans with more questions than answers.
For those who don’t know, Dean Ambrose suffered a triceps injury back in December last year and WWE had reported that the former Champion would be out of action for 8 to 10 months. Later it was revealed that Officials had big WrestleMania plans for him but they were obviously nixed after the injury.
It’s entirely possible that the former Shield Member being advertised for the upcoming shows in Africa is simply a mistake on the part of WWE’s marketing team. However, considering the fact that he has been out of action for 4 months now and Officials had enough time to edit him out of the marketing campaign, it’s hard to neglect the possibility of a surprise return.
The April 16th episode of WWE RAW was the first night of the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-Up. RAW aired live from the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Here are 9 takeaways from this week’s show:
Jeff Hardy Won The US Title In Jinder Mahal’s Return To WWE RAW
RAW GM Kurt Angle started off the show and promised a lot of surprises tonight. Sunil Singh interrupted and announced that United States Champion Jinder Mahal was the new addition to WWE RAW.
Mahal got in the ring to a chorus of boos and raised the United States Championship in the air. Jinder stated that Kurt Angle made a terrific decision by bringing him to RAW. Mahal complained about not being brought to the arena in a limo. Angle said that they never agreed on a limo and Mahal went on a rant and claimed that he is better than any Superstar on RAW. Jinder claimed that this was his kingdom and he expects the same perks that Brock Lesnar gets.
The crowd started chanting “you suck!” and Mahal shouted that he was speaking and the crowd booed. Angle asked Jinder to email him a list of demands and Sunil whipped out his phone. Angle stated that his email address was “[email protected]”. Kurt said that they settle things in the ring on RAW and announced that Mahal will be defending his United States Championship right now. Jeff Hardy then made his way down to the ring to challenge Mahal for the United States Champion.
Mahal started out the match in control and stomped on Hardy in the corner. Jeff battled back and slammed Mahal’s head into the top turnbuckle. Hardy followed it up with a Dropkick that knocked Jinder out of the ring. Hardy followed it up with a Crossbody off the ring apron as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned. the action had returned to the ring and Mahal had regained control during the break. The crowd got behind Hardy as he tried to fight out of a Chin Lock. Hardy broke the hold with a Jawbreaker, but Mahal shrugged it off and dropped Jeff neck-first on the top rope. Mahal connected with a series of knees to Hardy’s spine and then posed in the ring as the crowd booed him.
Hardy stumbled his way to his feet on the ring apron, but was quickly dropped by a big right hand from Jinder. Mahal crotched Hardy on the top turnbuckle and went for a Superplex, but Hardy fought him off with an elbow to the face. Hardy connected with the Whisper in the Wind from the top and both Superstars crashed to the mat. Sunil Singh hopped on the ring apron and Hardy decked him with a Dropkick.
Jeff planted Mahal with a basement Dropkick for a two count. Mahal blocked the Twist of Fate and hit a knee to the face for a two count. Chants of “lets go Hardy” echoed in the arena as Jeff countered the Khallas into a roll-up for a two count. Jinder quickly got up and decked Hardy with a Superkick for another two count.
Hardy battled back and connected with the Twist of Fate in the middle of the ring. Jeff followed it up with the Swanton Bomb off the top rope for the pinfall victory. Jeff Hardy is the new United States Champion for the first time in his career. Jinder Mahal was extremely pissed off as Jeff Hardy celebrated on the entrance ramp.
Mahal then invoked his rematch clause at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27th during an interview with Renee Young backstage. No Way Jose interrupted and started dancing with Renee Young as Mahal got even more pissed off.
Opinion: What a fabulous start to the Superstar Shake-Up! I wouldn’t be shocked if Mahal gets the title back at Greatest Royal Rumble, but this was fantastic. I’m just hoping that Hardy remains the U.S. Champion because I have zero interest in seeing Mahal vs. Orton again at WWE Backlash.
The Riott Squad Is Now On WWE RAW
Sasha Banks battled Bayley tonight on RAW. Bayley controlled the match early and connected with a Hurricanrana outside the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Banks was in control for a moment but Bayley battled back and hung up Banks on the second rope. Bayley drove her shoulder into Sasha’s midsection and followed it up with an elbow to the face in the corner. Bayley hit a Neckbreaker for a two count.
Sasha connected with knee to the face off the top rope for a two count. Sasha taunted Bayley and shouted that she was better than her. Banks slapped Bayley in the face and that pissed Bayley off. Banks and Bayley then started trading punches in the middle of the ring. Banks connected with the Double Knees in the corner and followed it up with the Bank Statement in the middle of the ring.
Bayley reached for the ropes as the crowd cheered her on. The Riott Squad then stormed the ring and attacked Sasha Banks. Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan and Ruby Riott took turns beating the hell out of Banks. The trio turned their attention to Bayley and Ruby decked her with the Riott Kick.
Heath Slater and Rhyno faced The Authors of Pain tonight on WWE RAW. AOP made their RAW debut last week by attacking Slater and Rhyno. After the attack, AOP ditched their manager Paul Ellering and left him behind.
Slater and Rhyno attacked Akam and Rezar in the corner before the match. Heath Slater and Akam then started the match off in the ring. Slater beatdown Akam and sent him into the corner. Rhyno tagged in and connected with a shoulder to the midsection.
Heath tagged in and Akam dropped him neck-first into the top rope. Rezar tagged in and started to club Slater in the face. Akam tagged back in and slammed Slater over his knee for a two count.
Rhyno tagged back in and planted Rezar with a Belly to Belly Suplex. Akam broke up the cover and then launched Slater in the ring. Akam tagged in and teamed up with Rezar to hit the Last Chapter on Rhyno for the pinfall victory.
The Miz Is Going To SmackDown, Owens & Zayn Are Now On RAW
The Miz came down to the ring for an episode of Miz TV. The Miz announced that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were the newest additions to RAW. Owens and Zayn danced down to the ring and shared a giant hug with The Miz, Axel and Dallas.
Miz said that the collection of talent in the ring is bigger than the NWO. The Miz noted that they will change the landscape of WWE together and that they call the shots. The Miz stated that they were putting the entire locker room on notice and RAW GM Kurt Angle interrupted.
Angle said that The Miz doesn’t have any control around here. Kurt added that Kevin and Sami had their opportunity to join RAW last week and they both lost. Owens said that there was an email that was sent out a couple of minutes ago and Sami took a printed out version of the email out of his pocket.
Zayn then put on a pair of glasses and read the email that stated that Owens & Zayn proved that they belong on RAW. The email was from RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and she overruled Angle’s decision.
Kurt said that he was surprised that Stephanie had time to write an email after getting her arm ripped off her body. Angle welcomed Owens and Zayn to RAW and then announced that The Miz was moving to SmackDown. Angle stated that Daniel Bryan really wanted The Miz on SmackDown and Shane & Paige obliged.
The Miz went on a rant about how The Miz & The Miztourage are going to turn SmackDown into the “A show”. Angle informed him that The Miztourage are not going to SmackDown. Angle announced a 5 vs. 5 tag team main event for later tonight. It will be Owens, Zayn, The Miz, Axel & Dallas vs. Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley and a Superstar making their RAW debut.
Opinion: I like The Miz being separated from Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. The Miz and Daniel Bryan have had incredible segments on Talking Smack in the past, so I’m looking forward to them actually having a match on SmackDown. I would have preferred that Owens and Zayn were on separate brands this year.
Hardy & Wyatt Won The Tag Team Eliminator Tournament
Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt faced The Revival in the final match of the Tag Team Eliminator tournament. The winner of the match will go on to face Sheamus & Cesaro at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27th. Sheamus and Cesaro joined commentary for the match.
Dawson and Wilder isolated Matt Hardy in the corner and took turns beating him down. Hardy battled back and leaped across the ring to tag in Bray Wyatt. Bray connected with a massive Clothesline to Wilder and followed it up with a Uranage.
Wyatt geared up in the corner and Hardy tagged himself in. Bray planted Dawson with the Sister Abigail and then teamed up with Matt for a Twist of Fate/ Sister Abigail on Wilder for the pinfall victory.
Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt will now battle The Bar next Friday for the vacant RAW Tag Team Championships at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble.
The Bar ran into The Fashion Police backstage. Tyler Breeze and Fandango are now on RAW. They issued a couple of fashion tickets to Sheamus & Cesaro. Breezango faced The Bar later on RAW and picked up a victory over Sheamus & Cesaro.
Dolph Ziggler came down to the ring and proclaimed himself as the best Superstar in WWE. Ziggler was quickly interrupted by Titus Worldwide. Titus, Apollo and Dana Brooke made their way down to the entrance ramp. Titus said that he wanted to be the first to welcome Ziggler back to WWE RAW.
Titus tried to get Dolph to join to Titus Worldwide. Dolph declined and stated that that he didn’t come back to RAW alone. Drew McIntyre attacked Titus and Apollo from behind. McIntyre launched Titus into the ring post and then beatdown Apollo.
Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre then planted Apollo with a Zig Zag and a Claymore at the same time. Ziggler and McIntyre then exited the ring and walked up the entrance ramp together.
Drew McIntyre lost the NXT Championship to Andrade “Cien” Almas at NXT TakeOver: WarGames last November. McIntyre tore his bicep during the match and had been out of action until tonight.
Opinion: Drew McIntyre just looks like a future WWE Champion. His first run on the main roster didn’t work out so well, but he has greatly improved and looks ready to make an impact this time. Ziggler and McIntyre is an interesting team to say the least. Dolph’s ridiculous athleticism combined with McIntyre’s power should make for an awesome duo. Time will tell how long it takes for McIntyre to break away and establish himself on his own on the RAW roster. I’m hoping that he succeeds on the main roster this time, he has certainly put the work in to earn another shot.
Samoa Joe Confronted Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns came down to the ring to a chorus of boos. Reigns stood in the middle of the ring and looked over the crowd. Roman stated that he is here and once again, Brock Lesnar is not. The boos got louder as Roman continued to speak about his match against Brock Lesnar at Greatest Royal Rumble. Reigns vowed to win the Steel Cage Match and return to WWE RAW as a “full-time Universal Champion”.
Samoa Joe interrupted and noted that Reigns brags about showing up to work, but never gets the job done against Brock Lesnar. Joe added that Lesnar has defeated Reigns every time that he gets into the ring with him. Joe said that Reigns was too stupid to realize his place in WWE and will not learn until somebody puts him down for good. Joe once again vowed to put Reigns to sleep at WWE Backlash.
Joe then reminded Reigns of what Lesnar has done to him and what Joe will do to him in a video package. Joe made his way down the entrance ramp, but stopped halfway and retreated. Joe once again stopped at the top of the entrance ramp and marched towards the ring. Joe stopped before getting into the ring and said that he will see Reigns at Backlash.
Ronda Rousey and RAW GM Kurt Angle had a conversation backstage during the first hour of RAW. Natalya showed up and Angle announced that she was joining the RAW roster. Natalya and Rousey shared a hug and Rousey said that Natalya trained her.
Later on the show, Natalya faced Mandy Rose. Sonya Deville accompanied Rose down to the ring for the match. The match went back and forth for a couple of minutes, but Natalya wound up quickly locking in the Sharpshooter for the submission victory.
After the match, Sonya Deville attacked Natalya from behind. Rose joined in on the beatdown and Ronda Rousey came down to the ring for the save. Rousey wasn’t smiling this time and marched her way down to the ring. Sonya and Rose immediately jumped out of the ring as Ronda checked on Natalya.
Sonya Deville decided to get back into the ring and dared Ronda to come at her. Rousey connected with a series of jabs and then leveled her with a Clothesline. Rousey once again checked on Natalya as Rousey’s music hit.
Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins started off the match. Owens sent Rollins to the corner and connected with a couple of knees to the midsection. Rollins battled back and connected with a Clothesline off the top rope. Seth threw Owens out of the ring and connected with a Crossbody as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Rollins was still in the ring and planted Axel with a Dropkick. Bobby Roode tagged in and booted Axel in the midsection. Roode followed it up with a Suplex for a two count. Balor tagged in and continued the beatdown of Curtis Axel. Axel drove Balor to the corner and everyone took turns stomping on him.
The crowd chanted “get these hands!” as they waited for Strowman to be tagged in. The Miz tagged in and shoved his boot in Finn’s face. The Miz then applied a Chin Lock to Balor in the middle of the ring. Finn broke free, but The Miz planted him with a Neckbreaker for a two count.
Sami tagged in and then Lashley tagged in at the same time. Bobby beat the hell out of Sami in the corner and then knocked Owens off the apron. Lashley connected with a Clothesline and then lifted Zayn up for a vertical Suplex. Lashley then lifted up The Miz and threw him onto The Miztourage outside the ring as RAW went to a break.
RAW returned with Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins in the ring. Owens knocked Seth to the canvas and hit a Senton for a two count. The Miz tagged in and bounced Rollins’ head off the turnbuckle and stomped on him a few times. Rollins battled out of the corner but was planted with a DDT from The Miz for a two count.
The Miz mocked Daniel Bryan and did a couple of “yes!” poses before hitting the It Kicks on Rollins. Seth went for a roll-up but Miz kicked out at two. The Miztourage dragged Lashley off the apron and threw him into the barricade. Back in the ring, Rollins connected with an Enziguri and started crawling to the corner.
Owens and Zayn were then thrown into the barricade by Strowman as Roode tagged back in. Roode connected with a Neckbreaker to Axel and followed it up with a Clothesline off the top rope. Roode went for the Glorious DDT, but Axel blocked it and drove him to the corner. Roode hit a Blockbuster off the second rope for a two count.
The Miz tagged in and Roode leveled him with a Clothesline. Bobby leaped across the ring and tagged in Strowman as the crowd erupted. Braun chased The Miz around the ring and took out Owens in the process. Back in the ring, Strowman grabbed Miz by the throat and planted him with a Chokeslam.
Axel and Dallas attacked Strowman from behind. Balor got back into the ring and hit Dallas with a Slingblade. Rollins connected with a Suicide Dive to Axel on the outside. Owens Superkicked Roode in the face after he hit a Glorious DDT to Zayn. Lashley planted Owens with a Spinebuster. The Miz then threw Lashley out of the ring and delivered a couple of Dropkicks to Strowman.
Braun powered out of the corner and hit a massive Dropkick onto The Miz. The Miz crawled to the corner to tag in Axel or Dallas. Bo and Curtis betrayed The Miz and hopped off the ring apron as the crowd chanted “yes!”. Strowman then planted The Miz with a Running Powerslam for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Bobby Roode desperately needed a change of scenery, so I’m glad that he is on the RAW roster. I’m still waiting for him to turn heel. That clearly is the way to go with Roode, as he didn’t receive that big of a reaction tonight. Overall, tonight’s episode of RAW was decent. Drew McIntyre showing up was the highlight of tonight’s show in my opinion.
The Superstar Shake-Up continues tomorrow night on SmackDown. What did you think of this week’s RAW? Let us know in the comments below.
Dolph Ziggler came down to the ring and proclaimed himself as the best Superstar in WWE. Ziggler was quickly interrupted by Titus Worldwide. Titus, Apollo and Dana Brooke made their way down to the entrance ramp. Titus said that he wanted to be the first to welcome Ziggler back to WWE RAW.
Titus tried to get Dolph to join to Titus Worldwide. Dolph declined and stated that that he didn’t come back to RAW alone. Drew McIntyre then appeared and attacked Titus and Apollo from behind. McIntyre launched Titus into the ring post and then beatdown Apollo in the middle of ring.
Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre then planted Apollo with a Zig Zag and a Claymore at the same time. Ziggler and McIntyre then exited the ring and walked up the entrance ramp together.
Drew McIntyre lost the NXT Championship to Andrade “Cien” Almas at NXT TakeOver: WarGames last November. McIntyre tore his bicep during the match and had been out of action until tonight.
Jinder Mahal joined the RAW roster during WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up. His return to WWE RAW didn’t go so well, as Kurt Angle announced that he will be defending the United States Championship right away. Mahal then lost the U.S. Title to Jeff Hardy in the first 20 minutes of tonight’s episode of RAW. Following the match, Mahal announced that he will be invoking his rematch clause at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27th.
It was announced last week that Chris Jericho will be replacing Rusev at the PPV in the Casket Match against The Undertaker. Those plans once again were changed today and Rusev was added back to the match. Lana tweeted out the following earlier this evening:
After much thought, I have notified @WWE officials that I have changed my mind. @RusevBUL will celebrate #RusevDay by burying The Undertaker in the sands of Saudi Arabi and will win the Casket Match at #WWEGRR ! #RusevCrush ! Have a Happy Rusev Day !
Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy defeated The Revival tonight in the finals of the Tag Team Eliminator Tournament. Hardy & Wyatt will now battle Sheamus & Cesaro for the Vacant RAW Tag Team Championships at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27th.
Updated Greatest Royal Rumble card:
Universal Championship Steel Cage Match: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns
WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. ??
United States Championship Match: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Jinder Mahal
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Cedric Alexander vs. ??
Tag Match For The Vacant RAW Tag Team Championships: Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt vs. Sheamus & Cesaro
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The Usos
The Miz came down to the ring for an episode of Miz TV. The Miz announced that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were the newest additions to RAW. Owens and Zayn danced down to the ring and shared a giant hug with The Miz, Axel and Dallas.
Miz said that the collection of talent in the ring is bigger than the NWO. The Miz noted that they will change the landscape of WWE together and that they call the shots. The Miz stated that they were putting the entire locker room on notice and RAW GM Kurt Angle interrupted.
Angle said that The Miz doesn’t have any control around here. Kurt added that Kevin and Sami had their opportunity to join RAW last week and they both lost. Owens said that there was an email that was sent out a couple of minutes ago and Sami took a printed out version of the email out of his pocket.
Zayn then put on a pair of glasses and read the email that stated that Owens & Zayn proved that they belong on RAW. The email was from RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and she overruled Angle’s decision.
Kurt said that he was surprised that Stephanie had time to write an email after getting her arm ripped off her body. Angle welcomed Owens and Zayn to RAW and then announced that The Miz was moving to SmackDown. Angle stated that Daniel Bryan really wanted The Miz on SmackDown and Shane & Paige obliged.
The Miz went on a rant about how The Miz & The Miztourage are going to turn SmackDown into the “A show”. Angle informed him that The Miztourage are not going to SmackDown. Angle announced a 5 vs. 5 tag team main event for later tonight. It will be Owens, Zayn, The Miz, Axel & Dallas vs. Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley and a Superstar making their RAW debut.
RAW GM Kurt Angle started off the show and promised a lot of surprises tonight. Sunil Singh interrupted and announced that United States Champion Jinder Mahal was the new addition to WWE RAW.
Mahal got in the ring to a chorus of boos and raised the United States Championship in the air. Jinder stated that Kurt Angle made a terrific decision by bringing him to RAW. Mahal complained about not being brought to the arena in a limo. Angle said that they never agreed on a limo and Mahal went on a rant and claimed that he is better than any Superstar on RAW. Jinder claimed that this was his kingdom and he expects the same perks that Brock Lesnar gets.
The crowd started chanting “you suck!” and Mahal shouted that he was speaking and the crowd booed. Angle asked Jinder to email him a list of demands and Sunil whipped out his phone. Angle stated that his email address was “[email protected]”. Kurt said that they settle things in the ring on RAW and announced that Mahal will be defending his United States Championship right now. Jeff Hardy then made his way down to the ring to challenge Mahal for the United States Champion.
Mahal started out the match in control and stomped on Hardy in the corner. Jeff battled back and slammed Mahal’s head into the top turnbuckle. Hardy followed it up with a Dropkick that knocked Jinder out of the ring. Hardy followed it up with a Crossbody off the ring apron as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned. the action had returned to the ring and Mahal had regained control during the break. The crowd got behind Hardy as he tried to fight out of a Chin Lock. Hardy broke the hold with a Jawbreaker, but Mahal shrugged it off and dropped Jeff neck-first on the top rope. Mahal connected with a series of knees to Hardy’s spine and then posed in the ring as the crowd booed him.
Hardy stumbled his way to his feet on the ring apron, but was quickly dropped by a big right hand from Jinder. Mahal crotched Hardy on the top turnbuckle and went for a Superplex, but Hardy fought him off with an elbow to the face. Hardy connected with the Whisper in the Wind from the top and both Superstars crashed to the mat. Sunil Singh hopped on the ring apron and Hardy decked him with a Dropkick.
Jeff planted Mahal with a basement Dropkick for a two count. Mahal blocked the Twist of Fate and hit a knee to the face for a two count. Chants of “lets go Hardy” echoed in the arena as Jeff countered the Khallas into a roll-up for a two count. Jinder quickly got up and decked Hardy with a Superkick for another two count.
Hardy battled back and connected with the Twist of Fate in the middle of the ring. Jeff followed it up with the Swanton Bomb off the top rope for the pinfall victory. Jeff Hardy is the new United States Champion for the first time in his career. Jinder Mahal was extremely pissed off as Jeff Hardy celebrated on the entrance ramp.
Mahal then invoked his rematch clause at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27th during an interview with Renee Young backstage. No Way Jose interrupted and started dancing with Renee Young as Mahal got even more pissed off.
The April 16th, 2018 edition of WWE RAW took place at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.
– WWE RAW GM Kurt Angle comes down to the ring and gets on the mic to kick off the show. He’s quickly interrupted by Sunil Singh, who interrupts and introduces Jinder Mahal. Jinder steps in the ring and says that RAW is now the A-show now that hes here. Jinder is happy to be here, but he does complain to Kurt about being driven to the arena in an SUV instead of a limo with a motorcade. Jinder starts trashing the RAW roster until the fans boo him and drown him out. Kurt asks them to email him his list of demands, but declines to give them his real email address. Kurt tells Jinder if he thinks he’s better than everyone on RAW, then he has to prove it. Kurt asks the fans if they want Jinder to prove it, and the crowd cheers, so Kurt introduces Jinder’s first opponent on RAW: Jeff Hardy.
– Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal (C): Jinder’s U.S. Title is on the line in this one. Hardy comes out and gets a big ovation from the crow. Jinder starts off strong in this one, but Hardy comes back with a dropkick and sends Jinder rolling outside. Jeff follows up with a big suicide dive on Jinder and both men crash down to the ringside floor. Jeff starts firing up and coming back but Jinder drops him over the top rope. Jinder looks for a back superplex, but Jeff fights him off and hits the Whisper In The Wind on Jinder. Sunil Singh distracts Jeff from the apron and Jeff kicks him down. Jeff goes back to work on Jinder and hits an inverted atomic drop, then a leg drop. Jeff looks for the Twist of Fate, but Jinder fights out and hits a knee to the face. Jinder pins but Jeff reaches the rope to break the hold. Jinder looks for the Khallas, but Jeff escapes and rolls up Jinder for a two count. Jinder comes back with a boot to the face for another near-fall. Jeff comes back with a kick and a Twist of Fate, then Jeff goes up top. Jeff connects with a Swanton bomb for the three count, and Jeff is the new U.S. Champion.
Winner & new U.S. champion: Jeff Hardy
– Jeff celebrates with the U.S. Title after the match.
– The Miz will be hosting Miz TV later with a mystery guest. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley is up next.
– Jinder Mahal is backstage with Sunil Singh, and Jinder is not happy. Jinder says this was a conspiracy by Kurt Angle, and he was brought to RAW to be embarrassed. Jinder says he’s going to get his U.S. Title back and bring back glory to the USA. As Jinder starts vowing revenge against Kurt Angle, No Way Jose’s music hits and he dances through with a conga line and briefly confronts Jinder.
– Sasha Banks vs. Bayley: The opening bell sounds and both women come out strong. Bayley goes for a springboard off the middle rope, but slips, and Sasha takes advantage and beats on Bayley. Bayley finally comes back and hits an elbow to the face, then a spinning reverse suplex off the middle rope for a two count. They fight to the apron and Sasha hits several knees to the face, then throws Bayley back in the ring and hits a flying knee off the top for a two count. They start slapping each other in the face then exchanging punches. Sasha gets the upper hand and hits a running knee to the face, then she locks in the Banks Statement. The Riott Squash runs in and starts beating down Sasha, and the ref calls the bell.
Winner: Bayley via DQ
– After the match, The Riott Squad beats down both Sasha and Bayley.
– Michael Cole tells us that Roman Reigns is here, “unlike The Beast.”
– The Authors of Pain vs. Rhyno & Heath Slater: We see a pre-taped promo by Slater and Rhyno before the match. The Authors totally dominate this one off the opening bell, then they focus on Slater. Slater fights free from Rezar and gets the hot tag to Rhyno. Rhyno hits an elbow to the face and then a flying clothesline. Rhyno knocks Akam off the apron, then hits a spear in the corner. Rhyno hits a belly to belly suplex on Rezar for a two count. Akam tags in and they hit the Last Chapter on Rhyno for the three count.
Winners: The Authors of Pain
– The Miz and The Miztourage are in the rin for Miz TV. The Miz introduces his mystery guests — the newest members of the RAW roster — Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Kevin and Sami come to the ring and they have a group hug with Miz, Axel and Dallas. The Miz starts talking about how this group is better than the NWO, and then Kurt Angle comes out to interrupt. Angle says he didn’t approve this, but then Sami interrupts and reads a letter from Stephanie McMahon. The letter from Stephanie apparently says that she is giving Kevin and Sami RAW contracts, and she disagrees with Kurt’s decision last week. Kurt says he’s surprised Stephanie had time to write a letter in between doing physiotherapy for her arm after Ronda Rousey ripped it out at WrestleMania. Kurt says welcome to Kevin and Sami, and also says goodbye to the Miz. Kurt explains that the reason he came out here was to announce that Miz has been traded to SmackDown. The Miz tells the fans to shut it, then tells Kurt that he can’t do that. Kurt says he can, and he did. Miz says Kurt just made SmackDown into the A-show by sending Miz there. The Miz says he and the Miztourage will make SmackDown must-see television, and Kurt points out that Axel and Dallas aren’t going to SmackDown with him. Kurt says he’s giving him a gift, a ten-man tag. Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, and a debuting WWE star, against the team of The Miz, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Axel and Dallas. Kurt heads backstage as The Miztourage talks strategy with Miz in the ring.
– We see a pre-taped promo from Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy backstage. They announce that they’re here, and they get ready to come out to the ring.
– The Revival vs. Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt: Sheamus and Cesaro join the broadcast team to do commentary for this one. Matt starts off strong, and repeatedly slams Wilder in the corner. Wyatt tags in and hits a boot to the face. Wyatt looks for the Sister abigail, but gets distracted by Dash. Wyatt comes back with an uppercut on Wilder, then Matt tags back in. Matt and Bray hits a leg drop and splash in tandem on Wilder. The Revival comes back with a double team on Matt, then Dawson tags in and pummels on Matt. The Revival double teams Matt some more until Wyatt gets the hot tag. Wyatt cleans house and hits a big running splash on Wilder in the corner. Wyatt follows up with a side suplex. Matt tags in, then Bray drops Dawson on the other side of the ring. Matt hits the Twist of Fate on Wilder for the win.
Winners: Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
– After the match, The Bar gets up and stands on the announce table and they stare at Matt and Bray in the ring.
– We go to the broadcast team, where Cole introduces a new WWE Network commercial with several wrestlers lip-syncing and dancing.
– Sheamus and Cesaro are backstage talking about how weird Wyatt and Hardy are, and just then The Fashion Police walk in. Fandango says The Fashion Police have been transferred to a new precinct, and Breeze starts trashing Sheamus and Cesaro’s outfits and getting heated. They give Sheamus and Cesaro fashion violation tickets. The Police walk off, and Sheamus and Cesaro start getting heated about their critiques of their appearance.
– The broadcast team runs down tonight’s new arrivals at RAW, including Kevin Owens Sami Zayn, Jinder Mahal, The Riott Squad, and Breezango.
– Ronda Rousey is backstage talking to Kurt Angle about Stephanie and WrestleMania. Kurt says WrestleMania was just the beginning. Kurt says he has a surprise — and then Natalya walks in. Ronda and Natalya hug, and Ronda mentions that they trained together. Natalya thanks Kurt and Ronda, and leaves.
– Nia Jax comes out to the broadcast table to do commentary for the next match.
– Ember Moon vs. Mickie James: Mickie and Ember trade arm holds early on, until Moon trips Mickie down and mounts her. Alexa Bliss appears on camera from backstage and says she isn’t coming out to the broadcast table because Nia is a bully, and Alexa doesn’t want to be bullied by Nia again. Back in the ring, Mickie comes back with a knee on Ember and then an elbow to the face. Mickie hits a swinging neckbreaker for a two count, then continues working on Ember. Ember hits a head scissor takedown and then a kick and a knee to the face. Ember hits a kick and a suplex. Ember hits a cartwheel splash in the corner, then goes up top. Ember hits the Eclipse off the top for the three count.
Winner: Ember Moon
– Sami and Kevin are backstage discussing their strategy for tonight’s 10-man tag. Kevin thinks Kurt is setting a trap for them. The Miz interrupts and asks what Shane is like these days, and Kevin and Sami talk about how he’s the worst. Sami tells Miz to focus on tonight’s match, and get his Miztourage in line. Miz snaps his fingers and tells them to focus on tonight’s match, before Miz leaves to make SmackDown must-see.
– Dolph Ziggler comes out on the stage, and it appears he is now on the RAW roster. Ziggler comes down to the ring and gets on the mic and talks about being back on RAW. Ziggler says he’s still the best Superstar to ever walk the aisle, but something changed. Before Ziggler can say what changed, Titus Worldwide comes out to interrupt. Titus welcomes Ziggler back, and he steps in the ring with Apollo and Dana. Titus tries to recruit Ziggler to Titus Worldwide, and he says Ziggler is a multi-talented super star. Ziggler thanks Titus for the offer, but declines. Ziggler says before he got interrupted, he was about to say something changed: he didn’t come to RAW alone. Drew McIntyre then runs in and attacks Titus and Crews from behind. Dolph and Dre continue to beat down Crews and Titus. They hit a double-team Zig Zag and Claymore on Crews before leaving.
– Roman Reigns comes out to the ring next and gets on the mic. Reigns gets on the mic and says once again he’s here, and Brock Lesnar isn’t. He says once again he’s going to face Lesnar, but it’s not going down like last time, because it’s going to be in a steel cage. Reigns says he will be the full-time Universal Champion. Reigns gets interrupted by Samoa Joe’s entrance music, and he gets a “Joe” chant from the crowd. Joe says Reigns comes out and brags about showing up to work, but he never brags about getting the job done because he can’t and never will. Joe says Reigns isn’t getting in the cage with a normal super star, but a Beast who has beaten Reigns not once, not twice, but every time he’s stepped in the ring with him. Joe says he almost feels sorry for Reigns but can’t, because Reigns is too stupid to know his place. Joe says at Backlash, he is going to put the big dog to sleep once and for all. Joe says since Reigns is so fired up tonight, he’s going to remind him what Lesnar did to him and what Joe will do to him, and we go to replays from WrestleMania. Reigns says that’s what Brock has done, and he challenges Joe to come to the ring and show what his “lazy fat ass” can do. Joe teases going in to the ring a couple times, but ends up deciding against it and tells Reigns he’ll see him at Backlash.
– Mandy Rose vs. Natalya: Sonya Deville is at ringside in Mandy’s corner. Natalya rolls up Mandy early on and Mandy comes back with a slap to the face. Natalya fires up and kicks Mandy then sends her outside. Sonya distracts Natalya at ringside, which leads to Mandy hitting a knee to the face of Natalya. Back in the ring, Mandy takes control and tries to keep Natalya grounded. Natalya fights back and Mandy misses a kick, which leads to Natalya putting Mandy in a Sharpshooter for the win via submission.
Winner: Natalya
– After the match, Sonya hits the ring and attacks Natalya from behind. Sonya and Mandy beat on Natalya until Ronda Rousey comes out for the save. Sonya goes after Ronda but Ronda drops her with punches, and Mandy hides at ringside. Ronda checks on Natalya and helps her up.
– We see a promo video highlighting Baron Corbin’s career and announcing that Corbin has been traded to the RAW roster.
– Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Tyler Breeze & Fandango: Fandango and Cesaro start off, and Fandango examines Cesaro’s camo jacket in the corner. Cesaro grabs Fandango and starts working him over. Cesaro goes for a sunset flip, but Fandango reverse and dances over Cesaro. Breeze tags in and starts fighting with Cesaro. Cesaro hits a European uppercut and then tags in Sheamus, and they start taking turns double teaming Breeze. A mix-up in the corner leads to Breeze rolling up Sheamus from behind to steal the three count.
Winners: Breezango
– Sheamus and Cesaro are shocked and outraged at the finish to the match, as they look at Breezango in shock. Breeze and Fandango retreat up the ramp and celebrate their win.
– Elias does an interview in the back where he trashes Bobby Lashley for interrupting him last night. He says Lashley should sit in the stands and worship him with the rest of the fans. Elias says he won’t perform for the fans tonight, but he knows Renee is a big fan so he’ll do a private concert for her. Renee says they don’t have time for a performance right now, but Elias tells her to shut her mouth and he starts playing. Elias keeps playing, and Renee sends it back to Michael Cole.
– Cole, Graves and Coach discuss the upcoming 10-man tag main event. They also announce that Brock Lesnar is scheduled to return on next week’s RAW.
– Bobby Roode enters last in the 10-man tag main event to make his RAW debut.
– Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, The Miz, Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas vs. Bobby Lashley, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, & Bobby Roode: Rollins and Owens start this one off, and Owens starts strong when he catches Rollins off-guard with a series of kicks. Owens stomps on Rollins while he’s down, then hits him with knees in the corner. Rollins comes back with a face buster in the corner, then a flying clothesline off the top. Rollins throws Owens outside, then hits a suicide dive on him. Axel tags in and Rollins tags in Roode. Roode hits a vertical suplex on Acel, then tags in Balor who continues the offense on Axel. Axel backs Balor into the heel corner, and Owens and Dallas take turns beating on Balor now. Dallas continues to beat on Balor, before tagging in The Miz. Lashley and Sami get the tags and Lashley hits a series of shots in the corner. Lashley knocks Owens off the apron, then clotheslines Sami down. Lashley lifts up Sami and hits a stalling vertical suplex, then he gorilla press slams Miz out of the ring on to the other heels at ringside. Chaos breaks out between all 10 men at ringside, and it comes down to Owens and Rollins in the ring. The Miz tags in now and hits a DDT on Rollins for a two count. Rollins hits a shot on the Miz and both men are down. Rollins looks for a tag, but Dallas and Axel go pulls his partners off the apron then run away. Strowan slams Owens and Zayn at ringside, then Rollins tags in Roode. Axel also tags in. Roode cleans house and then hits a splash and a neckbreaker on Axel. Roode looks for the Glorious DDT, but Axel fights out. Roode coes back with a blockbuster rfor a two count. Axel stuns Roode and Miz tags in, but Roode clotheslines him down. Strowman gets the tag and The Miz flees the ring. Strowman chases down Miz, and knocks down everyone else in his way. Strowman slams Miz into the fan barricade then takes him back in the ring. Miz tries to fight him off, but Strowman hits him then clotheslines him. The Miztourage runs in, which leads to Strowman hitting his shoulder on the ring post. Balor runs in and drops Dallas, then Rollins drops Axel and hits a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Roode hits the Glorious DDT on Sami, then Kevin hits the superkick on Roode. Lashley runs in and elbows Owens in the face, then hits a spinebuster. Miz throws Lashley outside, and it’s down to Miz and Strowman. The Miz hits some running dropkicks on Braun in the corner, but Strowman blocks the last one with a dropkick of his own. Miz looks to tag Axel and Dallas, but they hop off the apron and betray Miz. The crowd chants in support of Axel and Dallas, while Miz is left alone in the ring with Braun. THe Miz turns around into Braun, and Braun slams him in the corner and then hits the running powerslam for the three count.
Winners: Bobby Lashley, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, & Bobby Roode
– The winners stand tall in the ring as The Miz recovers on the ringside floor and the other losers retreat up the ramp.
Yesterday Asuka Tweeted out a picture of herself with the caption “Fabulous.” This prompted a response from SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Carmella. She said “Girls just wanna be Carmella.”
The pair then continued to go back and forth a bit. Check out the exchange here:
Currently Asuka and Carmella are on opposite brands, however, tonight marks the beginning of the Superstar Shake-Up. It’s possible a feud between Carmella and Asuka begins if they end up on the same show.
Sting Reunites With Fellow WCW Alumni
WWE Hall Of Famer Sting posted a picture on his Twitter account from WrestleCon during WrestleMania weekend. The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion is pictured reuniting with fellow WCW alumni such as Lex Luger, Mr. Hughes, Mick Foley, and Rick Steiner:
New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Kenny Omega lost to Cody at the Ring Of Honor (ROH) Supercard Of Honor XII event and dubbed himself the leader of The Bullet Club. One fan took to Twitter to ask Omega if Cody is truly the leader of the club. The Clenaer responded – “Of course not”:
First official weekend as the leader for this group
Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘n Wrestling Rage at Sea cruise is set for October 27th – 31st. Ring Of Honor (ROH) has announced that Mike Taven will be joining the long list of wrestlers already scheduled for the cruise.
Other names confirmed include Kenny Omega, Cody, Young Bucks, Dalton Castle, Marty Scurll, The Briscoes, Deonna Purrazzo, Brandi Rhodes, Kelly Klein, Mandy Leon, Adam Page, Jay Lethal, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Flip Gordon, Kenny King, Silas Young, Beer City Bruiser, Delirious, Cheeseburger, BJ Whitmer, Rhett Titus, and Will Ferrara:
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) April 16, 2018
The Rock Surprises Movie Goers
Former WWE Champion The Rock surprised movie goers who were viewing his latest film, Rampage. Rock visited several theatres in Los Angeles to thank fans for their support. Check out the videos here:
The WWE could be getting ready to make quite a significant change to its commentary teams in the near future.
Currently, Monday Night RAW’s commentary team features Jonathan Coachman, Corey Graves, and Michael Cole. SmackDown Live also features Graves, along with Byron Saxton and Tom Phillips.
Dave Meltzer is reporting that WWE is very big into diversity right now and could be looking to diversify its commentary teams. He noted that WWE is hiring right now based on fitting into certain demographics. The report also states that WWE is looking to eventually bring a woman in to do color commentary.
WWE Hall Of Famer Beth Phoenix, who did commentary during the Mixed Match Challenge series and the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, would be a natural fit for this gig. Fellow Hall Of Famer Lita could also be a contender, as she did commentary during the Mae Young Classic opposite Jim Ross.
Former WWE Champion CM Punk is set to return to the UFC’s Octagon in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois on June 9th from the United Center.
Punk left the WWE back in January of 2014 citing several issues with the promotion. He then signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC and announced his intentions to pursue a career as a mixed martial artist.
Following two years of training, Punk made his official MMA debut against welterweight prospect Mickey Gall at the UFC 203 pay-per-view (PPV) event. Gall immediately took Punk to the ground and battered him before locking in a rear-naked choke for the first round submission win.
Despite the lopsided defeat, the former professional wrestler announced his intentions to continue fighting and refused to give up. Now, two years after making his MMA debut, Punk is back and will be challenging fellow 0-1 professional record-holder Mike Jackson.
Jackson is actually an MMA journalist who fought Gall back in 2016 for the opportunity to welcome Punk to the Octagon. Jackson lost that fight to Gall via first round submission as well after being rocked by the New Jersey native.
In fact, Punk lasted much longer in his fight against Gall, as Jackson was finished in just 48 seconds. Punk was submitted at the 2:14 mark. Despite this, Jackson believes he will pick up a dominant victory over the former WWE Champion.
Jackson recently did an interview with TMZ and said he’s going to show Punk that MMA isn’t for him. He also claimed to be the real draw in the match-up:
“I’m just going in here to beat him up a little bit and show him it’s not for him.”
“If you bring in someone else … it’s not gonna get this type of buzz. It’s getting this type of buzz because of me. This is a storyline not even Vince McMahon could write.”
For the best MMA news coverage available be sure to visit our sister site at MMA News.com
Tonight WWE is set to kick off its Superstar Shake-Up event, shuffling WWE stars to different brands for the next 48 hours.
It all starts tonight in Hartford for Monday Night RAW. While many are ready so see Superstars swap brands, it’s also expected that some names from NXT could be called up as well.
One of those names just might be former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre. Per a report from the WrestleVotes Twitter account, McIntyre is backstage for tonight’s RAW. The report noted that there’s currently no news on if he’ll be drafted or not:
Interesting Monday Night Raw tonight. A majority of the Smackdown roster will be in town, including some surprises. NXT star Drew McIntyre is in Hartford. No idea if he’s getting the call up or not. Personally, I’d throw him on the Smackdown brand but we’ll see.
Also, the majority of SmackDown Live’s roster is also backstage at RAW, with some more surprises as well. Tonight’s RAW should be a very fun one indeed, and it will be interesting to see where WWE decides to send some of its biggest stars.
McIntyre has been out-of-action since his NXT Title loss to Andrade “Cien” Almas at NXT TakeOver: WarGames in November. He suffered a torn bicep during the match and has been rehabbing ever since.
The WWE continues its pursuit of global domination. PWInsider has announced that WWE will make its debut in Norway on November 1st in Oslo for a RAW brand show. Currently superstars such as Roman Reigns, Finn Bálor, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, The Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro, Asuka, and Bray Wyatt are scheduled to appear – but the card is subject to change due to today and tomorrow’s Superstar Shake-Up.
Brooke Hogan On Possibly Returning To Wrestling (Video)
Brooke Hogan, daughter of WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan, was recently interviewed on Access Live to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Hogan was asked about a possible return to wrestling.
She responded by saying she has been considering it and has had some training, but admitted it’s probably not enough. Hogan also teased a possible match with Charlotte Flair, who is the daughter of two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair. She also revealed that she now owns an all-female league.
Here’s what she had to say:
“I’m considering it. I’m thinking about it. I have had training, probably not enough. I actually own my own female league that I am now doing. That’s a whole new ball of wax. I can’t really say much about it. I shouldn’t have even brought it up. I think about it. Everybody wants me to wrestle Charlotte Flair, so who knows?”
A new match has been announced for Impact Wrestling’s next pay-per-view event.
On Monday morning (April 16, 2018), the promotion announced that a singles match between Aerostar and Drago would take place at the upcoming Redemption event.
Impact Wrestling will hold their Redemption pay-per-view event on April 22nd, 2018 in Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios. The event will air on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app. Here is the updated card: Impact Wrestling Champion Austin Aries vs. Rey Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. X-Division Champion Matt Sydal vs. Petey Williams Impact Wrestling Tag Team Champions LAX vs. Eli Drake & Scott Steiner Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Allie vs. Su Yung House of Hardcore Match: Tommy Dreamer, Eddie Edwards, and Moose vs. oVe Six-Way Match: Taiji Ishimori vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. El Hijo Del Fantasma vs. Brian Cage vs. DJZ vs. Trevor Lee
Singles Match: Aerostar vs. Drago
We’ll have Impact Wrestling: Redemption results here at SEScoops this Sunday night. Do you plan on watching this event? Is this a card worth paying for? Sound off in the comment section below.
Tonight’s edition of WWE RAW takes place from Hartford, CT at the XL Center.
The 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-Up kicks off tonight and continues on Tuesday’s edition of SmackDown Live. Both brands will will look very different come Tuesday night – setting the stage for the next 12 months of match-ups on RAW and SmackDown.
In addition to the Superstar Shake-Up, WWE is advertising the following items for RAW:
Who will battle Cesaro & Sheamus at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27? “Woken” Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt face The Revival to earn a shot at The Bar.
Bayley and Sasha Banks settle their differences
Will Ronda Rousey face repercussions after attacking Stephanie McMahon again?
Will Roman Reigns get his hands on Samoa Joe?
What “unfinished business” does Bobby Lashley have in WWE?
It’s going to be an eventful evening and we hope you join us here tonight for our WWE RAW Live Coverage. Until then, catch up on the Top 10 Moments from last week’s RAW:
This Sunday night, Impact Wrestling returns to pay-per-view with Redemption live from Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios. This will be the promotion’s first PPV of the year and the first big show under the new creative regime of Don Callis and Scott D’Amore.
The following matches are scheduled for Impact Wrestling: Redemption (4/22):
– Impact Champion Austin Aries vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Rey Fenix
– X-Division Champion Matt Sydal vs. Petey Williams.
– Impact Tag Team Champions LAX vs. Eli Drake & Scott Steiner
– House of Hardcore Match: OVE vs. Moose & Eddie Edwards & Tommy Dreamer
– Taiji Ishimori vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Brian Cage vs. DJZ vs. Trevor Lee.
– Aerostar vs. Drago
We’ll have Impact Wrestling: Redemption results here at SEScoops this Sunday night.
Ring of Honor was in Columbus last night for a live show which aired on Honor Club. The promotion had been in Pittsburgh on Saturday for a set of TV tapings.
The main event for “Masters of the Craft” from Columbus featured a Defy or Deny elimination match pitting ROH World Champion, Dalton Castle, against Punishment Martinez, the Beer City Bruiser, and Marty Scurll. The rules were that if Dalton Castle won the match then the last person eliminated would not be able to challenge for Castle’s championship again during his reign. If, however, someone else wins the match then they earn a future title shot against Castle.
Jinder Mahal worked for years on lower card, got fired and was rehired before WWE finally decided to push him and made him the WWE Champion last year but his struggles started long before that.
Mahal was recently the guest on Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast where he talked about how he tried not to get too excited when he found out about winning the WWE Championship as plans tend to change very often.
Reflecting on his early days in wrestling Mahal recalled how he had to drive hours to wrestle in front of very small crowds when he was still in high school:
“When I started wrestling I was still in high school. I would wrestle with guys that were 30 years old, we would drive like 20 hours to a show. I’m still in High School at this time.. I wrestled Tyler Breeze one time when there was like 20 people at the show.
Continuing on the topic, the Morden Day Maharaja said that he drove for hours to get paid $10 on wrestling shows and claimed that he wasn’t just made in the development somewhere:
I’ve wrestled around five people, drove hours and hours and got paid $10. I often don’t share that side, but for years I was training, traveling, struggling. I wasn’t just made in the Development somewhere.”
Apart from this, Jinder Mahal also talked about how Road Dogg had told him good things would be happening to him before he was moved to SmackDown Live and won the WWE Championship and more. You can check out his full interview in the video below:
