As seen above, WWE has released their top 10 moments from this week’s episode of SmackDown Live. A lot went down this week including a fatal five way main event with a surprising twist. Sami Zayn has assured Kevin Owens that he will lay down for his best friend and eat the pin should the two emerge as the final men in WWE Fastlane’s main event.
Zayn turned a lot of heads in the SmackDown Live main event last night. With just himself and Owens in the ring, Zayn blasted his friend with a Helluva Kick to score the win. That and more are featured in the video.
Tommaso Ciampa Angered By NXT Fans
Earlier tonight, another episode of NXT aired on the WWE Network. Fresh off of Johnny Gargano’s NXT exit following a last chance defeat to Cien Almas, Ciampa planned to cut a promo to mock his former tag team partner.
Instead, NXT fans didn’t allow him to speak. They constantly booed Ciampa and chanted “We Want Johnny” and “Johnny Wrestling.” Ciampa stormed out of the ring without saying a word. The fans proceeded to keep chanting “leave.” Ciampa then ripped a Gargano sign.
NXT Tag Team Champion Bobby Fish was at tonight’s NXT TV tapings but was on crutches after suffering a knee injury at a weekend live event. PWInsider reports that Fish is scheduled to undergo knee surgery later this week in Birmingham, AL.
There’s no word yet on when Fish will be back from the surgery but it was announced at tonight’s tapings that he and partner Kyle O’Reilly will put their titles on the line at “Takeover: New Orleans” during WrestleMania 34 Week.
In a change of plans, perhaps due to the injury, the finals of The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic came down to air on NXT TV instead of Takeover. Roderick Strong and WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne vs. The Authors of Pain was set to begin as the finals but Adam Cole and O’Reilly attacked both teams for the contest. NXT General Manager William Regal then announced a Triple Threat for Takeover with Dunne & Strong vs. The Authors of Pain vs. O’Reilly & Fish with the winners being crowned Dusty Classic winners and NXT Tag Team Champions.
It was also confirmed at the NXT tapings that the Ladder Match to crown the inaugural NXT North American Champion will feature EC3, Adam Cole, Lars Sullivan, Killian Dain, The Velveteen Dream & Ricochet.
Here’s what looks to be the updated card for Takeover, which takes place on Saturday, April 7th from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Stay tuned for more updates & clarifications on the Takeover card.
NXT Title Match
Aleister Black vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas
NXT Women’s Title Match
Shayna Baszler vs. Ember Moon
NXT Tag Team Title Match, Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals
Roderick Strong & WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne vs. The Authors of Pain vs. The Undisputed Era
Ladder Match to Crown the First-Ever NXT North American Champion
Ricochet vs. Ethan Carter III vs. Killian Dain vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Adam Cole vs. The Velveteen Dream
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Match: TM61 vs. The Authors of Pain
TM61 started off the match in control of Akam and Rezar. Nick Miller flipped onto both members of the Authors of Pain outside the ring. Back in the ring, Miller connected with a couple of chops onto Akam but he shrugged them off and whipped Miller to the corner. Rezar tagged in and beat the hell out of Miller as NXT went to a break.
When NXT returned, Authors of Pain were still dominating and Akam was back in the ring. Akam connected with a Leg Drop off the second rope and went for the cover but Miller kicked out at two. Miller was finally able to battle back and hit a DDT. Miller made his way to the corner to tag in Shane Thorne.
Thorne and Rezar were now battling in the ring. Thorne went for a Suplex but Rezar blocked it. Thorne remained persistent and blasted Rezar with a few forearms before connecting with the Suplex. Rezar booted Thorne in the face and tagged Akam back in. Akam and Rezar connected with a Powerbomb/Neckbreaker and went for the cover but Nick Miller leaped into the ring to break up the cover at the last second.
Miller tagged in and climbed to the top rope and hit a Moonsault. He then went for the cover but Rezar broke it up. Rezar grabbed Thorne and hit him with a massive Powerbomb on the ring apron. AOP then hit the Last Chapter for the pinfall victory.
Pete Dunne was shown backstage with NXT GM William Regal. Roderick Strong and Undisputed Era interrupted. Strong wanted another shot at the U.K. Championship and Undisputed Era thought that was ridiculous. Dunne stated that Adam Cole hasn’t won anything important since arriving in NXT. Dunne and Cole got in each other’s faces before NXT GM William Regal broke it up. It was announced later on the show that Pete Dunne will defend the U.K. Championship next week.
Lacey Evans was interviewed backstage and she said that she was going to teach Dakota Kai some class next week in the ring. Shayna Baszler interrupted and Lacey Evans quickly got the hell out of there. Baszler was pissed off that Ember Moon has not responded to her challenge for another match yet and poked fun at Moon being called a fighting champion.
Tommaso Ciampa came down to the ring and was greeted with “you suck!” chants from the crowd. Fans were holding pieces of paper with Gargano’s logo on it.
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Ciampa tried to talk a couple of times but the crowd booed when he brought the microphone to his mouth. Ciampa got pissed off and threw the microphone and started to storm up the entrance ramp. He came across a fan with a Gargano sign and grabbed it from him. Ciampa ripped the sign in half and then brought the pieces into the ring. Ciampa grabbed his crutch and started hitting the sign with it like a psychopath before finally leaving the ring.
Aleister Black vs. Killian Dain
The match started off with an absolutely ridiculous running Dropkick from Dain that knocked Black on his ass. Dain went for the cover but Aleister kicked out at two. Dain charged at Black again but this time Aleister was able to get out of the way. Aleister connected with a few kicks that sent Dain tumbling to the floor outside the ring.
Killian got right back into the ring and manhandled Black. Dain launched Aleister to the corner and then connected with a Crossbody for another two count. Dain zeroed in on Aleister’s ribs and started kicking the hell out of them. Killain hit back-to-back-to-back Splashes and went for the cover but Black kicked out.
Black battled back and hit a series of kicks. Aleister delivered an awesome springboard Moonsault to Dain for a two count. Dain got back up and leveled Black with a Clothesline for two. Killian Dain remained on the attack and planted Black with a Spinebuster. Killian followed it up with a Vader Bomb and went for the cover but Aleister kicked out. Dain went for the Ulster Plantation but Black reversed it into a roll-up for two. Aleister connected with the Black Mass out of nowhere for the pinfall victory.
A new secondary singles title is being planned for the NXT brand.
General Manager William Regal announced at tonight’s TV tapings from Full Sail University that the NXT North American Title will be introduced at NXT “Takeover: New Orleans” during WrestleMania 34 Weekend.
No word yet on what kind of match would be held at Takeover or who the participants will be but we will keep you updated.
As noted, WWE is planning on introducing new Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles to the 205 Live brand after WrestleMania 34 as well.
Gurjar, who according to WWE.com, is 6-foot-8 and 298 pounds, joined 33 male and female athletes from 18 countries last April in a four-day invitation-only tryout in Dubai. There, he impressed Performance Center coaches and trainers and earned himself a WWE developmental contract.
“I don’t want money. I don’t want fame,” Gurjar told WWE.com at the tryout. “I want my dream.”
Gurjar is best known in India for his portrayal of “Bheem” in the Hindi-language mythological TV drama Mahabharat (2013). He has a background in boxing and kickboxing, having been the Haryana State Boxing Champion before he started acting.
– NXT wrestler Big Boa revealed on Twitter that he is unable to train after suffering an injury to his AC joint (a joint at the top of the shoulder). However, he hopes to be back soon.
Big Boa, whose also identifies himself as Yanbo Wang, was part of a group of seven recruits from China that WWE signed to developmental contracts following a four-day tryout in Shangai in June 2016. He began training at the WWE Performance Center in February 2017 and wrestled his first match in July. He’s wrestled about 10 matches since then, all at non-televised NXT live events in Florida, with his most notable victories coming against Chad Lail and Marcel Barthel. His last match took place on Feb. 10 in a loss to Barthel.
– In this video, Dakota Kai hypes WWE programming on Maori Television in her native New Zealand.
Earlier this week it was officially announced by the WWE that former Superstar Hillbilly Jim would be inducted into this year’s Hall of Fame class.
Anytime that a Superstar is announced for the Hall of Fame, they do various interviews to talk about the announcement, reflect on their careers and what being a Hall of Famer means to them.
Hillbilly Jim recently spoke with TMZ Sports about the honor. During the interview, he noted that he took the call to let the sports entertainment company know that he wouldn’t be making the trip to WrestleMania due to the rough traveling he had in the past.
“The phone call came on a Sunday morning and to be honest with you, they had been calling me for several days prior to try and get me and I had not responded. I was sitting down at my house getting ready to have a cup of coffee and I was going to the gym when they started calling me again,” Jim added.
“I said, ‘I’ve got to take this phone call.’ I really was taking the phone call to tell them that I was not going to come to WrestleMania this year, I was going to take off a year or so because I had a rough ride last year for the one we did in Orlando. With transportation, I felt like the whole weekend I was just behind. So I said, ‘I’m just going to take off a year or so.’ And I was telling him that, I said, ‘Listen, I appreciate it, tell everybody to have a great time in New Orleans and tell the boys hello, and I’m going to take off.’ He said, ‘Well Jim that’s good but Vince McMahon wants you to go into the Hall of Fame. I actually was not expecting this because this was the last thing on my mind. Then all the memories and ramifications of this started floating in my brain, and it’s just been crazy.”
WWE holds their 2018 Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday, April 6th in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Smoothie King Center. Bill Goldberg will headline the class. Here are the other names that have been confirmed to be inducted this year: Ivory, Jeff Jarrett, and The Dudley Boyz.
“Really I wasn’t expecting it, it hit me from the clear blue and it’s beyond belief to think that this has happened to me. It’s like the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae, man, that’s as good as I could ever hope for,” Jim said of the induction during WrestleMania 34 Weekend in New Orleans. “This is just above and beyond my dreams to get put into this Hall of Fame because I’ve already reaped all the benefits from having the business and for being in this industry and to have this happen to me, it’s just more than I needed because this has been a wonderful ride for me, something I could never envision. It’s one of them kinda things that someone kinda sits up and dreams about, but you’d never dream it quite like this.”
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal recently spoke withRohit Nath and Sportskeeda to talk about various topics. During the interview, he was asked about former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre and possibly teaming with him again.
If you recall, in April of 2011, Mahal made his main roster debut and would eventually find himself as a member of the Three Man Band (3MB) trio alongside McIntyre and Heath Slater. In 2014, however, his run with the WWE came to an end when he was released from his deal. “Drew would be awesome, I know he’s focused on his singles career, he’s doing his rehab, he’s looking forward to coming back stronger than ever, but there will be a 3MB re-union. We will be more successful than in the past, so definitely. We’re 3-time champions. Currently, someone like Elias would be a great tag partner, but also in NXT and in the Performance Center, there are many future superstars who train very hard. There are even new Indian superstars who just got signed.I’m excited to see where they go in the future.
They’re going to work hard too to become main roster superstars of RAW and SmackDown. I would love to take one of them and hopefully in a few years when I’m more experienced in WWE, I could take a mentorship role and bring them to RAW or SmackDown and together we could hold a tag team championship. That would be very cool.”
He was also asked about potentially moving back to WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night RAW.
After he was released from WWE, he returned to the independent circuit for two years where he would reinvent himself creatively and physically before being brought back to WWE around the time of the Superstar Shake-Up. After some time on RAW upon his return, the shake-up moved him over to Tuesday nights on SmackDown Live.
“Absolutely. I go wherever I’m called. SmackDown Live is the land of opportunity and I took advantage of that opportunity, but I believe that I’m one of the main superstars in WWE, and whether I’m on RAW or whether I’m on SmackDown, I will be successful.I could definitely see there being a shake-up, some superstars will switch, but whichever side I’m on, RAW or SmackDown, I’m more than happy to represent that brand and compete against the superstars of that respective brand and win either the Universal or WWE Championship at the end.”
WWE Champion AJ Styles recently joined Busted Open Radio with David LaGreca and Mark Henry to discuss his upcoming Six Pack Challenge WWE Title defense against John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, and Dolph Ziggler. “The Phenomenal One” sung Cena’s praises and called him one of the greatest of all time:
“I’m not saying that John is a great athlete, I don’t want to discredit who John is,” Styles said. “He’s not known for his moveset. But his psychology is unbelievable! Like, he gets it on another level. It makes up for things he lacks in his moveset because he’s so unbelievable in that ring. When he and I work together… I say him signing something, and he is a leftie, he uses his left hand.
“I said, ‘that’s gotta be what it is John, that’s why we work so well together, because you’re a leftie and I’m a rightie and it just works.’ We’re different in every way, but we keep on putting on great matches.”
On RAW this week Cena suggested a Triple Threat match at WrestleMania between himself, AJ Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Title. Styles said that he doesn’t want that match to happen as he wants Nakamura all to himself:
“I guess John Cena was on RAW last night saying that he’s going to win [at Fastlane] and I should invoke my rematch clause at WrestleMania so that it can be a three-way between myself, Nakamura and John Cena,” Styles said. “Well I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to lose this match coming up at Fastlane. I want Nakamura all to myself.
“I’ve got a score to settle with Nakamura,” Styles admitted. “We had a match – one match – between him and I in Japan. He took that match, he won that one. He had home field advantage. I want the home field advantage this time and we’ll see what happens. I want him all to myself.”
The Riott Squad are evidently not impressed that Bobby Roode interrupted their segment with Charlotte Flair last night. Things were looking as though they were about to get physical with the 3 Riott Squad members alone in the ring with the Smackdown Women’s Champion but Bobby Roode’s music hit and the situation de-escalated quickly. Roode and Charlotte are also tag-team partners in the Mixed-Match Challenge tournament.
Roode was coming out to work the commentary booth for the match between Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton but the Riott Squad did not take kindly to the interruption. Liv Morgan, in particular, has promised that if it happens again she will rip all the sequins off his robe.
Charlotte Flair will defend her Smackdown Women’s Championship against Ruby Riott on Sunday. It is also worth noting that Asuka has yet to declare which champion she will face at WrestleMania, so this match could have WrestleMania implications.
The 27-year-old Riott has been on the main roster since November. She started her pro-career in 2010 and eventually signed with WWE in 2016.
John Cena is doing some promotional work for Nickelodeon today in New York’s Time Square. He will be hosting the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards later this month. Earlier today, the art for the TMNT character he will be voicing in the fall was released as well.
Despite his busy schedule, Cena had time to answer questions regarding potential opponents for him at this year’s WrestleMania. Sports Illustrated caught up to him at the event.
Cena had this to say in regards to recent rumors Rey Mysterio will be his WrestleMania opponent, “Rey Mysterio is great,” said Cena. “I’ll say that, and that’s what I can say about Rey.”
John Cena on WrestleMania 34 Opponent
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, however, Mysterio tore his biceps this weekend. If the diagnosis turns out to be correct, Mysterio could miss WrestleMania.
“I have never asked for a WrestleMania opponent,” said Cena when pressed further about other potential Mania opponents. “If you look at what I’ve done in my WrestleMania entirety, from coming out at Safeco Field in a sweat suit rapping to two cardboard cutouts, to working with established superstars to working with rookies, to being fortunate enough to use the platform to ask a beautiful young lady to marry me.”
During the interview, Cena even hinted it is possible he missed WrestleMania altogether this year.
“What a great story it would be for me to miss and have to buy a ticket,” said Cena. “The year doesn’t stop at WrestleMania, we do Raw the next night. Now imagine if this stalwart, this statue of the WWE now has to look inside himself and ask, ‘Do I still have it?’ after being left out of the biggest show of the year.”
Ronda Rousey is undoubtedly one of the most gifted athletes in all of sports but that doesn’t mean she’s suddenly going to become one of the most prolific talkers now that she’s part of the WWE roster.
Through her first few appearances in WWE during the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view as well as the past two weeks on Monday Night Raw, it’s been noted that Rousey appears to be very nervous when speaking on the microphone when her segments opposite Stephanie McMahon have taken place.
Rousey was never one to hold her tongue during her UFC career when she was a six-time defending champion but talking to a group of reporters versus thousands of people in attendance in any given arena are two totally different things.
“You have to put yourself in the most uncomfortable situations and make them comfortable.” ~ Alexa Bliss
WWE Raw women’s champion Alexa Bliss offered some advice for Rousey when speaking to ESPN about her struggles on the microphone thus far.
“It took me forever to get comfortable,” Bliss said. “When I first started NXT, we had promo classes, and I used to get so upset because I couldn’t get in front of a crowd and talk. I was terrified. Actually, our referee Shawn Bennett was just talking about my first promo class. I stood up there and started crying because I was really embarrassed to be in front of a large group and speaking.
“I performed in front of large crowds before, but I never had to speak in front of them, so it’s just one of those things you have to keep doing and doing. You have to put yourself in the most uncomfortable situations and make them comfortable.”
Bliss has come a long way for her promos including the huge reaction she received after speaking at Elimination Chamber a couple of weeks ago.
Obviously, WWE is easing Rousey into her new role with the company, which is why she’s being paired alongside a seasoned veteran like Kurt Angle for most of her segments as well as her first match at WrestleMania 34.
Only time will tell if Rousey will get more comfortable on the microphone or she might just become the silent killer who says less and does more.
– As we’ve noted, Braun Strowman and RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defeated the team of SmackDown Live Tag Team Champ Jimmy Uso and Naomi in Week 9 of the Mixed Match Challenge. Bliss and Strowman will challenge WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Asuka in Week 10 of the Mixed Match Challenge. The winner of that match will go on to the finals.
WWE posted a post-match video of Bliss and Strowman to talk about their win. Dasha Fuentes asked the pair if anything was going on between them after Braun said he and Alexa were going “all the way”… in the tournament. Check it out here:
– Former WWE Superstar Darren Young, real name Fred Rosser, has announced that he will be launching his own YouTube channel. He made the announcement on Twitter via video:
— nodaysoff FRED ROSSER III (@realfredrosser) March 7, 2018
– The Rock’s daughter was taken to the emergency room Saturday night. Rock’s two-year-old, Jasmine, is fine now, but “The Great One” took to Instagram to thank first responders in Los Angeles for helping out:
– As seen on Monday Night RAW this past week, Matt Hardy challenged Bray Wyatt to come and confront him at the Hardy Family Compound. Some footage from the compound was also featured during the segment, which we later found out was filmed by Reby Hardy. Wyatt took to Twitter to accept Hardy’s challenge:
– WWE posted a promo on Twitter for next week’s episode of Monday Night RAW from Detroit, which is said to feature a face to face confrontation between WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and Elimination Chamber winner Roman Reigns. Check it out:
– Paige took to social media to note that she’s currently on tour with her current boyfriend, Kalan Blehm’s, band, Attila. She won’t be appearing with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville at WWE live events this week:
John Cena’s Road To WrestleMania 34 is probably one of the biggest storylines going in WWE right now. Cena failed to win the Royal Rumble match, lost the Elimination Chamber match after being pinned by Braun Strowman, and will now get his third – and likely final – shot to make it into the headline bout at “The Show Of Shows.” Cena will take part in a Six Pack Challenge match for the WWE Title against Champion AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, and Dolph Ziggler at Fastlane on pay-per-view (PPV) this weekend.
The winner will go on to WrestleMania to defend the WWE Title against Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura. John Cena’s upcoming WWE schedule, however, suggests he probably won’t be winning that match. “The Leader Of The Cenation” is not scheduled for any SmackDown Live events after Fastlane, leading up to WrestleMania.
That means that whatever feud WWE has planned for Cena, he’ll likely be building it up on RAW. Take a look at his upcoming schedule here:
March 11th: Fastlane (Columbus, OH)
March 12th: Raw (Detroit, MI)
March 16th: MSG Live event (NYC)
March 18th: Live event (Oklahoma City, OK)
March 19th: Raw (Dallas, TX)
March 26th: Raw (Cleveland, OH)
April 9th: Raw (New Orleans, LA)
Its been rumored that Cena could be feuding with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34. With very little options other than Taker out there if Cena doesn’t win the WWE Title this weekend, he very well could be sharing the squared circle with “The Deadman” in New Orleans this April.
– After suffering a shoulder injury back in September on an episode of RAW, Jeff Hardy underwent surgery to repair the issue. The surgery took place in October and he was given a recovery time of 6-9 months. Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Hardy has been cleared by his surgeon as of last month for an in-ring return.
Now Hardy is simply waiting to get the green light from WWE doctors. Satin also reports that Hardy’s recent evaluation in Birmingham, Alabama went well and he’s hoping to get some good news back soon. With that being said, there’s a slight chance Hardy could return before WrestleMania 34.
– Last night’s SmackDown Live featured several previews for this weekend’s Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) event. After SmackDown Live and 205 Live went off air the dark match main event of the evening, also a preview for this weekend’s Fastlane, say Shinsuke Nakamura defeat Rusev.
“The Artist” won the match via disqualification after Aiden English got involved. Nakamura hit the Kinsasha on English to send fans home happy. Here are some photos:
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum has a busy schedule with the Las Vegas promotion, but he wants to add more to his workload.
Werdum already has his next fight lined up as he is slated to main event UFC London on March 17 against Alexander Volkov, which marks his fourth fight since July.
While promoting the upcoming fight, he mentioned that he’s trying to negotiate a deal with WWE.
It all started once the name of current WWE Universal Champion and former Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar was brought up.
There have been rumblings that Lesnar could make a UFC return once his contract with the sports entertainment company expires next month after WrestleMania 34 where he is set to defend his title against Roman Reigns.
Werdum claimed that he will have a meeting with a WWE official later this week. It should be noted that Kickboxer producer Rob Hickman helped him set up a meeting with the WWE representative.
”I think that both (at the same time) is doable,” Werdum told MMA Fighting. “You can do WWE. … If I had the opportunity I’d fight there, no problem. It’s financially great. Fight at WWE, a spectacle that is fun to do. I’d definitely do it. I have a meeting Thursday about it, doing both (UFC and WWE). I want to fight, doesn’t matter where.”
”I’ll have this meeting Thursday in San Diego to see if something happens with WWE,” Werdum said. “It’s cool, a unique opportunity to do a few fights there as well. People think it’s easy, but it’s not. You have to be well trained to do those jumps, you have to be agile. It’s not easy as some people might think. It’s quite complicated. You have to be well trained and practice a lot to captivate the audience.”.
”I’m fluent in Spanish, so I can do a character that speaks Spanish,” Werdum said. “That would be cool. I’d really like to have this opportunity to do this and captivate the Latin audience because they really love WWE. I’d be thrilled to do a fight there, or more, or a contract, because there’s no problem with the UFC since it’s not a real fight, it’s more of a show.”
Update: Fabricio Werdum has since clarified that he is interested in doing lucha libre pro wrestling – not specifically WWE.
Hey guys to make it clear I spoke about maybe doing Lucha libre in México. Not WWE. I meant wwe style(pro wrestling) but I am a @ufc fighter and my focus 100% is fighting in the ufc and whatever decision I make after my fighting career @danawhite@Mickmaynard2 will be involved.
– On this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW The Bar retained their RAW Tag Team Titles against The Revival. Sheamus and Cesaro currently have no challengers for their titles at WrestleMania 34. “The Celtic Warrior” sent out an open challenge to all tag teams via Twitter to challenge them at “The Show Of Shows”:
PWInsider reports that The Bar’s challengers at WrestleMania 34 are “not currently a team.” The Young Bucks took to Twitter to declare their interest in possibly answering the call in New Orleans:
Tonight’s edition of NXT is a taped show from Center Stage in Atlanta, GA. In addition to the Dusty Rhodes Classic beginning, only one other match has been announced for tonight’s show.
Matches and Segments Announced For Tonight
Dusty Rhodes Classic Tournament (1st Round) Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) vs. TM61 (Shane Thorne & Nick Miller)
The 8-team single-elimination tournament begins tonight with a rematch of the finals from 2016. AOP defeated TM61 last time at Takeover: Toronto while Paul Elleriing hung in a shark cage above the ring.
The winners of this match will take on the winners of Heavy Machinery vs the Street Profits in the semi-finals.
Aleister Black vs Killian Dain
These two will clash in what is essentially a title-eliminator match.
3 weeks ago, Black was seemingly going to announce he wanted to challenge for the NXT title but Dain interrupted his promo.
John Cena will be hosting the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on March 24th, 2018. Nickelodeon has also revealed the art for Cena’s character in the upcoming animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Movie. Cena will be voicing the character of Baron Draxum.
John Cena in “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
The Ninja Turtles brand has crossed-over with WWE in the past as well. Kevin Nash once played the role of “Super Shredder” in “TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze”. Similarly, Sheamus once played the role of Rocksteady in 2016’s version of a Ninja Turtles movie.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is expected to be released in September.
The three-time Divas Champion made the announcement with her husband on Tuesday night at the end of this Instagram video titled ‘Creepy Hug Defenses For Every Woman’.
Torres and her husband, Rener Gracie, are expecting their second child. She gave birth to their first child, a boy, named Raeven Gracie, on September 28, 2015.
– Roelly Winklaar, an IFBB professional bodybuilder and Mr. Olympia competitor, was backstage at Raw in Green Bay, Wisconsin at the Resch Center. On Instagram, he posted these photos of himself with Braun Strowman, Kane, Sasha Banks, Dana Brooke, Asuka and Ronda Rousey.
https://instagram.com/p/Bf-JrtcFpZo/
– WWE returns to Baltimore, Maryland on Tuesday, May 8 for SmackDown LIVE at Royal Farms Arena. According to an email sent out by WWE, there will be a presale on Ticketmaster.com (Start: Wed 03/07/18 10:00 am EST, End: Thu 03/08/18 10:00 pm EST) with the passcode ‘SMACKDOWN’. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday at 10:00 am EST.
The email advertises a Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Championship with AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn.
The two teams had a stare down and the crowd chanted “get these hands!”. Jimmy Uso decided start off the match with Braun Strowman and that was a big mistake. Strowman beat the hell out of him and connected with a Splash in the corner. Strowman picked Jimmy for a slam but Jimmy escaped and tagged Naomi in.
Alexa Bliss slapped Naomi in the face and Naomi responded with a slap of her own. Jimmy Uso then ran around the ring and knocked Strowman off the apron with a Dropkick. Bliss was knocked out of the ring and then knocked off the apron onto Braun Strowman.
Jimmy Uso started trash talking Strowman, which was another big mistake. Strowman chased after him and bashed him into the barricade. Naomi still had control of the match and connected with a Jawbreaker and followed it up with a Leg Drop for a two count.
Strowman then decided to clear off the announce table and slam Jimmy Uso through it with a Running Powerslam. Naomi was distracted by it and Bliss rolled her up from behind for the victory.
The March 6th episode of WWE SmackDown took place at the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI. It was the final episode of SmackDown before WWE Fastlane this Sunday. Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Ruby Riott & Charlotte Kicked Off The Show With A Promo
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and Ruby Riott kicked off this week’s episode of SmackDown. Dasha Fuentes went to ask Ruby Riott a question but Riott interrupted and grabbed the microphone. Ruby Riott said that this all began when Charlotte became SmackDown Women’s Champion. Riott stated that all her life, Charlotte has been set up to succeed. Riott added that Charlotte became the first Superstar to ever win the NXT, Divas, RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships.
Riott said that it was a myth that Charlotte was the personification of the women’s revolution. Riott stated that she formed the Riott Squad to destroy the myth. Charlotte responded that she has had to work harder than anyone else because she is the daughter of Ric Flair. Charlotte continued that if she fails, it reflects her entire family. She cannot just be successful, she must be transcendent. Charlotte added that her accomplishments transcended any myth about her.
Riott claimed that Charlotte was on a pedestal and all of that is on the line this Sunday at WWE Fastlane. Ruby said that she was going to take Charlotte’s crowd so that she will no longer be the queen. She will become just another bleach blonde failure with a famous last name.
Charlotte got in Ruby’s face and Ruby instructed Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan to get into the ring. United States Champion Bobby Roode’s music hit and Roode made his way down to the ring. Roode is Charlotte’s partner in the Mixed Match Challenge. The Riott Squad and Charlotte left the ring as Roode joined commentary for the match between Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton next.
Ruby Riott is great on the microphone, but this promo was boring. It is the same old storyline in which Charlotte is only successful because she is Ric Flair’s daughter.
Jinder Mahal Defeated Randy Orton
Jinder Mahal faced Randy Orton on SmackDown as US Champion Bobby Roode was on commentary. Orton went for the RKO early and SmackDown went to a quick break. When RAW returned, Jinder Mahal was in control. Jinder connected with a knee to Orton’s head for a two count. Mahal followed it up with another knee to his face.
Byron Saxton claimed that he spoke to some sources and that Randy Orton was indeed perturbed about not being higher than Bobby Roode on the SmackDown Top 10 List. Roode said that he respected everything Randy Orton has accomplished in his career and that he does not respect Jinder Mahal.
Orton connected with a Powerslam and followed it up with a Fallaway Slam. Randy delivered a couple uppercuts as the crowd chanted “RKO!”. Orton hit a Backbreaker on Mahal and Jinder rolled to the ring apron. Jinder jumped out of the ring and threw Sunil Singh towards Orton. Randy dropped Sunil onto the announce table and then threw Jinder Mahal into Roode.
Back in the ring, Orton planted Mahal with a DDT while he was hung up in between the ropes. Orton geared up for the RKO but Bobby Roode hopped up on the ring apron and started arguing with him. Mahal shoved Orton into Roode and Bobby fell to the floor. Jinder then connected with the Khallas to Orton for the pinfall victory.
This match brought back nightmares of the Mahal and Orton feud that went on for far too long. Does anyone care about the SmackDown Top 10 List? They have been trying to sell this storyline that Orton is pissed off about his ranking on a list voted by SmackDown Superstars and I honestly could care less. I’m so incredibly bored with Randy Orton right now. I hope he turns heel soon and I have the same thoughts on Bobby Roode. I can’t bring myself to care about the United States Championship match at Fastlane. I’ve tried to get into it but I don’t care about the stupid SmackDown list. There is only one list I care about and I miss it dearly.
Sunday Will Be Nakamura Day
Shinsuke Nakamura was interviewed backstage and was asked if he was concerned that his match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania might not happen. Nakamura stated that he hoped AJ wins on Sunday so he can defeat him at WrestleMania with a knee to the face.
Aiden English and Rusev interrupted. Rusev scolded Nakamura for defeating English last week and possibly permantly damaging his vocal chords. Rusev then challenged Nakamura to a match at Fastlane. Nakamura accepted and sang that Sunday will be Nakamura Day.
Nakamura surprisingly has a decent singing voice. I feel bad for Rusev. He had the entire crowd behind him and they were chanting “Rusev Day!”. Aiden English was becoming popular as well and WWE just completely dropped the ball with them. They should be in the hunt for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, but instead they are being fed to Nakamura as we head to WrestleMania.
Naomi & Becky Lynch Will Battle Natalya & Carmella At Fastlane
Carmella faced Becky Lynch tonight on SmackDown. Carmella controlled the beginning of the match and beatdown Becky Lynch outside the ring. Carmella threw Becky Lynch into the barricade a couple of times and then stomped on Becky. Naomi was shown backstage watching on a monitor.
Back in the ring, Becky Lynch connected with a Dropkick but Carmella quickly took back in control. Carmella went for a pin but Becky kicked out. Carmella threw a tantrum and it cost her. Becky then locked in the Dis-Arm-Her for the submission victory. Naomi was once again shown backstage watching Becky win.
Natalya interrupted by fake clapping and said that Carmella was battling the flu all weekend and that is why Becky won. Natalya told Naomi to stay away from Becky Lynch because all her friends get burned. There were a couple of cat jokes thrown in and this all led to a tag match being made between Naomi & Becky Lynch versus Natalya and Carmella. Natalya also said that she was going to challenge the winner of the SmackDown Women’s Championship match this Sunday.
A random tag match in the SmackDown women’s division with no stakes at all has been added to Sunday’s PPV. Enjoy.
Sami Zayn Betrayed Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn had a conversation backstage. Owens brought up Zayn saying that he would lay down for him at Fastlane and give Owens the WWE Champion. Owens said that it was almost too good to be true but Sami is such a great guy. Zayn reiterated that he would lay down for Owens at the PPV because he wants to see Owens become the WWE Champion and headline WrestleMania. Sami noted that his time will come but Owens was one win away from becoming a Grand Slam Champion and living his dream. Owens grabbed Sami and gave him a giant hug to conclude the segment.
AJ Styles came down to the ring and talked about the grind of being a WWE Champion. Styles stated that he doesn’t have to get pinned on Sunday to lose the title in the Six-Pack Challenge. AJ said that he is not going to complain about it being unfair and that he is going to fight. Styles added that sometimes life gets the best of us and sometimes we do not win.
Styles brought up John Cena defeating him clean last week on SmackDown. AJ stated that Cena is world class and then rolled footage of last night’s Cena promo where Cena vowed to win the title. WWE felt the need to add the block letters over the promo, like they do for all of their new cell phone recorded promos that SmackDown has become obsessed with. AJ stated that he wants his WrestleMania moment and to defend it against the best, Shinsuke Nakamura. AJ said that he is not just fighting for the title at WWE Fastlane, he is fighting for us because the match will be nothing short of phenomenal.
Dolph Ziggler interrupted and came down to the ring. Ziggler said that AJ Styles used to be cool but he has changed. He isn’t phenomenal anymore and is now just desperate. Styles stated that Ziggler has been in the WWE for 13 years and still hasn’t reached his full potential. Dolph joked about how long it took for AJ to get to WWE and said that AJ Styles is going to lose on Sunday because his head is not in the right place.
Dolph claimed that all the fans will wind up stabbing AJ Styles in the back the second he lets them down. Dolph brought up becoming the World Heavyweight Champion after cashing in his MITB briefcase. Ziggler stated that the crowd didn’t deserve that moment because he was the best thing that to ever happen to this company. Dolph said that it was criminal that he has never had a singles match at WrestleMania. Ziggler told AJ Styles to take his dream match and shove it. AJ Styles asked Ziggler if he wanted to just have their match right now that was advertised as the main event.
Dolph went for a Superkick to start off the match but AJ blocked it and Dolph rolled out of the ring. Ziggler got back int he ring and applied a Chin Lock to Styles. AJ broke free and planted Ziggler with a Dropkick and Dolph rolled out of the ring again as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
SmackDown returned with AJ Styles now on the floor outside the ring and Ziggler posing in the ring. Dolph asked the referee to start counting and he obliged. AJ got back in the ring and connected with a Clothesline in the corner. Ziggler responded with a Fameasser for a two count. Ziggler leveled AJ with a forearm to the face and Styles rolled to the ring apron. Dolph catapulted AJ into the ring post as SmackDown went to another commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn ran down to the ring and attacked Ziggler and Styles. Dolph and AJ battled back and knocked Sami and Kevin out of the ring. SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon came down to the entrance ramp and claimed he knew what the crowd was thinking that he was going to announce a tag team match. Shane had different plans and announced a Fatal 5-Way match for the main event.
Corbin, Zayn, Owens, Ziggler and Styles then competed in a Fatal 5-Way. Owens and Zayn controlled the match early and shared a hug in the ring. Chaos broke out and Styles hit a Pele Kick and everyone was on the canvas as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, everyone was battling in the corner. Corbin and Owens Powerbombed Ziggler and Styles as they Superplexed Sami Zayn.
Zayn planted Ziggler with a Blue Thunder Bomb and went for the cover but AJ Styles broke it up. Sami threw AJ out of the ring and then he was thrown out by Ziggler. Owens connected with a German Suplex to Ziggler. Corbin charged at Owens but Owens got out of the way and Corbin smashed into the ring post. Owens hit Ziggler with a Cannonball but Ziggler responded with a DDT. Dolph planted Corbin with a Zig Zag and then hit a Superkick to Sami Zayn. Dolph went for the cover but AJ broke it up.
Corbin punched AJ in the face as he was going for the Phenomenal Forearm. Corbin connected with a Chokeslam Backbreaker to Ziggler and then hit Deep Six on Owens but once again AJ broke up the pinfall. Styles planted Zayn with a reverse DDT after flipping off the middle turnbuckle. Sami and Owens knocked AJ Styles out of the ring and then hit the Helluva Kick onto Kevin Owens for the victory.
After the match, Zayn was asked why he just kicked Kevin Owens. Sami said that he is the best WWE has and has been the most overlooked Superstar on the roster. SmackDown went off the air with Sami Zayn stating that he proved that he is the best tonight.
I figured that Sami Zayn would betray Kevin Owens at WWE Fastlane. Instead it happened tonight and I’m assuming that Owens and Zayn will have a match at WrestleMania 34. SmackDown has been a rough watch for weeks now and tonight was no different. I hope that the shows get better after Fastlane as SmackDown’s build to WrestleMania starts.
Bullet Club has seen better days. The stable was once ruling New Japan Pro Wrestling under the leadership of Prince Devitt and soon after that, AJ Styles. Kenny Omega took the leadership role in January 2016.
Things were looking good under Omega’s guidance before “The Elite” took the spotlight. Soon, the original members of Bullet Club became an afterthought and all the attention was on Omega, Cody, The Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, and Hangman Page. To make matters worse, Cody has been fighting with Omega over who should be the leader of Bullet Club.
Speaking to the Augusta Free Press, Page responded to talks of the faction’s demise:
“We’re not coming apart at the seams. We’re fine. Bullet Club is fine. Look, we’re a group of the most entertaining, athletic, all-around best wrestlers on the planet. And, you know, you’re just going to have a little bit of a rift sometimes. But, it’s fine, things are fine. We’ll work it out. This one is really just a little disagreement between Cody and Kenny, and they have a match coming up, and once that’s over, we’re fine. OK? Just got to get it out of our system.”
Matt Taven Calls NXT “ROH Lite”
Ring of Honor star Matt Taven is set to do battle with Cody on the ROH 16th Anniversary show. Taven recently appeared on Interactive Wrestling Radio to hype up the event. When the topic of NXT popped up, Taven had the following to say:
“I couldn’t agree more. Our touring schedule and their touring schedule is starting to cross paths to where maybe they hit a market a week before we hit that market. That is on purpose. Taking talent from Ring of Honor? That is all on purpose. I basically look at NXT as ROH Lite. I wish for every wrestling company to be as successful as possible. There is something that ROH is obviously doing right if the top dog is trying to hurt them. That is something that they’ve (WWE) has tried to do a few times. It just lets us know that we (ROH) are doing something right. And, ROH has been resilient. I first started working here in 2009 doing stuff. I started working more consistently in 2012. But, in my 9 years, wow I feel old saying that, in my 9 years, I’ve seen them come and go. And still, ROH continues to get bigger and continues to grow and grow and reach broader audiences. As much as I love my buds, it shows ROH is doing something right if WWE is trying to bite their style so much.”
Viewership numbers for last night’s (March 5) edition of Monday Night Raw sees another decrease.
The post-Elimination Chamber Raw last week dipped from the numbers that a seven-man gauntlet helped produce. It’s even lower this week, but the show was able to maintain an average of 3,093,000 viewers. Last week’s show pulled in 3,195,000 viewers.
Hour-By-Hour
Hour one garnered an average of 3,302,000 viewers. The second hour took in 3,267,000. It was the third and final hour that took a significant hit. Hour three only managed to keep an average of 2,729,000 viewers. This week’s hour two of Raw actually topped last week’s 9 p.m. through 10 p.m. slot but that’s where the increase came to a halt.
Kurt Angle was able to get a measure of revenge on this week’s edition of Raw. Last week, he was sucker punched by Triple H. Angle locked in the Ankle Lock on “The Game” in retaliation. Ronda Rousey then planted Stephanie McMahon with a standing reverse kata guruma.
Also featured on this week’s edition of the show was Asuka maintaining her undefeated streak. She submitted Nia Jax with an arm bar. Braun Strowman did what Braun Strowman does and crushed Elias with a piano. Finally, Roman Reigns challenged Brock Lesnar to a fight next week.
