205 Live has focussed on a single-elimination tournament to crown a new champion in recent weeks. The brand has also introduced the former Rockstar Spud, now known as Drake Maverick, as the division’s General Manager.
It is believed that Vince McMahon is no longer involved with the show and Triple H is hoping to bring back the feel of 2016’s Cruiserweight Classic to the show.
Cruiserweight Championship Tournament
Heading into last night’s show, the following matches had already taken place in the 16-man tournament:
Cedric Alexander defeated Gran Metalik
TJP defeated Tyler Bate
Kalisto defeated Lince Dorado
Roderick Strong defeated Hideo Itami
Last night, two more matches in the 16-man single-elimination championship tournament took place.
There is a new member of the cruiserweight division and his name is Buddy Murphy.
After Murphy’s inclusion on the roster was announced, a vignette of him training and weighing in was shown. 205 Live General Manager, Drake Maverick, was on hand to officially announce Murphy had made weight and would be entered into the cruiserweight championship tournament.
The 29-year-old Australian has been with the company since 2013 but has wrestled sparingly for NXT in recent years.
He is a former NXT tag-team champion along with partner, Wesley Blake. The team was accompanied to the ring by Murphy’s real-life fiancee, Alexa Bliss, before her main roster call-up in 2016.
Although Murphy has been competing on NXT house shows lately, he hasn’t been on NXT television since 2016.
Lana and Bayley started off the match. Bayley connected with a few Arm Drags and schooled Lana for a minute. Lana backed away and went over to have a chat with Rusev. Lana then stormed out of the corner and tackled Bayley. Rusev and Lana went outside the ring and taunted Elias with his guitar.
Elias got frustrated and tagged himself in. The crowd broke out in “Rusev Day!” chants as Rusev got into the ring. Rusev connected with a boot to the face and went for the Accolade but Elias escaped and tagged Bayley back in.
Lana once again went on the attack and connected with a Facebuster for a two count. Lana controlled the match for a couple of minutes but Bayley eventually made a comeback. Bayley sent Lana to the corner, tightened her ponytail and then played air guitar. Bayley went for a Bayley to Belly off the top and Rusev tried to prevent it. Elias connected with a running knee to Rusev, but during that time Lana escaped and knocked Bayley off the ropes. Lana then pinned Bayley and won the match.
After the match, Michael Cole announced that it was the first match that Lana has ever won. Bobby Roode & Charlotte will face Apollo Crews & Nia Jax next week in the Mixed Match Challenge tournament.
The February 13th, 2018 episode of WWE SmackDown aired live from the RaboBank Arena in Bakersfield, CA. Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Owens & Zayn Beatdown Ziggler & Corbin
This week’s episode of SmackDown kicked off with Baron Corbin versus Dolph Ziggler. The winner of the match will be added to the WWE Championship match at WWE Fastlane.
Corbin’s music hit and then it shut off. Baron’s music hit once again but he didn’t come down to the ring. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens were shown backstage attacking Corbin. Owens and Zayn beatdown Corbin and then made their way towards the ring to attack Ziggler.
Dolph escaped through the crowd for a moment but Owens and Zayn caught up with him. Owens and Zayn beatdown Dolph for a bit and then brought him back to the ringside area. Ziggler tried to fight back but Owens shoved Dolph into the ring post. Sami connected with a Helluva Kick to Ziggler. Corbin then emerged from backstage and attacked Owens and Zayn. Corbin got in a couple of shots but wound up being launched into the barricade.
Owens and Zayn want the WWE Championship match to remain a Triple Threat match. Last week it was announced that AJ Styles will defend his title against Owens and Zayn at WWE Fastlane. Shane McMahon wanted it to become a Fatal 4-Way and made the match tonight between Ziggler & Corbin to determine the final Superstar in that match. I’m sure Shane McMahon will have something to say about Zayn and Owens’ actions tonight.
Charlotte Continued To Dominate The Riott Squad
Charlotte continued her mission to take down the Riott Squad tonight when she faced Sarah Logan. Logan was accompanied to the ring by Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan. Becky Lynch and Naomi joined Charlotte Flair ringside to even the odds.
Logan charged at Charlotte and forced her back to the corner to start off the match. Charlotte battled back and the two Superstars locked up in the middle of the ring. Charlotte shoved Sarah Logan away but Logan responded by taking Charlotte down to the mat. Charlotte connected with a boot to the face and knocked Logan out of the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Logan connected with a chop to Charlotte in the ring. Charlotte responded with several chops of her own. Logan bashed into the back of Charlotte and knocked her to the mat for a two count. Sarah followed it up with a Suplex for another two count.
Logan controlled the next few minutes of the match and kept Charlotte grounded. Logan hit a German Suplex and went for the cover but Charlotte kicked out. Logan got pissed off that Charlotte kicked out and connected with a flurry of punches.
Charlotte connected with a big right hand but Logan bashed Charlotte’s face into the second turnbuckle. Charlotte connected with a Backbreaker and then launched Logan face-first into the top turnbuckle. Charlotte followed it up with the Natural Selection for the pinfall victory. After the match, Charlotte approached the announce table and said that there was one more member of the Riott Squad left to go.
Charlotte has defeated Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan on recent episodes of SmackDown. Her match tonight with Sarah Logan was very good. I think the match between Charlotte and Ruby Riott has the potential to be great and I’m looking forward to seeing it.
Baron Corbin Earned His Way Into The Fastlane Main Event
Shane McMahon was pissed off and approached SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan backstage. Shane announced that Corbin will face Owens tonight and Dolph Ziggler will face Sami Zayn. If either Ziggler or Corbin with their matches, they will be added to the Fastlane main event. Thus, the WWE Championship will either be a Fatal 4-Way, Fatal 5-Way or remain a Triple Threat match if both Owens & Zayn win tonight.
Shane McMahon also added that if Owens or Zayn interfere in each other’s matches, they are out of the WWE Championship match at Fastlane. Shane referred to Owens & Zayn as Daniel Bryan’s boys during the backstage segment. Bryan didn’t seem bothered by Shane’s decisions and simply said “okay” before Shane stormed off.
Corbin came down to the ring selling injuries due to the beatdown by Owens & Zayn earlier in the night. Corbin started out the match by beating the hell out of Owens. Owens rolled out of the ring to try to avoid Corbin but Baron followed him out there. Sami Zayn was shown watching the action backstage on a monitor with a concerned look on his face as Corbin brought Owens back into the ring.
Corbin launched Owens to the corner and connected with a massive right hand that sent Owens back out of the ring. Corbin bashed Owens into the barricade and then kneed him in the midsection a few times for good measure. Owens drove Corbin into the ring apron and then threw Corbin into the ring post.
Owens brought Corbin back inside the ring and continued the beatdown. Owens knocked Corbin to the mat in the corner and hit a Cannonball for a two count as SmackDown went to a commercial break. When SmackDown returned, Owens was threw Corbin into the steel steps and then brought Corbin back into the ring. Owens connected with a Senton for a two count.
Owens locked in a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Corbin battled to his feet and planted Owens with a Chokeslam Backbreaker. Corbin followed it up with a running Clothesline for a two count. Baron charged at Owens in the corner but Kevin got out of the way and Corbin crashed into the ring post. Owens climbed to the top rope but Corbin got back up and grabbed Owens by the throat.
Owens escaped to the ring apron and bounced Corbin neck-first on the top rope. Owens charged at Baron but Corbin was ready and connected with a Deep Six. Corbin went for End of Days but Owens escaped and hit a Superkick. Owens then went for the Pop-Up Powerbomb but Corbin held onto the ropes. Owens charged at Corbin but Baron caught him and planted him with the End of Days for the pinfall victory.
As of now, the WWE Championship match at Fastlane is a Fatal 4-Way between AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens & Baron Corbin. If Dolph Ziggler defeats Sami Zayn later tonight, the main event at WWE Fastlane will become a Fatal 5-Way. This was a pretty big win for Corbin. He overcame the beatdown earlier in the night and defeated Kevin Owens in a solid match.
Jinder Mahal Got The Better Of Roode & Orton
Bobby Roode cut a promo before the open challenge. Roode said that he wanted to steal a tradition from John Cena and defend the title every week. Roode added that he wishes to surpass Cena and become the greatest United States Championship. Bobby asked that the Superstar that wants to accept the challenge come down to the ring, rather than hitting him from behind with an RKO. Randy Orton accepted the challenge came down to the ring and Roode was pumped up.
Jinder Mahal interrupted the Roody and Orton staredown and came down to the entrance ramp with a microphone. Mahal stated that while the WWE Universe respects him, the SmackDown locker room clearly doesnt because the voted him #9 on the SmackDown Top 10 list.
Jinder claimed that he respected Randy Orton and hopped up on the ring apron. The crowd chanted “RKO” as Mahal said that the rest of the SmackDown Live roster believes Orton has already peaked. Orton responded that he didn’t give a damn about a Top 10 list. Mahal brought up that Roode was ranked higher on the list after being in WWE for only six months. The crowd once again chanted RKO and Mahal backed away from Orton.
Roode informed Mahal that he didn’t even make the list and shouldn’t be talking. Roode noted that he has nothing but respect for Randy Orton, but offered his opinion on way Orton was ranked #9. Roode said that the locker room was getting tired of Orton attacking them from out of nowhere. Orton then hit Sunil Singh with an RKO out of nowhere. Jinder Mahal capitilized and planted both Orton and Roode with a Khallas.
I find it hard to believe that Randy Orton would care about his ranking on a Top 10 list. I also couldn’t get over that Mahal continually said that he respected Orton, after he had an overly long feud with him last year for the WWE Championship in which he did nothing but disrespect him. It makes sense for both Mahal and Orton to be in the United States Championship picture, but this promo fell flat.
New Day came down to the ring for a pancake eating contest. Big E shoved a bunch of pancakes in his mouth but the competition was ruined by Gable & Benjamin. Gable and Benjamin said that New Day were not serious competitors and should leave WWE to open their own version of Ihop. New Day boasted about being the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions of all-time. Woods claimed that nobody wanted to see Gable & Benjamin as champions.
Gable and Benjamin threw a couple of pancakes on the canvas to irritate New Day. Big E grabbed a plate of pancakes and shouted to stop touching the pancakes. Gable stated that nobody likes pancakes. Benjamin said “from now on we are eating waffles” and flipped Big E’s plate of pancakes in the air. SmackDown went to commercial before the the tag match between the two teams. Kofi Kingston threw a bunch of pancakes in the crowd during the break.
When SmackDown returned, Benjamin connected with a knee to the face for a two count. Gable tagged in and connected with an awesome rolling kick to Kofi for a two count. Kofi knocked Gable out of the ring after Benjamin tagged out. Kingston tried to tag in Big E but Gable pulled him off the ring apron. Gable knocked Woods to the floor and shushed the crowd when the booed.
Big E and Gable tagged in. Big E planted Gable with three Belly to Belly Suplexes in a row. Big E followed it up with a Splash. Gable responded with an unbelievable German Suplex.
The referee missed a tag between Gable and Benjamin because Woods distracted him. Kofi and Big E then hit Midnight Hour on Gable for the pinfall victory.
The promo before this match was awkward as hell. Shelton Benjamin is great in the ring but is comedy isn’t really his thing. I would have rather just had those five minutes added to the match, but that is just my opinion.
Dolph Ziggler Earned His Way Into The Fastlane Main Event
Dolph Ziggler was interviewed backstage by Renee Young. Ziggler called Owens & Zayn cowards for attacking him earlier in the night. Dolph said that the only reason he is back is because he wants to main event WrestleMania and vowed to become WWE Champion.
Kevin Owens approached Sami Zayn backstage. Owens asked Sami to not let him down and win his match versus Ziggler. Sami brought up how Owens let him down by losing to Corbin and said that it is every man for himself at WWE Fastlane.
Dolph Ziggler controlled the match early as Kevin Owens watched the match backstage. Zayn battled back and catapulted Ziggler throat-first into middle rope. Ziggler hit a Dropkick as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Sami went for a Suplex but Dolph escaped and hit Zayn with a DDT.
Ziggler followed it up with a Fameasser for a two count. Both Superstars battled on the top rope. Sami got the upper hand and planted Dolph with an Exploder Suplex off the top rope. Zayn catapulted Ziggler into the ring post and then went for the Helluva Kick but Ziggler got out of the way. Dolph hit the Zig Zag and went for the cover but Sami was able to kick out at the last moment.
The crowd chanted “this is awesome!” as both Superstars made their way back to their feet. Sami launched Ziggler into the ring post and then did it a second time. Sami went for the Blue Thunder Bomb but Dolph reversed it into a roll-up for a two count. Zayn connected with an Exploder Suplex in the corner. Sami geared up in the corner for the Helluva Kick and went for it but Dolph hit a Superkick out of nowhere for the pinfall victory.
Much like RAW last night, there were some great matches tonight on SmackDown. The main event for WWE Fastlane is now a Fatal 5-Way match. AJ Styles will defend his WWE Championship against Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. The odds are stacked against AJ Styles but I think everyone is still expecting him to leave Fastlane as WWE Champion.
The main event of the WWE Fastlane pay-per-view will now be a Fatal 5 Way with WWE Champion AJ Styles defending against Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler.
Tuesday’s SmackDown opened with Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler with the winner earning a spot in the Fastlane main event but that match never happened due to beatdowns from Sami and Owens. The blue brand bosses then booked Sami vs. Ziggler and Owens vs. Corbin singles matches with Corbin and Ziggler advancing to Fastlane if they won their matches, which they did.
Fastlane takes place on March 11th from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio and will be the final pay-per-view before WrestleMania 34.
The February 13th, 2018 edition of WWE SmackDown Live took place at the RaboBank Arena in Bakersfield, CA.
– This week’s episode of SmackDown opens up with Dolph Ziggler coming out on the stage with no music. As he starts walking to the ring his music starts, and Tom Phillips welcomes us to commentary. Tom Phillips is joined by Byron Saxton and Corey Graves on commentary.
– Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler: Baron Corbin’s music plays but he doesn’t come out. They stop his music and start it again. The camera goes backstage to reveal Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn both beating down Corbin. Corbin starts fighting back, but the deo overpowers him and throws him into some production equipment. Kevin says “one down, one more to go,” and they walk off.
Winner: No contest
– Owens and Zayn start walking towards the ring, and it seems they have their sights set on Dolph Ziggler, who is still standing in the ring. Owens and Zayn split up to surround Ziggler. Zigglers run out of the ring and starts brawling with Sami Zayn in the crowd. Owens runs over and joins Sami in beating down Ziggler. Owens and Zayn throw Ziggler back into the ringside area, where Ziggler tries to fight back but they drop him again. Sami hits a big boot on Ziggler, then walks off with Owens. As Owens and Zayn are heading backstage, Baron Corbin comes back and starts fighting with them on the ramp. They double team Corbin again until referees break it up. Owens and Zayn finally leave as Ziggler and Corbin are being helped to their feet.
– Sarah Logan vs. Charlotte: The Riott Squad, and Becky Lynch & Naomi are all at ringside to watch this one. The opening bell sounds, and Charlotte and Logan wrestle down to the mat and trade holds. Charlotte fights up and hits a big boot that sends Logan outside for a breather. Back in the ring, Sarah drops Charlotte and puts her in a shoulder hold. Sarah reverses a suplex attempt and hits a chop on Charlotte, but Charlotte no-sells it and answers with a series of chops herself. They brawl back and forth until Sarah drops Charlotte and pummels on her with a series of elbows to the head. Sarah pins for a two count, then applies a shoulder lock. Sarah continues to beat on Charlotte and slams her into the turnbuckle. Charlotte comes back with a slam into the corner and a swinging neckbreaker for the three count.
Winner: Charlotte
– After the match, Charlotte, Becky, and Naomi celebrate the win in the ring while the Riott Squad heads to the back.
– Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan meet backstage to discuss what happened with Owens and Zayn earlier tonight. They decide to book two singles matches: Sami vs. Ziggler, and Owens vs. Corbin. If Ziggler or Corbin win, they earn spots in the Fastlane main event. Shane says if either of Bryan’s “boys” Owens or Zayn cheat tonight, they lose their spots at Fastlane.
– We see another WWE Black History Month video.
– Kevin Owens vs. Baron Corbin: If Corbin wins, he’s added to the WWE Title match at Fastlane. The opening bell sounds and Owens starts off strong with strikes on Corbin. Corbin fights back and throttles Owens out to the ringside floor. Sami Zayn is backstage watching. Back in the ring, Owens starts working on Corbin and hits a big boot on him. Corbin fires back with a big right hand that sends Owens back outside for a breather. They brawl around ringside until Owens whips Corbin into the ring post, and Corbin sells the bad ribs from earlier in the night. Back in the ring, Owens takes control and hits a cannonball in the corner for a two count. The fight spills out to ringside again, where Corbin whips Owens into the barrier. Back in the ring, Owens comes back with a senton for a two count. Owens works on keeping Corbin grounded, but Corbin fights his way up and hits the chokeslam backbreaker. They slowly get up to their feet and brawl back and forth. Corbin slides outside and then back in the ring for a clothesline from behind for a two count. Corbin misses a shot in the corner, and Owens goes up top. Corbin cuts him off, but Owens drops Corbin’s neck over the top rope. Owens approaches Corbin on the mat, but Corbin hits the Deep Six out of nowhere. Both men are slow to get up, and Owens hits a superkick. Corbin evades a Pop-Up Powerbomb, and comes back with the End of Days for the three count. Corbin has earned a spot at Fastlane.
Winner: Baron Corbin
– Corbin celebrates in the ring, as Sami Zayn is shown backstage, and Sami is not happy.
– Bobby Roode is out to the ring next, and he says he wants to issue an open challenge for his U.S. Title, and he also takes a shot at Randy Orton for attacking him from behind last week. Roode looks to the back for his open challenge opponent tonight, and it’s Randy Orton. Roode is happy he got who he wanted, and Orton makes his way to the ring. As Orton steps in the ring, Jinder Mahal comes out to interrupt. Jinder says the SmackDown roster doesn’t respect Orton, despite being a 13-time World Champion. Jinder steps on the apron with one of the Singh Brothers. Jinder points out that he beat Orton for the WWE Title, but says he personally does respect Orton. Jinder says the rest of the SmackDown roster thinks Orton is past his prime, and now Orton gets on the mic. Orton says he doesn’t give a damn, as Jinder steps in the ring. Jinder says Bobby Roode has already surpassed Orton, and he thinks Roode wants to be the new Legend Killer. Roode gets on the mic now and says Jinder is the one who nobody respects, and Roode does have respect for Orton. Roode says that everyone is sick and tired of being attacked out of nowhere by Orton. Orton then gives the Singh Brothers an RKO out of onwhere, and Roode and Jinder start brawling. Orton grabs Roode, and Roode drops him with a right hand. Jinder then hits the Khallas on Roode, and then hits on Orton. Jinder yells at the fans and leaves as Roode and Orton recover.
– The New Day is out to the ring next. There’s a table with plates full of pancakes all over it. They declare that Big E is going to attempt to break a pancake eating record tonight, but Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable interrupt. Gable gets on the mic and sarcastically says this is what he envisioned himself doing back when he was training for the Olympics. Shelton tells The New Day to open up their own pancake restaurant, and leave the SmackDown tag division to some more serious competitors. Xavier says that they are serious competitors, and are the longest reigning Tag Champs ever. Gable and Benjamin start throwing The New Day’s pancakes down on the mat one by one, and The New Day gets more mad with each wasted pancake. Big E tells them not to touch their cakes. Gable says he has a news flash for them – nobody likes pancakes. Shelton says they eat waffles, then flips over a plate of pancakes out of Big E’s hands. Woods and Kofi hold back Big E, and a ref gets between the teams.
– Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable vs. Big E & Kofi Kingston: Xavier is at ringside watching and throwing out pancakes to fans. The New Day starts off strong, but Gable and Benjamin are able to take control of the match after a boot to the face. Gable starts working over Kofi’s shoulder, and then hits a spinning heel kick on Kofi for a two count. Gable pounds on Kofi in the corner, then tags in Shelton. Kofi fights back and throws Gable outside. Kofi dodges a shot from Shelton, then goes to tag Big E, but Gable pulls Big E off the apron. Shelton drops Kofi in the ring, then rolls outside and hits a cheap shot on Xavier for good measure. Shelton taunts the fans, and Kofi capitlizes with a flying stomp on Shelton. Big E and Gable get the tags, and Big E hits some belly to belly overhead suplexes. Gable fires back with a suplex of his own, then tags in Shelton. Gable gets knocked outside, then The New Day double teams Shelton for the three count.
Winners: the New Day
– Dolph Ziggler cuts a promo in the back saying he was put on earth to perform in that ring. Ziggler complains about Owens and Sami attacking him from behind and ruining his opportunity. He says they attacked him from behind because they know how good he is. Ziggler says the whole reason he is back right now is to do the one thing he’s never done — headline WrestleMania, and he plans to go in as WWE Champion.
– We see a pre-taped promo from The Usos, but then the screen shatters, and it’s shown that The Bludgeon Brothers have bashed a flatscreen with their sledgehammers.
– Dolph Ziggler vs. Sami Zayn: Owens is shown backstage watching on a monitor. Ziggler is selling a neck injury from the beat down earlier in the night, and the action is slow to start. Zayn leans up against the ropes repeatedly to force a ref break, and then cheap shots Ziggler. Ziggler finally hits a neckbeaker and a splash in the corner, then another neckbreaker. Sami rolls outside for a breather. Back in the ring, Sami backs Ziggler into the corner and repeatedly slaps him upside the head. Sami chokes Ziggler with his boot, then chokes Ziggler across the rope. Ziggler fights back and hits Sami with a shot to the face that sends Zayn rolling outside to regroup. Back in the ring, Sami goes for a suplex, but Ziggler escapes and hits a DDT. Both men are slow to get to their feet now. Ziggler goes for a Fameasser and misses the first attempt, but he connects with the second attempt, and pins Sami for a two count. Ziggler goes up top, but Sami hits the ropes and stops him. Sami climbs up and joins Ziggler on the turnbuckle. They trade punches on the turnbuckle until Zayn grabs Ziggler and hits a t-bone suplex off the very top rope. They slowly get up and start trading strikes until Sami throws Ziggler head-first into the ring post. Sami misses a big boot, and Ziggler hits the Zig Zag for a two count. Ziggler misses a superkick, and Sami throws him into the ring post again. He throws Ziggler into the ring post again, then goes for a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Ziggler fights out. Ziggler rolls up Sami for a two count, then Sami hits a t-bone suplex into the corner. Sami looks for the Heluva Kick, but Ziggler ducks and hits a superkick for the three count. Ziggler has earned a shot at the WWE Title at Fastlane, and the Fastlane main event is now a Fatal 5-way.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
– Kevin Owens is shown backstage watching on a monitor, and he’s pissed off about the match finish. After the match, Ziggler stands up on the announce table and points at the fans as SmackDown goes off the air.
– As we’ve previously reported, Jason Jordan will miss WrestleMania 34 after undergoing a recent neck surgery. WWE reportedly had plans for a WrestleMania match between Jordan and Seth Rollins. Jordan broke his silence on the matter via a recent Tweet:
– Roman Reigns is one of seven men set to compete in the Elimination Chamber match later this month. The winner will go on to WrestleMania 34 to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. Reigns took to Twitter to hype the match:
After ending her toxic relationship with former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio last November, former Divas Champion Paige has found herself in a new relationship. A story on Metal Injunction talks about Paige and metal core band, Attila, bassist Kalan Blehm taking their relationship public. Blehm, 33, recently took to Instagram to post a picture of he and Paige at an Orlando Magic game last week. Here’s the description:
“Congrats on the win and the hospitality tonight @orlandomagic ||| @stuffmagic did a great job of creepin my girl out too but we cool”
– Last night on Monday Night RAW WWE confirmed Ivory would be inducted into the 2018 Hall Of Fame class. Ivory joins The Dudley Boyz and Goldberg in this year’s class. The Rock took to Twitter to react to the announcement of Ivory getting the Hall Of Fame nod:
Very happy to hear about this. One of the original ladies of GLOW. We worked a lot together and what a class act and trail blazer this woman is. Congratulations Ivory! Well deserved. #WWEHOF https://t.co/97r66NwvOY
– WWE recently uploaded a video on their YouTube channel of an Extreme Rules match between Bobby Lashley and Hardcore Holly from 2007. Lashley’s contract with IMPACT Wrestling recently expired and he’s expected to return to WWE soon:
WWE Superstar Apollo Crews recently did an interview with Planeta Wrestling to talk about several professional wrestling topics. The highlights can be found below:
Last week we spoke with Tyler Breeze and he was explaining how difficult it was transitioning from NXT to the main roster. How difficult was it for you?
“It is a lot different because never in my life have I been on the road that much. I worked [independents] before I got to WWE. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday we are in [NXT in] Orlando training and Thursday we are traveling on the road, but we are not traveling too far outside of Orlando so two hours maximum outside of Orlando. When you get to WWE, literally every week you are getting on a plane from state to state and city to city; literally four different cities and states.
“I believe it is different, especially when you are used to a certain structure with my training, eating, it took me a while to figure out a schedule. Packing my meals, bringing my food on the road, training every moment I get. It is almost like you have to plan accordingly otherwise you lose sleep, training time, you lose time to eat so you really have to stay focused and really plan out your day and stay organized.”
Being focused in this new adventure with Titus Worldwide, I would like to know what is Titus O’Neil giving you as a performer point of view and if you would like to have any new additions to the group?
“Titus helped me to understand that WWE is not only all about wrestling. He helped me to understand that I need to help learn to become an entertainer as well. When you are out there having fun people can feel that and they can have fun themselves, so he is helping me be more relaxed on camera and open up my personality and not be afraid to go out there and have fun. I think when I first got to WWE I took myself a little too seriously. I just want to be a great wrestler, but I think there is a lot more to that when it comes to WWE and he has helped me to understand that, which has worked out a lot better for me. People have recognized that I have a lot more of a personality and I do have character and charisma so I thank him for that everyday.”
– As RAW General Manager Kurt Angle noted last night, Ronda Rousey will sign her RAW contract at Elimination Chamber. WWE released the following statement on the news:
Ronda Rousey’s official Raw Contract Signing to take place at WWE Elimination Chamber
The squared circle is about to get rowdy! WWE Elimination Chamber will not only feature the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber Match, but it will also mark the official entry of iconic mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey into WWE as a Raw Superstar.
The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion instantly made headlines following the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match at last month’s groundbreaking pay-per-view, walking to the ring to confront winner Asuka, SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte and Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss. Without saying a word, she pointed directly to the WrestleMania sign looming in the rafters to signal that she intended to make a splash on The Grandest Stage of Then All.
According to a story published by ESPN.com following Rousey’s appearance, the former MMA star has reportedly come to terms with WWE to be a full-time Superstar.
“This is my life now. First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt,” Rousey said. “When I first met with Triple H, I told him, ‘There are other things I can do with my time that’ll make way more money, but I won’t enjoy nearly as much.'”
Rousey’s new life kicks off at WWE Elimination Chamber, but when you consider the chaotic nature of contract-signings in WWE, as well as all the attention that Rousey’s arrival has been garnishing in the WWE Universe and in the locker room, one has to wonder whether the special moment will indeed end in bedlam.
Don’t miss a moment of the historic night, featuring the Men’s and the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber Matches, Sunday, Feb. 25, at 8 ET/5 PT on the award-winning WWE Network.
– WWE posted a video of Mike Rome interviewing Absolution’s Paige, Mandy Rose, and Sonya Deville. This came after Sonya and Mandy’s victory over Alexa Bliss and Mickie James on RAW. Paige then interrupted and explained how both Sonya and Mandy have the advantage heading into the Chamber. Check it out:
– Last night’s Monday Night RAW featured a Fatal-Five Way between Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, “Woken” Matt Hardy, and Apollo Crews to determine who would be the final entrant into the Elimination Chamber match. Both Rollins and Balor pinned Wyatt at the same time and no clear winner was determined. RAW General Manager Kurt Angle was interviewed after the show by Renee Young live on Facebook, where he was interrupted by both Rollins and Balor.
Both men were bickering back-and-forth over who deserved the opportunity more, before Angle named both Rollins and Balor into the match. It will be the first seven-man Elimination Chamber match in WWE history. Rollins took to Twitter to react to the history making news:
– Last night Braun Strowman put on one of the more entertaining segments in recent RAW memory when he attacked Elias with a cello. He took to Twitter to react to the segment:
– Per a report from Nick Hausman of WrestleZone, there seems to be talk about WWE holding another WWE Draft or Superstar Shakeup. It’s possible the Draft or Superstar Shakeup could take place at Backlash on pay-per-view (PPV) instead of on TV. The idea is to give the new dual-brand PPV format a jumpstart.
– After last night’s Monday Night RAW went off-air RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defender her title against Asuka. The match ended in a No Contest when Nia Jax hit the ring and attacked both women. Bayley and Sasha Banks hit the ring for the save and Asuka was declared the winner via disqualification. Of course, that resulted in Bliss still retaining.
– Below is the video of Ivory’s 2018 Hall Of Fame class induction that aired on RAW last night:
Thus far WWE has announced that Goldberg, The Dudley Boyz, and Ivory will be inducted into the 2018 Hall Of Fame class. There have been a number more names rumored to be joining them, such as former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry, but it seems that another name has joined that mix.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider reports that multiple people within WWE have told him there has been talk of possibly inducting Jeff Jarrett into the Hall Of Fame this year. Johnson noted he has been hearing these rumblings for the past three weeks, and up until yesterday the rumors were still going strong. While he couldn’t officially confirm whether or not it will actually happen, Johnson noted there is definitely smoke to the fire:
“There are guys inside of WWE that have come to me and said that they have heard that Jeff Jarrett is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. While I have no idea that this is the case or not but there certainly seems to be some smoke floating around. Whether there is fire to that smoke, I don’t know.”
We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available…..
Wrestling on British shores has been booming for the past few years, companies such as PROGRESS, ICW, Rev Pro, Pro Wrestling: EVE, OTT and Riptide have been growing exponentially to the point that shows in arenas such as Wembley and the SSE Hydro in Scotland are no longer fantasy but an absolute reality.
Alongside this boom in the UK scene there has been a steady growth in the quality of Tag Team wrestling. PROGRESS in particular has seen it’s share of teams go on to great success in WWE UK, World of Sport and beyond. We’ll be looking now at 3 teams who are currently rising the ranks in PROGRESS and becoming the ones to watch in the Tag scene:
Aussie Open
Comprising Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis, Aussie Open are one of the most dynamic and exciting teams to emerge from the UK scene in the past year. Having first formed in the ATTACK! promotion back in August they have been challenging for titles in the likes of HOPE, Rev Pro, IPW:UK and CZW which is an absolute testament to their talent and ability to gel so quickly as a unit. Aussie Open have a strong big man/little man dynamic almost akin to that of an early Hart Foundation, the stacked Mark Davis provides a powerful hot tag whilst teammate Kyle Fletcher has an agile flair to his in ring approach. If you are able to catch this team during Wrestlemania weekend in New Orleans (they will be performing on at least one card that weekend for Fight Club Pro) then you absolutely must, they are a force of nature and have no clear end in sight for their ability.
Never Say Die
Alex Cupid and Dillon D’Angelo are the next team that you must check out. The duo have been blazing a trail in PROGRESS since their debut at the very first episode of Freedom’s Road back in 2016. Since that event they made their PROGRESS Chapter debut at ‘Fate Loves The Fearless’ (in a losing effort to our next team on the list) and have appeared at HOPE, RCWA and ACW building upon their now well established chemistry. The team were graduates from the PROGRESS ‘ProJo’ and are a fine example of the quality that the British scene has been producing. Whilst the team are now being established again on PROGRESS’ Live at The Dome side shows they are absolutely destined to grace the main Chapter events going forward, certainly names to remember for the future.
Grizzled Young Veterans
Zack Gibson and WWE UK’s James Drake are actually a team that I would never had expected to put on this list when they were first paired off to defeat Never Say Die back at PROGRESS’ ‘Fate Loves The Fearless’ event. Gibson had previously been part of an extremely successful team alongside Nathan Cruz known as ‘The Origin’ and their seemingly dissolved team came as a shock to the PROGRESS fans and a real shame considering their ability. James Drake was a newcomer to the promotion and had a successful but uneventful run in his early tenure, but the team he formed alongside Gibson saw them capture the PROGRESS Tag Team Titles and catapult them into an outrageous exciting run against Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate). As a member of the WWE UK Division Drake has already proved his ability, maybe it is time that his tag partner Gibson made the jump over too?
You can check out all of these teams on Demand PROGRESS right now for ¢7.49 per month.
Following the controversial ending to the Fatal 5-way match last night, Raw General Manager, Kurt Angle, has announced the men’s Elimination Chamber match in 2 weeks will have 7 participants.
Angle made the announcement on Facebook after Raw went off the air. If you are unable to view the video below you can see it at this link.
Seth Rollins and Finn Balor both being added to the Elimination Chamber means the match could start with 3 participants already in the ring, though that is just speculation.
The 7 confirmed wrestlers for the match are:
The Miz (will enter first)
John Cena
Finn Balor
Seth Rollins
Braun Strowman
Roman Reigns
Elias (will enter last)
The winner will go on to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania. Of the participants, Cena, Reigns, and Miz have all wrestled in and won a WrestleMania main event match. Seth Rollins cashed in the MITB briefcase once during the main event of WrestleMania as well.
Tonight’s Smackdown, Mixed Match Challenge, and 205 Live episodes will emanate from the Robobank Arena in Bakersfield, California.
Amongst several other matches for tonight’s shows, Dolph Ziggler will wrestle Baron Corbin with the winner being added to the WWE Championship match at Fastlane.
Smackdown Live Matches and Segments
Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin
Daniel Bryan booked a triple threat WWE championship match between AJ Styles (c), Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for Fastlane but Shane McMahon added this match on Smackdown with the winner being added to the match at Fastlane.
Ziggler was also the 30th entry in the Royal Rumble and now has a chance to wrestle for the WWE championship. He’s received two big opportunities since vacating the US championship.
Flair continues her rivalry with the Riott Squad tonight.
Last week, Flair defeated Liv Morgan and this week she’ll go up against “Country Strong” Sarah Morgan.
The New Day vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin
Last week, Gable and Benjamin let the tag-team division know they are tired of jokes. Gable and Benjamin have defeated the Ascension and Breezeango since dropping a title match to the Usos at the Royal Rumble.
Bobby Roode US Open Challenge
Roode will look to defend his US title on WWE programming for a 3rd straight time. He’s already defeated Rusev and Mojo Rawley.
Fast-acting customers would have been able to secure a voyage on Space Mountain yesterday. Ric Flair was briefly signing and selling official “contracts” for a ride on Flair’s amusement park/sexual analogy ride.
Unfortunately, it appears WWE asked Flair to remove the offers from his website.
“By Signing This Compromise, both parties involved agree to ride Space Mountain and engage in sexual relations on this night. This contract adheres to guidelines of informed consent, and both people in the relationship must be present and not in an intoxicated state before signing. No party shall be pressured or persuaded into something that they do not want to do, and they reserve the right to terminate the contract if need be. This contract has the signed and sealed approval of The Nature Boy Ric Flair, who has taken many women for a ride on Space Mountain, and has the utmost respect for women.”
While the WOOOO Compromise is no longer available, Ric is always putting out new merchandise at RicFlairShop.com. He’s currently got a new T-shirt up of himself and Hulk Hogan.
Ring of Honor heads back to Japan next week for their annual 2-night event in Korakuen Hall. This will be the 3rd straight year the promotion has held Honor Rising: Japan in Tokyo.
Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling recently announced the lineups for the 2 shows this year.
ROH Honor Rising: Japan 2018 Lineups
Night 1 February 23rd, 2018
Katsuya Kitamura & Toa Henare vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale
Last night Raw General Manager, Kurt Angle, announced Ronda Rousey will be appearing at the upcoming Elimination Chamber PPV. According to Angle’s comments, Rousey will be there to sign her WWE contract.
WWE has specifically mentioned Rousey will be signing a contract with the Raw brand.
While WWE and Rousey have said she will be a full-time Superstar with WWE, it is expected she will work a part-time schedule but make WWE her top priority.
Ronda Rousey on Monday Night Raw
Rousey signing a Raw-exclusive contract takes a possible Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair match at WrestleMania off the table. She could still end up having a match with Stephanie McMahon, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, or a mixed-gender match, however.
The Elimination Chamber takes place February 25th, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event will feature the first-ever women’s Elimination Chamber match as well as the men’s chamber match which will decide who faces Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.
The February 12th episode of WWE RAW aired live from the SAP Center in San Jose, CA. Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
The Miz Will Be The First Entrant In The Elimination Chamber Match
John Cena kicked off this week’s episode of WWE RAW. Cena pumped up the crowd by bringing up that they are now on the road to WrestleMania. Cena noted that WrestleMania can make a Superstar’s career, bring a legend back from the dead and be the most important moment in the life of a WWE Superstar.
Cena added that the truth is that he has two win the Elimination Chamber match. Cena stated that if he doesn’t win the match, for the first time in 15 years he would not be sure if he has a road to WrestleMania. Cena vowed to win the Elimination Chamber match and go on to make history against Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania.
Intercontinental Champion The Miz interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp alongside Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. The Miz mocked Cena for thinking that he is going to main event WrestleMania. Miz stated that it is not 2013, this is 2018 and it is the year of The Miz.
The Miz called Cena the “founding father of Suplex City” and then vowed to go on and main event WrestleMania. The Miz held up the IC Title and stated that he will become the first person to hold the IC Title and the Universal Championship at WrestleMania. Cena claimed The Miz wouldn’t have a chance against Brock Lesnar.
The Miz stated that he matches up much better against Brock Lesnar than Cena ever did. Miz said that he wins in WWE because he does whatever it takes. The Miz brought up outsmarting Cena in the main event of WrestleMania in the past. John Cena responded to that by challenging The Miz to a match tonight.
Cena added the stipulation that the loser of the match has to enter the Elimination Chamber match first. The crowd chanted “yes!” as Miz chuckled into the microphone. The Miztourage attacked Cena and slammed him to the canvas. The Miz removed his ridiculous robe and accepted the challenge. The Miz demanded that a referee come down to the ring to start the match. RAW GM Kurt Angle then came down to the entrance ramp and made the official after telling Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel to leave ringside.
The match started with The Miz trying to go for a cover right away but Cena kicked out at two. Miz bashed Cena in the face a few times and went for another cover but Cena kicked out once again as RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, The Miz was still in control. The Miz knocked Cena out of the ring and followed him out to the entrance ramp. Miz launched Cena into the barricade and brought Cena back to the ring.
The Miz controlled the next few minutes of the match but Cena finally battled back by connecting with a Tornado DDT for a two count. The Miz quickly responded with a Sleeper Hold and brought Cena back to the canvas. John showed off his incredible strength by powering to his feet but Miz was resilient and didn’t let go of the hold. Cena fell back to the mat as Miz had the Sleeper Hold locked back in as RAW went to another commercial break.
When RAW returned, Miz went for the Skull Crushing Finale but Cena countered with an Arm Drag. The Miz quickly locked in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Cena countered into the STF in the middle of the ring. The Miz was able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold.
The Miz climbed up to the top rope and went for a Crossbody but Cena caught him and rolled through. Cena went for the Attitude Adjustment but The Miz broke free and connected with a DDT for another two count. The Miz charged at Cena but John was ready and connected with an Attitude Adjustment for a two count.
Miz once again applied the Figure Four in the center of the ring. Cena once again reversed it into the STF but Miz was able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold. The Miz then connected with a Skull Crushing Finale and went for the cover but Big Match John kicked out at two. Cena and The Miz battled on the turnbuckle. The Miz went for a Skull Crushing Finale but Cena countered it into an Attitude Adjustment off the second rope for the pinfall victory. The Miz is now the first entrant in the Elimination Chamber match.
Cena and The Miz put on a very good match to kick off this week’s episode of RAW. The Miz will now enter the Elimination Chamber match first and Elias will be the last entrant. Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman are also in the match. The final entrant will be determined later tonight when Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, Matt Hardy and Apollo Crews face off in a Fatal 4-Way match.
Seth Rollins Was Given A Shot To Make It To Elimination Chamber
RAW GM Kurt Angle announced that Ronda Rousey will be signing her RAW contract at Elimination Chamber.
Angle announced that Jason Jordan will miss WrestleMania due to a neck injury. The crowd chanted “yes!” and Angle got pissed off. Angle scolded the fans for being amused that Jordan is going to miss WrestleMania. Angle added that as a father he hopes that the fans can give Jordan his best wishes for his return.
Seth Rollins came down to the ring and brought up missing WrestleMania due to injury. Rollins stated that right now he doesn’t have a match at Elimination Chamber. Seth added that he wanted to be the man one more time and that he wanted Brock Lesnar and wanted to become Universal Champion at WrestleMania.
Kurt Angle said that he can’t just give Rollins an opportunity because there was already a Fatal 4-Way tonight to determine the final entrant. Angle contemplated for a moment and then asked the crowd if they wanted Seth to have an opportunity to make it to the Elimination Chamber match. The crowd chanted “yes!” and Angle announced that Rollins will be joining the match.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Rollins back in the main event scene on RAW every week. It was great to see Ambrose and Rollins team up again, but the nostalgia wore off quickly. With Ambrose and Jordan now out due to injury, there isn’t much for Rollins to do on RAW now. I’m assuming that someone is going to attack Ronda Rousey at Elimination Chamber. I can’t imagine we are just going to see her sign a piece of paper on a PPV.
Bayley faced Sasha Banks tonight on RAW. Bayley got a great reaction from her hometown crowd. Sasha controlled the match early and thew Sasha to the corner. Bayley battled back and connected with a Dropkick.
Bayley locked in a Chin Lock, Sasha broke free but Bayley hit a shoulder tackle. Sasha threw Bayley to the canvas and hit a knee to her face for a two count. Banks threw Bayley out of the ring and then Dropkicked her off the ring apron.
The action returned to the ring with Banks in control as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Banks was still in control and took a break to taunt Bayley. It instantly backfired as Bayley connected with a Clothesline. Bayley unloaded with a flurry of right hands and then drove Sasha to the corner.
Bayley beatdown Sasha in the corner and followed it up with a Side Suplex. Bayley kneed Sasha in the face and then climbed to the top rope. Bayley climbed to the top rope and went for the Elbow Drop but Banks got out of the way. Sasha quickly locked in the Bank Statement but Bayley made it to the bottom rope to break the hold.
Bayley tripped Banks up and Sasha fell face-first into the second turnbuckle. Bayley and Sasha battled on the turnbuckle. Sasha pushed Bayley off to the mat but Bayley got right back up and connected with a Bayley to Belly off the top rope for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Bayley and Sasha had a stare down in the ring. It looked like they were about to shake hands but Nia Jax attacked them from behind. Jax planted both Bayley and Banks with a Samoan Drop and posed in the ring. Nia Jax was interviewed on the entrance ramp after the attack. Jax vowed to end Asuka’s streak at Elimination Chamber.
Both Bayley and Nia Jax are Superstars that I think should key figures in the RAW women’s division. WWE completely messed up with Bayley and it looked like they had given up on her just as recently as a few weeks ago. Bayley has had a good few weeks on RAW. She stood up to Sasha Banks backstage and then backed it up tonight in the ring. It is going to take some time to undo the damage done by WWE making her look like a buffoon in 2017. Nia Jax should be dominant every week in my opinion. Instead of flirting with the now unemployed Enzo Amore, she should be dominating on RAW every week. I’m looking forward to her match with Asuka at Elimination Chamber.
Alexa Bliss Is Trying To Get Mickie James Back On Her Side
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Mickie James and Bliss had a conversation backstage. Mickie didn’t understand why Alexa helped her out last week when Absolution attacked her. Bliss stated that she said some things to Mickie a couple of months ago that she didn’t mean. Bliss noted that she said those things because she was jealous of her. Alexa complimented Mickie on looking great and balancing being a mother and a WWE Superstar. Mickie thanked Bliss but said she is coming after Bliss’ RAW Women’s Championship at Elimination Chamber.
Bliss and Deville started off the match. Alexa beatdown Sonya and then tagged in Mickie James. Deville and Rose took turns beating the hell out of Mickie in the corner. Mandy tagged in and Mickie connected with a Neckbreaker. Paige and Alexa Bliss started arguing and Deville tripped up Bliss on the apron. Mandy Rose planted Mickie back in the ring for the pinfall victory. After the match, Mandy Rose and Deville attacked Mickie in the ring. Bliss hopped into the ring and fought them off.
Bliss seems to be trying to get Mickie on her side in an effort to gain an advantage in the women’s Elimination Chamber match. Both Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose of Absolution are in the match, so Bliss is trying to repair an old friendship to even the odds.
Braun Strowman Played A Tune For Elias
Elias got a great reaction from the crowd as he strummed his guitar int he middle of the ring. Elias asked the crowd “who wants to walk with Elias?” and the entire crowd cheered. Elias called the crowd pathetic and said that the best thing about San Jose is that it is an hour away from a real city. Elias then corrected himself and said that every city in California is a toxic dump.
Elias asked the crowd what WWE stands for and they all chanted “walk with Elias!”. Elias stated that he liked the sound of that and added that he also liked the sound of his own voice. He asked the crowd to shut their mouths and performed a song. The crowd started to boo once Elias began singing. Elias said he won’t sing anymore if they keep booing and the crowd broke out in a “yes!” chant.
Elias performed a song bashing all the other Superstars in the Elimination Chamber match. Braun Strowman was then announced and he appeared on a stool with a microphone on the entrance ramp. Strowman brought out a gigantic bass guitar and broke one of the stings while playing it. Strowman sang a tune and then marched down to the ring with the bass guitar on his shoulder.
Strowman clubbed Elias across the chest and knocked him to the mat. Braun then planted Elias with a Powerslam and posed for the crowd. The crowd chanted “one more time!” as Elias crawled up the entrance ramp. Strowman grabbed the gigantic bass and started marching towards him. Braun broke it over the back of Elias on the entrance ramp and posed for the crowd one more time.
Both Braun Strowman and Elias are very entertaining and have incredibly bright futures in WWE. I never thought that Elias had this much potential in NXT. His weekly musical performances have become a highlight of RAW and the crowd is clearly behind him. They boo at the appropriate time, but Elias has just gotten himself over organically. It is fun to watch because he is a legitimate heel. He comes down to the ring and mocks the crowd every week. He is entertaining while doing so and the crowd loves it.
As for Braun Strowman, the guy is just money at this point. Braun Strowman playing a cello or bass guaitar (whatever the hell it was)? Sure! He pulled it off, as ridiculous as it was. I’m sure some curmudgeons that write about wrestling will complain about him not being a “monster” while playing the cello and singing. He is capable of more that shouting “YEAH!!!!!” and walking away. He has also been entertaining with Alexa Bliss on the Mixed Match Challenge. Strowman has a giant personality too and I’m glad he is showing it.
The Final Spot In The Elimination Chamber Match Is Still Up For Grabs
Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, Matt Hardy and Apollo Crews faced off in a Fatal 5-Way to determine the final participant in the men’s Elimination Chamber match. Crews got in some offense early but Balor booted him in the face and he fell to the floor outside the ring.
Rollins cleared the ring of everyone beside Bray Wyatt and made his way up the turnbuckle. Crews got back in the ring and attacked Rollins. Hardy and Balor joined them in the corner. Bray threw Balor out out of the ring and then Clotheslined Matt Hardy. Bray grabbed Rollins and delivered a Neckbreaker. Wyatt then hit Crews with a Senton as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Bray Wyatt was still in control of the match. Matt Hardy got into the ring and started clapping for Wyatt and the crowd joined in on the fun. Hardy bashed Wyatt’s head off the turnbuckle as the crowd chanted “delete!”. Hardy followed it up with a Side Effect to Wyatt and then to Balor. Matt climbed to the second rope and dropped an elbow across his back. Hardy went for the Twist of Fate but Rollins leaped into frame with a Clothesline to Hardy.
Seth Rollins connected with a double Blockbuster to Crews and Wyatt. Rollins hit three Suicide Dives and then shifted his focus to Crews in the ring. Rollins hit a Suplex, rolled through and connected with a Falcon Arrow for a two count. Bray Wyatt got back into the ring and hit a ridiculous Clothesline to Rollins that turned him inside out for a two count.
Balor charged back into the ring and hit a Slingblade and then Dropkicked Wyatt to the corner. Balor climbed to the top but Rollins met him up there. Rollins went for the Phoenix Splash but Wyatt got out of the way. Matt Hardy hit Twist of Fate on Wyatt but Balor broke up the cover with a Coupe de Grace. Rollins hit a Curb Stomp onto Balor and went for the cover but Crews broke it up.
The crowd chanted “this is awesome!” as every Superstar was on the canvas or on the floor outside the ring. Crews and Rollins battled in the ring. Crews hit a Fallaway Slam and followed it up with a standing Moonsault for a two count. Crews hit another one but Rollins once again was able to kick out at two.
Hardy and Crews battled on the turnbuckle. Bray dragged Wyatt to the floor and connected with a Sister Abigail outside the ring. Wyatt and Crews then battled on the turnbuckle. Rollins and Balor came up from behind and Powerbombed Bray Wyatt as he Superplexed Crews at the same time. Rollins and Balor then pinned Bray Wyatt at the same time and the referee counted to three. RAW went off the air with Balor and Rollins arguing and the ring and the final participant in the Elimination Chamber match is still undetermined.
RAW had some awesome matches tonight on the show. The Fatal 5-Way main event was very entertaining. The ending was a bit lame but I’m assuming it will be announced that Balor will face Rollins next week to determine who will go on to the Elimination Chamber match.
The February 12th edition of WWE RAW aired live from the SAP Center in San Jose, CA.
– Michael Cole welcomes us to the arena, and he’s joined by Corey Graves and Jonathan Coachman.
– John Cena comes down to the ring to kick off tonight’s show. Cena gets on the mic and talks about how in two weeks he has to win the Elimination Chamber match, or else he might not have a road to WrestleMania. Cena starts to discuss his plans for the road to WrestleMania, but The Miz comes out to interrupt. The Miz walks down to the ring with Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. Miz gets on the mic and says this isn’t 2013 anymore, this is 2018 and it’s the year of The Miz. The Miz says he’s the one who will go on to WrestleMania to beat Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. Cena says no one believes Miz would have a chance against Lesnar, unless Lesnar missed his flight or got food poisoning. Miz says he’s a better contender for Lesnar than Cena is, because he’ll cross the lines that Cena won’t cross. Cena says one way to decide who is better, is for tonight here on RAW, to have The Miz vs. John Cena. Cena says the loser of their match tonight, should have to enter the Elimination Chamber first. The crowd seems to like the idea, but The Miz doesn’t. Dallas and Axel attack Cena out of nowhere. They blindside him and start stomping on him while he’s down. They continue to beat on Cena, and only then does The Miz agree to Cena’s challenge — once Cena is already down. The Miz demands a ref, but gets Kurt Angle instead. Angle comes out and says he likes the idea, and calls for a ref, but Bo and Curtis are eliminated from ringside. Angle tells Axel and Dallas to get the hell out of here, and tells the ref to get things started.
– The Miz vs. John Cena: The ref calls for the opening bell while Cena is still down, and Miz immediately pins him. Cena gets out at two, and The Miz yells at the ref. Miz goes for another pin, and gets another two count. The Miz knocks Cena outside briefly, then takes him back in the ring for another two count. Cena finally starts to fight back, and he hits a fisherman’s suplex for a two count of his own. Miz fires back with some knees to Cena, then stomps on his head. Cena tries to hulk up, but Miz takes him back down with a sleeper. Miz goes for the Skull Crushing Finale, but Cena reverses it. Miz grabs on to Cena and locks in the Figure Four. Cena escapes and locks Miz in the STF. Miz escapes and drops Cena’s neck over the top rope. Miz goes up top, but Cena takes him down and goes for the AA. Cena escapes and hits a DDT on Cena for a two count. Miz follows up with a running clothesline on Cena in the corner. Miz goes for another one, but Cena catches him this time and hits the AA. Cena pins, and Miz kicks out at two. Cena goes up top, but Miz knocks him down and puts him back in the Figure Four. Cena gets out and puts Miz in the STF, but Miz escapes again. Cena misses a shot in the corner, and Miz comes back with a Skull Crushing Finale for a two count. They fight up to the top rope, and Miz looks for a Skull Crushing Finale from the turnbuckle, but Cena blocks it. Cena hits an AA off the second rope for the three count. This means Miz will enter the cell first at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
Winner: John Cena
– After the match, Cena hops in the crowd and meets with a fan in the front row and his family.
– We see a pre-taped promo from Matt Hardy where he says tonight he will fulfill his destiny, and will go on to turn the Elimination Chamber into the Deletion Chamber. “Delete! Delete! Delete!”
– Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are backstage where they cut a promo saying that The Revival is setting off their Nerd-o-meter. Gallows and Anderson start heading down to the ring for a match, but The Revival attacks them on the way down. They fight into the ring where Gallows and Anderson fend them off, and we’ve got a match.
– Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. The Revival: The ref calls for the bell, and Gallows and Anderson immediately start firing up on The Revival, as they are not happy about the attack from behind. Dash comes back with a shot to Gallows’ knee — the same knee The Revival targeted in their pre-match beat down. Dash and Dawson now take turns working over Gallows and attacking the knee. Anderson finally gets the tag and cleans house. Anderson hits a dropkick on Dash, then a blockbuster off the middle rope. Dawson takes Gallows outside and slams him into the ring steps. Dawson tags in now, and they double team Anderson. They hit the Shatter Machine on Anderson for the three count.
Winners: The Revival
– Kurt Angle is shown walking towards the gorilla position. He’s got news about his son Jason Jordan and WrestleMania.
– WWE RAW GM Kurt Angle is out to the ring next. He talks about Ronda Rousey being scheduled to sign her contract at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Angle says that he has an update on Jason Jordan’s health — and it’s not good. Angle says that Jordan’s injury will keep him off WrestleMania this year. Kurt says he now wants to talk as a father and not the RAW GM, and he thinks the fans should be ashamed if they are glad that any WWE Superstar is forced off WrestleMania due to injury, whether they like the wrestler or not. Seth Rollins is out to interrupt. Rollins gets in the ring and expresses his concern to Angle about not even having a match at Elimination Chamber, letalone WrestleMania. Rollins says he wants to be the franchise player of RAW, and he won’t leave the ring until Angle puts him in tonight’s main event so he can earn a shot at Elimination Chamber. Angle eventually agrees, and Rollins will now be fighting for a shot to enter the Elimination Chamber.
– We see a pre-taped promo from Bray Wyatt, who discusses his plans to win the Elimination Chamber, and then slay “The Beast” at WrestleMania.
– Sasha Banks vs. Bayley: They opening bell sounds, and they immediately start going back and forth with holds and pin attempts. Bayley hits a dropkick, and then blocks a Banks Statement attempt. Sasha finally comes back and drops Bayley, then hits a double knee strike for a two count. Sasha knocks Bayley outside, then takes her back in the ring and starts working over Bayley’s bad shoulder. Bayley fights her way up, and they go back and forth until Sasha locks in the Banks Statement. Bayley finally reahes the ropes to break the hold, then launches Asha into the turnbuckle. They fight up to the top turnbuckle, then Sasha knocks Bayley down to the mat. Bayley gets back up, and runs up the turnbuckle and grabs Sasha. Bayley hits the belly to belly off the turnbuckle for the win.
Winner: Bayley
– After the match, Bayley and Sasha go to hug, but Nia Jax comes out of nowhere and flattens them both. Nia hits some Samoan Drops on them, then heads up the ramp. Nia is stopped by an interviewer and asked why she did that. Nia says Bayley and Sasha had been taking Asuka to her limits, and Nia just crushed Bayley and Sasha in seconds, so imagine what she’ll do to Asuka.
– We go backstage, where Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns exchange words about each of them wanting to win the Elimination Chamber. Sheamus and Cesaro walk in, and they start trashing Rollins and Reigns. Reigns gets in their faces, and The Bar backs down and walks off.
– We see a video package looking at Asuka’s undefeated streak in WWE.
– Titus Worldwide is backstage for an interview with Renee Young. Titus tells Renee to talk a walk, and he interviews Apollo instead. Crews says he’s not worried about any of his opponents tonight, and then he, Titus and Dana chant his new “Crews Can’t Lose” catch phrase.
– Mickie James confronts Alexa Bliss backstage about saving her last week. Bliss says she’s sick of all the new girls on RAW, and said she wants to make up with Mickie. Mickie seems to accept her apology, and says tonight they can team up, but at Elimination Chamber it’s everyone for themselves.
– Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose vs. Mickie James & Alexa Bliss: Mickie and Mandy start things off after the opening bell. Sonya tags in early, but Mickie drops her. Bliss tags in and they double team Sonjya. Bliss follows up with a series of knee strikes for a two count on Sonya. Bliss continues beating on Sonya, then Mickie comes back in for another double team. Mandy runs in, and the distraction leads to Sonya hitting a cheap shot on Mickie. Mandy tags in now and they double team Mickie. Rose starts beating down Mickie until James comes back with a neckbreaker. Paige distracts Bliss, then Sonya attacks Bliss from behind. Mikie is unable to tag in the downed Bliss, and Mandy drops Mickie for the three count.
Winners: Absolution
– After the match, Paige hits the apron and directs traffic as Sonya and Mandy beat down Mickie and Alexa.
– Elias is backstage heading towards the ring. He has a new song about the Elimination Chamber to sing tonight.
– Elias is in the ring now for a song. As he’s singing about the Elimination Chamber, Jojo interrupts and introduces Braun Strowman. Strowman is on the stage on a stool with a spotlight, and he sings a song of his own with a cello. Braun then declares he’s done singing, and starts marching towards the ring. Elias pleads with Strowman to leave him alone, and then tries to get a cheap shot on Strowman. Strowman fights back and yells as he drops Elias down to the mat. Braun picks him up and hits the running powerslam. Elias tries to crawl up the ramp, but Strowman catches up with him and smashes the Cello over him. Strowman stands tall as officials come to check on Elias.
– Finn Balor is backstage cutting a promo for tonight’s main event. He says he’s focused on getting his U.S. Title back.
– Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns: This one is evenly matched in the opening moments until Reigns fires up and unloads with clotheslines. Reigns sends Sheamus outside, and Cesaro gives his partner a pep talk. Reigns follows him outside, but Sheamus decks him. They brwl around ringside and Reigns repeatedly whips Sheamus into the fan barrier. Reigns gets distracted by Cesaro, and he turns around into a cheap shot from Sheamus. Sheamus follows up with a rolling senton on the floor, and takes control of the match. Back in the ring, Reigns tries to fight back, but Sheamus keeps him grounded. Sheamus drops him with a boot and hits an Irish Curse backbreaker for a two count. Sheamus locks in a Texas Cloverleaf submission until Reigns breaks out and then hits a Samoan Drop for a 2 count. Reigns misses a Superman punch, and Sheamus answers with the White Noise for a two count. Sheamus misses a kick and Reigns answers with a Superman punch. Reigns hits a sitdown powerbomb for a two count. Cesaro tries to distract Reigns, but Reigns drops him. Sheamus and Reigns breifly brawl around the ring until fighting back onto the mat. Sheamus goes up to the top rope, but Reigns spears him out of mid-air for the three count.
Winner: Roman Reigns
– We see a WWE Hall of Fame video package for upcoming inductee Ivory.
– Fatal 5 Way: Bray Wyatt vs. Matt Hardy vs. Apollo Crews vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor: The winner of this one gets the final spot in the Elimination Chamber match. The opening bell sounds and Crews sends Wyatt to the floor early on, then follows up with a moonault off the apron. Crews slides back in the ring and takes down Balor and Rollins. Balor then fires back and knocks Crews off the apron to the outside. Balor and Rollins go at it now until Wyatt comes in, and Balor drops Wyatt next. Matt gets in the mic now and goes at it with Balor and Rollins. Balor hits a slingblade, but then Rollins comes back with a boot to Blor’s face. Rollins then blocks a Sister Abigail from Wyatt, and rolls up Wyatt for a two count. Rollins beats on Wyatt, then throws Balor outside. Balor takes Hardy outside with him and they fight on the floor. Rollins goes up top, but Crews crotches him on the turnbuckle. Crews climbs up, then Hardy and Balor run over to block Crews’ superplex. Balor and Hardy try to double team, but Wyatt runs in and hits a splash on them all in the corner. Wyatt drops Matt with a clothesline, then hits a neckbreaker on Rollins. Wyatt hits a kick and a rolling senton on Crews for a two count. Matt now fires up and start dropping people. Matt hits a Side Effect on Balor, then attempts a Twist of Fate on Wyatt but Wyatt blocks it. Rollins fires up and starts dropping people now, then he hits two big suicide dives onto everyone at ringside. Rollins and Crews go at it in the ring now, and Rollins hits a suplex and a Falcon Arrow for a 2 count. They continue to fight and they brawl out to ringside. Rollins and Crews trade knees and kicks, then fight back into the ring. Balor runs in and hits a Slingbladed on Wyatt, and Balor starts cleaning house. All five men are now back in the ring brawling. Crews goes for a Gorilla Press Slam, but it’s blocked, and Rollins fires back with kicks. Crews hits a kick of his own, then a standing shooting star press for another two count. Matt stunts Crews with a shot, then takes Crews up top. Crews fights back, and then Wyatt pulls Matt down to the floor and hits the Sister Abigail. Back in the ring, Wyatt and Crews start going at it on the turnbuckle. Balor and Rollins run up to the turnbuckle for a big four-man powerbomb. Balor and Rollins both cover Wyatt at the same time, and the ref counts three. Rollins and Balor both start celebrating, and the referee looks confused. The ref keeps arguing that there is no winner.
Winner: No contest
Balor and Rollins argue wihth the ref as RAW goes off the air, and it appears the final Elimination Chamber contestant has not been determined yet.
– In case you haven’t seen them yet, Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle website has a must-see photo gallery from the Universal Championship match at last month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
Heyman wrote on Twitter, “I have advocated for more #WWE champions than anyone in history. Spent the majority of my time in #WWE screaming “reigning defending …
No one in history matches Brock Lesnar’s level of dominance. No one. #WrestleMania #April8 #NewOrleans #BrockLesnar”
– Both Sasha Banks and Bayley took to Twitter ahead of their “friendly competition” match tonight on Monday Night RAW. Here’s what the two women had to say:
Former WWE and IMPACT Wrestling star Ken Anderson (also known as Mr. Kennedy) recently made an appearance on Sean “X-Pac” Waltman’s podcast, X-Pac12360. During their conversation Anderson discussed what it was like working with Paul Heyman when he was in OVW:
“First, when I was doing tryouts, I remember one day we were in the ring working just all the indie guys and the only two people sitting in the front row were Paul Heyman and Jim Ross. Guys were getting in [the ring] doing chain wrestling which was fine, but they just weren’t showing character. I got in there and I started putting heat on somebody, talking smack. Fast forward, Jim Cornette got released from the company and they said Paul Heyman was coming in and he’s gonna run OVW and he’s gonna run all the TV and everything. I remember he came in and said, ‘I need to talk to you.’
“[He] pulled me into a room and said, ‘You’re the next guy up… I have been a fan of yours,I’ve had my eye on you.’ At that point I been there for 6 months and he said, ‘We’re gonna do so much stuff with you on TV here that they’re gonna have to take you onto the main roster.’ Five weeks later Tommy Dreamer called me and said, ‘Hey they want to take a look at you on Smackdown. In that case Paul was correct, and I just continued to be friends with Paul.”
He also revealed that he would occasionally call Heyman for advice during his run in TNA Wrestling:
“After I got released [from WWE] and went to TNA, a lot of people don’t know this, but they would a lot of times hand me a script and I would call Paul and say, ‘Hey here’s what they gave me, I am not digging it, what can we do?’ Almost every week and he would say, ‘Give me a couple minutes and I’ll write something up for you.’ A couple minutes later he would have an email to my inbox. We just kinda collaborated, it was really cool. He’s a great guy.”
Now Anderson runs a wrestling school and enjoys passing on his knowledge of the business to the next generation:
“To me it’s not work, it is fun. I enjoy it especially when the students are really into it and it’s a really good atmosphere and everyone is having fun. It’s not work and I put a lot of time in it. We wanted to have a place that… we sorta designed it on a way lighter budget obviously, we looked at what the performance center is doing and how do we take that to an independent level.”
Molly Holly is a trainer at Anderson’s school and reacted to Holly’s appearance in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match:
“What a huge reaction from the people in the room, when they saw one of their coaches [Molly] come out as one of the entrances of the first ever women’s Royal Rumble. Which I must say, in my humble opinion, that was the match of the night, those women crushed it.”
You can listen to Anderson’s appearance on X-Pac12360 here by clicking this link.
Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Madison Rayne recently did an interview with Channel Guide MagazineChannel Guide Magazine to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Currently Rayne is a ‘free agent’ and she discussed what that means for herself and her family moving forward:
“I think in 2018 it’s fun and exciting to be able to control your own narrative and go where you want and do what you want. It’s also very gratifying to have a company who wants to invest in you and wants to put their branding on you and bring you on board. I don’t really know what I would prefer at this point. I want to have a contract and have that be home. Then I start doing all these things that make it exciting for me to be a ‘free agent.’ I don’t know what the right thing is.
“I’m just going to do what works best for me and my family and for my life. Right now, getting to go everywhere and do everything and wrestle so many different women. I was with Impact for so long and have this group of women who are now lifelong friends and I’ve traveled the world with, but now I’m getting to branch out more and wrestle different people and different crowds.”
With the current vamp WWE has taken in women’s professional wrestling, a debate has sparked over which promotion really started the Women’s Revolution – IMPACT or WWE? Rayne offered her thoughts on the matter:
“I know right now there is a lot of contention of, ‘Well, the Knockouts started the Women’s Revolution.’ At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. The Knockouts in 2007 did their thing and probably inspired many who are doing it now in WWE and Ring of Honor and Impact. I hate getting caught up into who did it and who did it better. I think for many years it has been growing and getting bigger and better.
“It makes me feel good that I was part of this first generation and did it at such a young age. I think I was 21 when I had my first tryout match at TNA. I’ve done it for so long. I’m in that really good spot involved heavily back then and involved into it now. It’s fun.”
Rayne also discussed ROH starting to expand their own women’s division, and it being the perfect time to do so:
“Deonna Purrazzo, Kelly Klein, Mandy Leon and Sumi Sakai, those women laid the foundation for what Women of Honor is right now. I have the opportunity to come in now to put my name and brand on the division. Brandi Rhodes is doing the same thing. … Back when I was wrestling infrequently with them, they had some incredible names and could have easily formed a championship and division. But I don’t think women’s wrestling was where it is right now.
“There was a lull in the amount of activity women had at Ring of Honor for a few years. I would say this is the perfect time for them. Women’s wrestling is probably at its highest point right now. So, for Ring of Honor to capitalize on it, I think it’s brilliant because I think Ring of Honor is growing just as quickly as women’s wrestling is going. I feel like it only makes sense right now.”
You can read Rayne’s full interview with Channel Guide MagazineChannel Guide Magazine by clicking this link here.
