Impact Wrestling this week will feature a Global Championship match that has been building for weeks. Current Impact Global Champion, Eli Drake, will face Alberto El Patron for the title.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gpWdZ6C4Ew
Eli Drake (c) vs. Alberto El Patron – Global Championship
The company sent out the following press release yesterday:
“When Alberto El Patron made his debut on IMPACT in mid 2017, behind the scenes, Eli Drake showed his emotions and let everyone know exactly how he felt. In the mind of Eli Drake, another person was coming into IMPACT and they were going to be given opportunities that Eli felt other people deserved. Eli felt the athletes that had been here, had been working towards a goal were being overlooked by anyone with a larger twitter following. Eli had enough.
It wasn’t long before Alberto El Patron would win the Global Title and then unify it with our World Title. All was right for El Patron and IMPACT had their guy. Then it all came crashing down, Alberto El Patron would be suspended and stripped of the title. With the Championship in a state of abeyance, IMPACT would have one match to determine a new Champion, a chance to move past El Patron and crown a new Champion as fair and as quickly as possible.
Eli Drake would enter at number 2 and somehow outlasted 19 others and in the end Eli Drake got what he wanted (with a detour) and Drake was standing tall as Global Champion. One major weight off his shoulders and another placed directly on them. It was up to Eli now to prove he could be Champion, to prove he had what it takes to Main Event every week, to travel the world and defend his title. If you had to give Eli a letter grade now that we have seen him as Champion for 130 consecutive days, you would be forced to give Eli an A+ for his efforts and skills.
Alberto El Patron has called Eli a “Paper Champion” or someone simply holding onto the title until Patron returned to take what he feels is rightfully his. Now we will see these men go one on one for the Global Championship on Thursday night. Can Drake shut up Alberto El Patron once and for all? Will El Patron prove his point and drive home his claim that he should be Champion? That Alberto El Patron will take IMPACT to all new heights and places we have never been before?
The Championship isn’t the only thing on the line Thursday night. It is the first IMPACT of 2018 and the future is on the line. Where are we going? The outcome of this match will be like looking into a crystal ball and seeing what direction IMPACT is heading. We can’t wait to find out on Thursday night!”
2018’s first episode of RAW saw a lot happen. It was a surprisingly hard hitting show that continued to build up to the Royal Rumble on 28th January. Check out the SEScoops Takeaways From RAW for more details.
The final part of the show focused on the triple threat match for the Universal Championship which will take place at the Royal Rumble between Brock Lesnar, Kane, and Braun Strowman.
Prior to this, Kane had approached Braun Strowman backstage to arrange a plan against Brock Lesnar, however Strowman made it clear that he is more than capable of handling the triple threat match on his own.
According to Ryan Clark of ewrestlingnews.com: after Brock Lesnar and Kane had their coming together, as shown above, Braun Strowman entered the ring and called out Kane. The two superstars brawled, but Kane took things a step further by hitting Strowman with a chair and then setting up a table. Unfortunately for Kane, Strowman was able to counter a choke-slam and proceeded to use his running power-slam to put Kane through his own table.
Some WWE fans have suggested that this is wasted material which should at least be aired on the Network. However, much like the time AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens for the US Title at MSG, this off air brawl gives an extra special incentive for those who attend WWE events.
Tonight’s WWE RAW saw several Superstars confirmed for the women’s and the men’s Royal Rumble matches that will take place later this month.
Bayley, Sasha Banks, Paige, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville were confirmed for the first-ever women’s match while Finn Balor was confirmed for the men’s Rumble match.
Below is the updated card for the Royal Rumble, which takes place on January 28th from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, coming out of tonight’s RAW:
30-Man Royal Rumble Match
John Cena, Elias, Finn Balor, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, TBA
30-Woman Royal Rumble Match
Asuka, Naomi, Ruby Riott, Natalya, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Paige, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, TBA
Triple Threat for the WWE Universal Title
Kane vs. Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar
WWE United States Title Tournament Finals
Bobby Roode or Zack Ryder or Mojo Rawley vs. Jinder Mahal or Xavier Woods or Aiden English
The January 1st, 2018 episode of WWE RAW took place at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL. Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s edition of WWE RAW:
The Crowd Still Isn’t Buying Jason Jordan
Alexa Bliss was shown storming around backstage looking for RAW GM Kurt Angle. Bliss was mad at Angle for putting her in a match with Asuka tonight. Bliss tried to convince Angle to cancel the match. Angle told Bliss that she was lucky that tonight’s match wasn’t for the RAW Women’s Championship.
Kurt Angle came down to the ring and wished everyone a Happy New Year. Angle stated that 2017 was one of the greatest years of his career. Angle added that RAW will celebrate it’s 25th year anniversary in three weeks. Angle announced that the rules for the women’s Royal Rumble match will be the same as the men’s Royal Rumble match.
Sheamus & Cesaro interrupted and claimed that they were robbed of the RAW Tag Team Championships last week. The crowd greeted The Bar with a “you look stupid chant” as the team entered the ring with Angle. Sheamus & Cesaro accused Angle of favoritism for giving his son a title match and gifting him Rollins as his partner. They then rolled footage of Kurt Angle embracing his son after his victory.
The Bar asked for their rematch and Angle responded by telling him that they will get their rematch when he says so. Jason Jordan came down to the ring and stated that his opportunity last week was earned. Jordan and Cesaro started barking at each other and Angle announced that they would face each other right now.
Seth Rollins came down to the entrance ramp and stated that Jason Jordan has a lot to learn about being in a team. Rollins told Jordan to stop being so self-absorbed. Rollins added that he will be in his corner tonight but as far as he is concerned, he is only out here to watch him lose.
Jordan took exception to Rollins’ comment and started yelling at him while Rollins was on the ring apron. Cesaro struck Jordan from behind and Jason tumbled out of the ring as RAW went to a a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Cesaro was still in control of the match and connected with a series of uppercuts. Jordan battled back and drove Cesaro into the turnbuckle. Sheamus hopped up on the ring apron and distracted Jordan. Cesaro took advantage and delivered a chop block to the back of Jordan’s leg. Cesaro continued to attack Jordan’s leg as RAW went to another commercial break.
When RAW returned, Cesaro had Jordan locked in the Half Crab in the middle of the ring. Jordan broke free and connected with a couple of Belly to Belly Suplexes for a two count. Jordan hit Cesaro with another two Suplexes and went for the cover but Cesaro kicked out at two. Sheamus hit Jordan with a cheap shot and Cesaro locked in the Boston Crag in the middle of the ring. Jordan battled through the pain and reached the bottom rope.Rollins took out Sheamus ringside and Jordan planted Cesaro in the ring for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Jordan raised Rollins’ hand and shouted with excitement on the entrance ramp. Rollins looked on with a smirk on his face and then clapped for Jordan.
Jordan received chants of “daddy’s boy” and “you still suck” tonight on RAW from the crowd. WWE is fighting an uphill battle trying to get the crowd to be on Jordan’s side after their terrible execution of the Jordan/Kurt Angle storyline. Aligning him with Rollins will help for now, but eventually Jordan has to connect with the audience on his own. Promos are not Jordan’s strength so he is going to have to continue to do it with his work in the ring.
Woken Matt Hardy Threatened Bray Wyatt Again
Bray Wyatt faced Apollo Crews tonight on RAW. Titus O’Neil and Dana Brooke accompanied Crews to the ring. Crews controlled the match early and hit an Elbow Drop for a one count. Wyatt hit Crews with a headbutt and then clubbed him in the back of the head. Crews battled back and delivered a Dropkick for a two count.
Apollo climbed to the top rope but Bray greeted him with a punch in the face. Wyatt followed it up with a Jawbreaker off the top rope as RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, Dana Brooke hopped onto the apron to try and distract Bray. Wyatt then scared Dana and she fell off of the ring apron onto Titus O’Neil. Bray quickly hit the Sister Abigail onto Apollo Crews for the pinfall victory.
Woken Matt Hardy appeared on the screen and stated that he is all around Bray Wyatt and that he cannot escape his Woken wisdom for long. Hardy vowed to delete Bray Wyatt and then Matt Hardy’s face was shown laughing.
This feud should be more entertaining than this. Hopefully it continues to get better over the weeks to come, but right now it seems like the same thing over and over again.
Alexa Bliss Was Not Ready For Asuka
Alexa Bliss spent the beginning of RAW trying to convince Kurt Angle to cancel her match with Asuka tonight. After Angle said no, Bliss asked Nia Jax to be in her corner. Nia Jax said that Enzo had the flu and she had to bring him chicken noodle soup. Enzo will not defend his Cruiserweight Championship against Cedric Alexander tonight due to illness.
Bliss faced Asuka at the beginning of the second hour of RAW. Alexa tried to avoid Asuka when the match but started but Asuka eventually caught her and locked in a Knee Bar. Bliss broke free bur Asuka leveled her with a shoulder tackle. Asuka leveled Bliss with the Hip Attack and Alexa rolled out of the ring to regroup. Bliss took her time getting back into the ring and the crowd booed her.
Asuka knocked Bliss back to the canvas and Alexa once again rolled out of the ring as RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, Alexa stretched Asuka out on the ring post and let go of her just before the ref counted to five. Bliss connected with a flurry of punches and went for the cover but Asuka kicked out at two. Asuka missed with a Clothesline and Bliss planted her with a Backbreaker.
Bliss hit a couple of forearms in a row for another to count. Bliss locked Asuka in Body Scissors in the middle of the ring. Asuka escaped and locked in a Arm Bar but Bliss reached the ropes to quickly break the hold. Bliss beatdown Asuka in the corner and then slapped Asuka in the face.
Asuka got pissed and connected with a couple of Dropkicks. Asuka hit another Dropkick off the second rope and followed it up with a Hip Attack in the corner. Asuka connected with a third Hip Attack and then kneed Bliss in the face. Alexa connected with a Dropkick of her own and Asuka fell out of the ring. Asuka got back in the ring and booted Bliss in the face. Asuka then locked in the Arm Bar in the middle of the ring for the submission victory.
Asuka should be ready for a title shot in the near future after her victory over the RAW Women’s Champion. This match was very solid, but the first hour of RAW completely killed the crowd and they barely made any noise throughout the match.
Roman Reigns Retained His Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins approached Roman Reigns backstage. Rollins asked Reigns to keep his cool tonight during his match with Samoa Joe. If Reigns is disqualified, he would lose the IC Title and Rollins doesn’t want to see that happen. Jason Jordan then appeared between Reigns and Rollins. Jordan announced that if The Bar tried to interfere in the match tonight, he and Rollins will take them out. Jordan then looked at Reigns and said “believe that” and walked away. Reigns and Rollins had confused looks on their faces as RAW went to a break.
Reigns defended his Intercontinental Championship tonight against Samoa Joe. If Reigns lost his temper and got disqualified, he would lose the title. The same referee (John Cone) that reffed last week’s match was in the ring for the match tonight. Last week on RAW, Reigns shoved Cone and was fined 5k for his actions. Reigns started off the match in control and stomped on Joe in the corner. Dueling “lets go Roman!” and “Roman sucks!” chants echoed throughout the arena. Reigns kept bashing Joe in the face and the ref broke it up. Joe took advantage and planted Roman for a two count.
Joe hit Reigns with a Suplex and Roman rolled out of the ring as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Joe leveled Reigns with a shoulder tackle for a two count. Reigns battled back and hit a Suplex. Roman charged at Joe in the corner but Joe got out of the way and Reigns crashed into the ring post shoulder-first.
Joe controlled the match for the next couple of minutes and kept Reigns on the mat. Joe continued to focus his attack on Reigns’ arm that crashed into the ring post. The crowd got behind Reigns and another “lets go Roman!” chant broke out. Reigns exploded out of the corner and hit a Clothesline and both Superstars fell to the canvas.
Roman clubbed Joe in the corner and then booted him in the face. Joe fell out of the ring and Reigns followed him out there and connected with the Drive By. The action returned to the ring and Reigns went for a cover but Joe kicked out at two. Reigns attacked Joe in the corner and the official once again broke it up. Joe launched Reigns into the barricade outside the ring and Joe followed it up with a running forearm through the ropes.
Both Superstars got back into the ring at the last second to beat the count as RAW went to another break. When RAW returned, Joe was still in control and was trash-talking Roman while he was on the canvas. Joe slapped Roman in the face and Reigns dared him to hit him again. Reigns connected with a Samoan Drop out of nowhere for another two count.
Reigns geared up for the Superman Punch but Samoa Joe rolled out of the ring. Reigns followed him out there and went for a Superman Punch off the steps but Joe was ready. Joe blasted Reigns in the chest and then bounced Reign’s head off the steps while shouting “this is for Dean!” and “this is for last week!”. Joe tried to throw Reigns into the steps but Roman reversed it and Joe slammed into the steps.
Roman grabbed one of the steps and the referee got in his way. Joe dared Reigns to hit him with the steps and then jabbed Roman in the jaw. Reigns hit a Superman Punch off the steps and brought Joe back into the ring and delivered a second one for yet another two count. Reigns couldn’t believe that Joe kicked out again.
Reigns went for the Spear but Joe caught him with a kick. Joe shoved Reigns into the referee and John Cone fell to the mat. Joe planted Reigns with a Uranage for a two count. Joe started arguing with the referee in the corner as Reigns regrouped in the ring. Roman connected with a right hand but Joe quickly locked in the Coquina Clutch in the ring. Reigns broke free and hit the Spear for pinfall victory.
Joe and Reigns had another great match tonight on RAW. I think Joe has proven that he is one of the better wrestlers on the roster and hopefully it leads to big things for him in 2018.
The Balor Club Reunited
Finn Balor approached RAW GM Kurt Angle backstage earlier in the evening and announced that he will be entering the Royal Rumble match. Balor stated that he never got his rematch for the Universal Championship after suffering an injury and added that he will get that match by winning the Royal Rumble match. Balor added that he found two partners for a six-man tag match later in the night versus The Miztourage & Elias. Gallows and Anderson then showed up behind Balor and stated that they are better partners than the rest of the nerds in the back.
Before the match, Elias performed a song in the ring alongside Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas. Bo dedicated the song to The Miz. Bo also announced that The Miz will be returning to RAW next week. The crowd then started booing as Axel sang and Bo whistled along and played the cowbell. Elias stated that he will take it from here and proceeded to insult the Miami crowd before Balor, Gallows and Anderson interrupted and came down to the ring.
Axel controlled the match early on and beatdown Balor in the ring. Elias tagged in and continued the beatdown. Balor finally fought back and hit a Double Stomp to Elias’ midsection. Gallows and Dallas were tagged in and Gallows hit a Splash in the corner. Gallows hit a big boot and delivered another Splash to Dallas.
Gallows booted Dallas in the face again and then knocked Axel out of the ring. Gallows and Anderson hit the Magic Killer to Dallas and Balor followed it up with the Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory.
It was cool to see Balor, Gallows and Anderson together again. All three Superstars haven’t been doing anything meaningful on RAW as of late. I’d like to see Gallows and Anderson return to being into a dominant tag team instead of a comedy act on RAW, but I won’t hold my breath.
The Year Of The Beast Has Begun
Earlier during RAW, Braun Strowman destroyed Heath Slater and Rhyno as the crowd cheered him on. Strowman delivered a ridiculous amount of Running Powerslams to Slater and Rhyno.
Strowman was shown walking backstage and bumped into Kane. Kane said that he just wanted to talk and brought up Brock Lesnar. Kane stated that he had a plan to take out the Beast and all it took was for them to be on the same page. Braun said that he doesn’t care about Kane and that he will take down Brock Lesnar on his own terms. Kane then walked away as Strowman stared at him.
"We're the ALPHA MONSTERS of @WWE. Together, we can tame the BEAST, and I have a plan." – @KaneWWE
"I don't care about you or your plan. I'm the ONLY alpha monster around here!" – @BraunStrowman#RAWpic.twitter.com/2BU4wtehXa
After the Reigns and Samoa Joe match, Reigns celebrated with the title and stood tall in the ring. RAW GM Kurt Angle was shown watching it backstage. Paul Heyman interrupted and said that there is a conspiracy going on under Angle’s watch right now. Heyman stated that if Kane and Strowman team up against Lesnar, Brock will be proactive and not reactive. Heyman declared 2018 “the year of the Beast” and then walked away.
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman made their way down to the ring towards the end of this week’s RAW. Heyman grabbed the microphone as the Miami crowd chanted “Suplex City!”. Heyman claimed that WWE’s New Year’s resolution was to once again stack the deck against his client, Brock Lensar.
Heyman noted that Lesnar once again had to defend his Universal Championship against multiple opponents in Kane and Braun Strowman. Heyman called it a “trick” and brought up how Lesnar doesn’t have to be pinned to lose his title. Strowman was shown watching Heyman on a monitor backstage.
Paul shouted “spoiler!” and vowed that Lesnar will successfully defend his Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble PPV. Heyman claimed that Lesnar would defeat Kane and Braun Strowman on his own and would also defeat all 30 Superstars that enter the Royal Rumble match.
Heyman stated that Lesnar fears no challengers and that he doesn’t believe in monsters and that he doubts that Kane is the devil’s favorite. Heyman claimed that he has had a convo with the man down below and that his favorite was Brock Lesnar. Heyman and Lesnar went to exit the ring but Kane’s music hit.
Kane made his way to the ring and joined Lesnar. Kane grabbed by the throat and delivered a Chokeslam. Kane went to leave the ring but Brock sat up and started laughing at Kane. Lesnar Clotheslined Kane over the top rope and the WWE locker room separated the two Superstars. Kane was brought back to the locker room as RAW went off the air.
I’m having a hard time convincing myself that Kane has any shot in this match at Royal Rumble. Tonight’s conclusion of RAW didn’t do anything to make me excited for the Universal Championship match later this month. It just doesn’t feel like a special match at all and I’m looking forward to the Royal Rumble matches and whoever winds up challenging AJ Styles much more.
The January 1st 2018 edition of WWE RAW takes place at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL.
– Michael Cole welcomes us to the American Airlines Arena, and then we go backstage where RAW Women’s Champ Alexa Bliss is trying to talk to Kurt Angle about her match tonight with Asuka. Angle refuses and tells Bliss to settle her problems in the ring, and Angle walks off.
– RAW GM Kurt Angle comes out to the ring to kick off the first RAW of 2018. He welcomes us to the show and talks about how 2017 was one of the biggest years of his career. He starts talking about the Royal Rumble and John Cena, which prompts boos from some fans. Angle talks about the Women’s Royal Rumble briefly, then The Bar comes out to interrupt. Sheamus says he doesn’t want to talk about tonight, he wants to talk about last week when The Bar was robbed. Sheamus complains about how the new team of Rollins and Jordan received a title shot right away. Cesaro accuses Angle of playing favorites. They start arguing about a rematch, and then Jason Jordan comes out to interrupt. Jordan argues with The Bar, which leads to Angle booking Jordan vs. Cesaro tonight. Seth Rollins interrupts next, and he says Jordan needs to be a better partner and less self-absorbed. Rollins says he’ll be in Jordan’s corner, but he’s out here to watch Jordan lose. Cesaro hits a cheap shot on Jordan from behind, and we have a match.
– Cesaro vs. Jason Jordan: Rollins and Sheamus are at ringside. This one starts with some back and forth brawling, with Jordan making a comeback and mounting some offense. Jordan dumps Cesaro to the outside, then follows him out. At ringside, Cesaro grabs Jordan and slams him on the corner of the ring apron and he mounts a comeback. Cesaro brings Jordan back in the ring and works over his knee. Cesaro drops Jordan with a European uppercut, then continues the attack on Jordan’s knee. Jordan escapes a powerslam attempt and drops Cesaro with a kick. Jordan goes for a suplex but his leg gives out. Jordan hits some strikes and finally is able to hit a belly to belly suplex. Jordan follows up with another one for a two count. Cesaro starts to fight back, but Jordan catches him with a Northern Lights suplex. Jordan rolls through for a second Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Cesaro comes back with a shot to the bad knee and then a Boston Crab. Sheamus looks to get involved with a cheap shot, but Rollins intercepts and drops Sheamus. The distraction leads to Jordan suplexing Cesaro for a three count.
Winner: Jason Jordan
– Jason Jordan celebrates his win but leaves Rollins hanging on the fist bump.
– Roman Reigns is backstage for an interview about Samoa Joe. Reigns says Joe is a punk and it’s going to be ugly when he gets him in the ring. Reigns says unfortunately for Joe, he’s going to stay within the rules – he hopes.
– Bray Wyatt is out to the ring next.
– We see a quick promo from Sasha Banks talking about entering the Royal Rumble.
– Bray Wyatt vs. Apollo Crews: Titus and Dana Brooke of Titus Worldwide are at ringside in Crews’ corner. Crews starts this one off strong, but Wyatt decks him and focuses on keeping Crews grounded. Wyatt stares down Dana and she seems disturbed by it. Wyatt continues the beat-down on Crews until Apollo catches him with a running big boot out of nowhere. Crews fires up with more kicks, then a flying clothesline. Crews hits a standing shooting star press for a two count on Wyatt. Crews looks for the powerbomb but Wyatt catches him with a lariat. Dana gets on the apron and yells to Apollo, then Wyatt chases her off and she falls onto Titus at ringside. Dana and Titus crash down at ringside as Wyatt watches. Apollo takes advantage of the distraction with a flying kick to the face, but Wyatt is able to come back with a Sister Abigail out of nowhere for the three count.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
– After the match, Matt Hardy appears on the big screen and he cuts a promo on Wyatt. Hardy does his evil laugh, then talks about converting Wyatt’s fireflies into “woken warriors.” Hardy laughs at Wyatt again as Wyatt looks around confused.
– Alexa Bliss approaches Nia Jax backstage for a favor, but Nia says she has to go deliver chicken soup to Enzo, who isn’t feeling well. Alexa says Nia has to chose between her or Enzo, but Nia says her soup is getting cold and leaves.
– Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka: This one is a non-title match. It’s all Asuka in the opening moments of this one. Alexa leaves the ring multiple times for breathers. Back in the ring, Alexa comes back with a kick to the midsection. Alexa drops Asuka and keeps her grounded with some holds. Asuka fights out, but Alexa drops her again, then bends her around the ring post by the feet and hair. They trade pin attempts, then Alexa grabs the hair and hits a backbreaker. Alexa pummels on Asuka on the mat, then pins for a two count. Asuka comes back with an arm lock, but Bliss shuts her down with more kicks to the midsection. Alexa slaps Asuka across the face, and Asuka answers with a series of dropkicks. She follows up with a running hip attack in the corner, then another one on the mat. Asuka hits a kick, but Alexa comes back with a shot in the corner. Asuka hits a kick and then puts Alexa in the Asuka Lock for the win via submission.
Winner: Asuka
– Asuka celebrates in the ring while Bliss recovers with her Women’s Title belt at ringside.
– Samoa Joe does an interview in the back, and Renee Young doesn’t seem happy to talk to him. Joe says he owns Reigns, and will beat him like he beat Ambrose. Joe says Ambrose is now a stay-at-home husband living off his wife’s paycheck because of him. Joe says he’s already exposed Reigns, and now he’s going to take the Intercontinental Title from him.
– Braun Strowman is out next.
– Bayley does a pre-taped promo saying she’s entering the women’s Royal Rumble match, and then will “hug her way” to WrestleMania.
– Braun Strowman vs. Rhyno: Slater is at ringside, and Jojo accidentally announces it as “Heath Slater accompanied by Rhyno.” Strowman knocks Rhyno back into the corner and Slater gives Rhyno some words of encouragement. Strowman follows up with a shoulder tackle and a big boot. Slater gets on the apron and Strowman orders the ref to get rid of him. Strowman climbs out of the ring and gets on the mic. He says either Slater can stand on the floor and shut his mouth, or get in the ring and get these hands like his partner. Strowman gets back in the ring and Rhyno hits him, but Strowman stuns him with a headbutt. Slater now runs in and starts beating on Strowman with Rhyno. Strowman shoves them away, and hits running splashes on each of them in opposite corners. Strowman follows up with the running powerslam on Rhyno for the win.
Winner: Braun Strowman
– After the match, the crowd chants “one more time.” Strowman goes to pick up Rhyno, but Slater stops him. Slater goes for a kick, but Strowman swats him away. Strowman follows up with a running powerslam on Slater. The crowd chants for more, so Strowman grabs Rhyno and hits another running powerslam on the former ECW Champion. Strowman’s music plays, but he’s not finished. He grabs Slater and hits another running powrslam on him, then gets on the corner and poses. It looks like Strowman is finished, but he’s not. He picks up Rhyno and hits another running powerslam on him. Strowman picks up Slater with one arm, then hits another running powerslam on him.
– Roman Reigns is backstage cracking his knuckles, when Seth Rollins walks in. Rollins tells Reigns to keep his cool after what Joe said tonight. Reigns says Joe is a joke to him, and he hopes Ambrose and the whole world is watching tonight to see what he does to Joe. Rollins mentions that he doesn’t want Reigns to get DQed, because the title can change in the event of a DQ tonight. Jason Jordan walks in and says if The Bar tries to run in, they’ll stop them, believe that. Jordan walks off, and Reigns and Rollins look confused by Jordan’s appearance.
– Kane approaches Strowman backstage and says he just wants to talk. Kane says they should work together to take out Lesnar, but Strowman declines. Strowman says he’s the true alpha monster of WWE, and he’ll take out Lesnar on his own.
– Finn Balor approaches Kurt Angle in his office. Balor says he’s entering the Royal Rumble, and also announces his partners for a six-man tag against Elias and The Miztourage. Balor brings in Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, and says he’s teamed with them before and is ready to again. They say if it wasn’t them, it would have had to be some “Nerds” from the locker room.
– Roman Reigns (c) vs. Samoa Joe: Reigns’ IC Title is on the line in this one, and the Title can change hands via DQ. Joe starts off strong off the opening bell with right hands to Reigns. Reigns starts fighting back on the ropes but the ref pulls them apart and admonishes Reigns. Joe comes back and sends Reigns to the outside. Reigns takes a breather and comes back in. Joe fires up and hits an elbow then goes for a suplex, but Reigns reverses it into a suplex of his own. Reigns goes for a spear in the corner, but Joe dodges and Reigns hits the ring post. Joe covers for a two count. Reigns starts fighting back with a series of clotheslines and punches. Joe fights back and hits a Pele kick. Joe chokes Reigns over the middle rope until the ref hauls him off. Joe follows up with strikes in the corner on Reigns. Joe whips Reigns into the corner then works on Reigns’ left arm. Joe whips Reigns into the corner again, but this time Reigns comes out with a flying clothesline on Joe. Reigns hits a series of ten clotheslines in the corner, then boots Joe in the face and sends him falling out to ringside. Reigns follows him outside and hits the Drive By. Back in the ring, Reigns and Joe brawl in the corner before Joe knocks Reigns outside. Joe follows up with a suicide dive onto the Champion at ringside. Back in the ring, Joe continues to work on Reigns. When Reigns starts coming back, Joe shoves Reigns into the ref. Reigns tries to explain what happened to the ref and the ref allows it to continue. After some back and forth, Joe locks in the Coquina Clutch. Reigns fights out and runs the ropes and hits the spear for the win to retain the IC Title.
Winner & still Intercontinental Champion: Roman Reigns
– Reigns celebrates with his IC Tite belt as Joe storms up the ramp looking disgruntled.
– Kurt Angle is backstage watching Reigns’ win, when Paul Heyman walks in. Heyman warns Angle that they’re aware of Kane proposing a conspiracy to Strowman to take out Lesnar before the Royal Rumble. Heyman says if Angle doesn’t put a stop to it, Lesnar will let all Hell break loose.
– We see a pre-taped promo from Absolution, where Paige says 2018 is going to be an even bigger year for them.
– Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari are in the ring. Gulak reads a message from Enzo, which starts off with Enzo’s usual promo, and then goes into saying Enzo is sick so he’s not at RAW tonight. The message gets on the subject of Cedric Alexander, which prompts Alexander to come out and interrupt. Cedric has doubts that Enzo is really sick, but since he’s not here, either Gulak or Daivari are going to have to face him instead. Gulak and Daivari say they’ll do it, but in a tag team match, so Cedric better hope for someone to come out and help him right now. Goldust’s music hits and the former Intercontinental Champion comes down to the ring. Goldust says he has some friends in low places, but none are lower than Gulak and Daivari, then says he’ll be friends with Cedric, and we have a match.
– Cedric Alexander & Goldust vs. Drew Gulak & Ariya Daivari: Cedric starts off in control against Daviari. He sends Daviari flying with a hurricanrana, then levels him with a dropkick. Cedric gets distracted by Gulak, and Daivari slams Cedric into the corner. Daivari beats on Cedric until Alexander comes back with an elbow to the face of Daivari. Goldust and Gulak get the tags and Goldust cleans house. Goldust hits a bulldog and beats on Gulak in the corner. Goldust follows up with a spinning powerslam. Daivari runs in and Goldust hits him with an inverted atomic drop. Goldust goes up top and hits a moonsault on Gulak and Daivari. Cedric tags in and takes out Daivari while Goldust hits an uppercut on Gulak. Cedric gollows up with a Lumbar Check on Gulak for the three count.
Winners: Goldust & Cedric Alexander
– Alexander and Goldust celebrate in the ring after the match.
– Gallows, Anderson & Balor are backstage walking towards the gorilla position.
– Elias comes out to the ring for a song. He also announces that he’ll be in the Royal Rumble, and he intends to win and go on to WrestleMania. Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel join him, and Dallas announces that The Miz will be returning next week. They briefly sing a song, and then Gallows and Anderson’s entrance interrupts.
– Finn Balor, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Elias, Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel: Balor and Axel start this one off. Axel backs Balor into the corner and hits some should strikes then a neck breaker. Elias tags in and continues to beat on Balor. Elias stomps on Balor in the corner and works on keeping him grounded. Balor trips up Elias and hits a double foot stomp on him. Gallows and Dallas get the tags and Gallows cleans house. Gallows hits a big boot on Dallas then a running splash. Elias breaks up the pin, then Anderson takes out Elias. Gallows hits a superkick on Dallas, then Anderson comes in and they hit the Magic Killer on him. Anderson then hits a suicide dive on Axel at ringside. Balor tags in and hits the Coup De Grace on Dallas for the three count.
Winners: Finn Balor, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
– We see a promo for The Miz’s return next week on RAW.
– WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is out to the ring next with Paul Heyman beside him. We see a replay of Kane propositioning Strowman earlier in the night to take out Lesnar, and Strowman seeming to decline. Heyman gets on the mic and complains about Lesnar having to face two opponents again, this time at the Royal Rumble against Kane and Strowman. Heyman takes issue with the fact that either Kane and Strowman could pin one another and Lesnar would lose the Title. Heyman says Lesnar will still win, and he fears no challengers. they go to leave, but Kane comes out to interrupt and he hits the ring. Kane grabs Lesnar by the throat and chokeslams him. Kane goes to leave, but then Lesnar sits right up and smiles at Kane. Lesnar gets up and uses the Title belt to hite Kane to the outside. Lesnar falls out to ringside too, and before they can start brawling, members of the locker room break it up. We’re told Kurt Angle is on the stage ordering the fight to be broken up. They haul off Kane, while Lesnar holds up his Universal Title belt at ringside, and RAW goes off the air.
– WWE officials told F4WOnline.com this afternoon that Braun Strowman is scheduled for tonight’s Raw in Miami, Florida.
After working two live events where he brawled with Kane, Strowman returned home on Thursday due to a bad case of the flu. This caused him to miss the final three live events of 2017.
– In a post on Instagram, The Miz reflects on his professional and personal achievements in 2017 and reveals his goals for 2018.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdYb3IwHjDx/
– The second season of the soap opera series Tainted Dreams, starring former Impact Wrestling star Jessie Godderz, premiered on Amazon and Amazon Prime this past week. According to F4WOnline.com, former WWE talent Lisa Marie Varon (aka Victoria) appears in the series as a parole officer for the character Godderz plays. This reunites the two as they played a couple in TNA in 2012 and 2013.
Carmella and Big Cass have been in a long term relationship since their time working together in NXT. They recently featured in Total Divas and have been looking to move to LA.
Here is the moment that Big Cass was introduced on the show:
Unfortunately they both have different ideas as to where they want to live their lives. Big Cass is set on New York, while Carmella is pushing for a move to LA.
The relationship seems to have come to a stop though as Carmella removed all mention of Big Cass from her instagram account, as well as unfollowing the 7-foot superstar on Twitter. While nothing has been confirmed, these are not good signs for their relationship.
It’s understandable that this isn’t ‘Wrestling News’, however it might be worth considering how a break-up could impact their careers and trajectories moving forward.
With Big Cass injured, he had potential to re-invent himself and move over to the SmackDown Live brand as a new competitor, rather than returning to RAW. This move would have been extremely positive, as he could join Carmella on Team Blue. But if it is true that they are no longer together, a move to SmackDown Live could cause friction backstage. But at the same time: return to RAW may remind fans of his not-so-popular heel turn before becoming injured.
Carmella may not be as worried since she holds the Money In The Bank contract which means that she will always be close behind the SmackDown Live Women’s Champion, and a key part of the title scene moving forward.
– NXT star Wesley Blake and 2015 Tough Enough winner Sara Lee got married over the weekend in Titusville, Florida.
Former WWE developmental talent CJ Dunning revealed the news in a post on Instagram.
The couple are the parents of a daughter named Piper, who was born on May 1, 2017.
– Above is the WWE Future Endeavors 2017 video from YouTube user mangler989, which highlights talent that officially parted ways with WWE this past year.
Among those who left WWE in 2017 are Mada Abdelhamid, Rosa Mendes, Jack Swagger, Simon Gotch, Chris Atkins, Andrea D’Marco, Theophilus Agbi, Austin Aries, HoHo Lun, Eva Marie, Emma, Darren Young, Summer Rae, Sawyer Fulton, Leo Gao, Bronson Matthews and James Ellsworth.
Having put on one of the great matches of the year, John Cena was too preoccupied with AJ Styles to enter the Royal Rumble in 2017.
However 2018 has offered him a fresh opportunity as a free agent. It has become common place for Superstars and General Managers to use Twitter to reveal key information to the WWE Universe, and today is no different. Cena took to Twitter to publicly announce the beginning of his journey to WrestleMania history before tonight’s episode of RAW.
A sunny morning on the first day of 2018. Possibilities are endless, opportunities are plentiful. Time to #EarnTheDay because on January 28th, I’m entering the #RoyalRumble match and earning a chance at history @WrestleMania! #Raw
While some will be hoping to see Cena clinch that 17th WWE Championship, there are plenty of rumours online that seem to be praying for him to face The Undertaker in April.
One of the supports for those rumours is Dave Meltzer, who suggests that Cena’s WrestleMania opponent will be much bigger than a shot at the WWE Championship against AJ Styles. Further details have not been given, and we are left to speculate what that could mean for April.
While Cena took on a ‘cameo-like’ role at Survivor Series, it’s clear that WWE have massive plans for him heading into WrestleMania season. The other side to this rumour is: if Meltzer is saying that John Cena is not AJ Styles’ opponent at WrestleMania, is the WWE Universe getting their dream AJ Styles VS Shinsuke Nakamura showdown?
– Paige is backstage at Raw in Miami, Florida, but the word going around is that she has not yet been cleared to return to the ring after suffering an injury last week.
Paige got injured last Wednesday during a Six-Woman Tag Team Match when she took a hard kick to the back from Sasha Banks. The match was immediately stopped and she was given medical attention for what is believed to be a stinger.
For precautionary measures, WWE pulled Paige from the rest of last week’s live event tour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yc6wZqE5yo
– On the latest edition of Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia, former WWE Women’s Champions Michelle McCool, Victoria, Candice Michelle, Gail Kim and Molly Holly react to the announcement of the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match. You can listen to the interview here or on iTunes.
Yup… WWE’s really going for it this year with the whole “Top Whatevers Of 2017”. This time it’s with GIFs. To be fair, WWE did launch their own library of GIFs at GIPHY.com/WWE, so it is understandable that they want to highlight and promote its existence.
Anyway… for those interested, here is WWE’s top 10 GIFs of 2017 (REALLY!?)
10: Triple H’s nod of approval regarding this list.
If you made it this far… well done! You’ll notice that this was written with a healthy dose of sarcasm, so to make this a little bit more worthwhile, if/when you leave a comment… use only GIFs!!
If you don’t use a GIF… that’s ok… not much will happen. But come on, where’s the fun in that!?
Oh, and no, it doesn’t have to be from WWE’s giphy.com channel…
On December 18th, a triple threat match for the Universal Championship was set for 2018’s first PPV of the year: The Royal Rumble at the Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia.
Since that decision was made, Kane has been interviewed by The Miami Herald ahead of 2018’s first episode of RAW. Check out the highlights of the interview below:
On His Royal Rumble Title Match:
“It’s an opportunity for me to become champion again, which those are rare and at this point in my career, I didn’t know if I’d see another one, frankly. So, it’s a great opportunity for me. I’m in the ring with two monsters – make it three, if you include me – but that doesn’t happen very often for me. It doesn’t happen very often where I go into a match feeling I’m somewhat outgunned, which may be the case here when you have guys like Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman. There’s going to be a lot of beef in that ring. And the amazing thing about those two guys is they’re just so awesomely athletic for their size. I mean, you hear people say ‘Oh, he’s a great athlete, for his size,’ but these guys are great athletes, doesn’t matter what size they are.”
Kane’s Current Status With WWE:
“I feel I still go out and perform at a very high level every night. I tell people as long as I’m doing that, as long as I’m having fun doing what I’m doing, I will continue. When you look at the overall picture, I think that a lot of what I try to do now is help the younger guys refine their craft as much as possible. We have some tremendous talent that is on the main roster, of course, people [from] NXT coming up, I think the future is very bright for WWE.”
The Rock Considering A Presidential Run In 2024 & If Kane Would Consider Joining The Rock On The Ticket:
“I think he would be insane to run for President. I’m going to leave that there. He’s doing pretty well in movies, and if I were him, I don’t think I would do that. And I would absolutely turn down that nomination on my part. I’m pretty happy where I’m at.”
You can check out the videos of the interview, and Kane discussing his own political ventures, below:
It’s that time of year when social media feeds are filled with “What a year 2017 was…” as well as the standard “New Year, New Me!” resolution posts. Superstars across the globe have also taken to this and created their own New Year posts, celebrating 2017 and hoping for the best in 2018. Here are some of the highlights (or not) that have been put together:
Making history as the FIRST ever & TWO TIME undisputed Ms MITB was by far my favorite moment of 2017. To those of you who hated on everything I did this year, stay tuned for what I’m about to do in 2018… I’m just getting started! ??? pic.twitter.com/yToFQhT6Jy
While Carmella and Sasha Banks’s posts seem reasonably normal for what you would expect, English performers put together something a little bit special (peculiar?) to celebrate 2017:
While not on TV as much as when he returned, Luke Gallows is a work-horse of WWE. He’s seen success across multiple companies, and has become a reliable ‘go to’ talent to support those around him.
For anyone who wants a recap of his career, here’s Luke Gallows with Corey Graves on Superstar Ink:
Gallows also featured on a recent episode of The Steve Austin Show. Here are some of the highlights:
How Gallows Scrambled To Get A Job In WWE:
“I called Tommy Dreamer and Johnny Ace every week, like, ‘Hey guys, you should probably hire me – I’m pretty good.’ I was having the bulls–t matches in West Virginia against guys in furniture stores and stuff! Terrible! So finally they were opening Deep South and I think they needed to fill it and I wouldn’t leave them alone, so I somehow got my ass in there after three years of terrible indies.”
Before then, Gallows featured on WWE’s Tough Enough…
Pitching A HillBilly Gimmick:
“They bring in Henry Godwinn and my partner eventually ended up being Terry Gordy’s son, Ray Gordy. And the way that happened was Michael [Hayes] brought Henry back and they were going to be the new Godwinns with Henry and Ray. And Ray was always really cool to me, sold me these Tex Slazenger boots. I wore them around for a while. And something happened with him. He had to leave the company. I don’t know what it was, but whatever. But they needed a partner, so some guys from TNA, some old school guys came in, but they couldn’t match this hillbilly thing, so I just watched, like, Larry The Cable Guy stuff and Bill Engvall. I got material for this stuff and I asked ‘Doctor’ Tom Prichard, who I always had a great relationship with, ‘can I please do something with Ray?’ because I know I’ve got nothing. They just killed this weird gimmick that I had. We cut a couple of promos and they loved it!”
Traveling In WWE:
“It’s always us and a rotating third or fourth. We get each other so [well] from when we first clicked, so sometimes Finn Bálor, sometimes Curt Hawkins. We were on SmackDown, so it was always AJ [Styles]. And then, we had Jinder [Mahal] for a while and he left to go to SmackDown and blew up. And we always do good, but we’re always together no matter what. I just think AJ and Jinder put up with us because we were funny and silly when we were reading.”
Impact Wrestling:
“It was fun. I don’t want to bury anybody there. It was a lot of fun and I had a lot of fun. It was just really different coming out of WWE because I went from bulls–t indies to the WWE. Then I left and I got fired right after my 26th birthday. I was a young cat. I started wrestling when I was just 18 [years old], so I was like, ‘this is not a bad thing – this is a good thing. I’m going to go everywhere and then hopefully go back.’ So I had a lot of fun there. I didn’t make a lot of money, but it was a lot of fun. It was a one-year run and then they were having their issues or whatever.”
Working With Hulk Hogan:
“Oh man, Hulk was awesome. I always say because I started so young and I loved wrestling so much, I’ve met a lot of guys that were a little bit of a letdown.”
This interview with Steve Austin, as well as the other features in the article, show just how much of a dedicated wrestler Gallows is, and how hard he works behind the scenes and in the locker room. It may seem like the WWE personas of Gallows and Anderson just search for ‘nerds’ to beat up, but the insights available show there’s more to it. While this is (or should be) true of all professional wrestlers, it appears as though Luke Gallows has as much of a role backstage as he does when entering the ring.
The son of late former WWE Superstar Brian Pillman, Brian Pillman Jr., made his professional wrestling debut over the weekend in Indianapolis. He defeated Jonathan Wolf in the match, and Wolf took to Twitter to offer some kind words to Pillman afterwards:
I? just wanted to say @FlyinBrianJr is the real deal and I?m honored to be your first match
Thank you for taking care of me tonight! Wrestling is such a beautiful and exhilarating thing when the 2 people in the ring have a special bond like we had as soon as we met. You are so young yet so wise…
Pillman was just three-years-old when his father passed away back on October 5th of 1997. He suffered from a heart attack caused by undetected arteriosclerotic heart disease. Interesting enough, Pillman died from the same disease that took his father’s life as well. He was in the middle of a feud with Goldust and Marlena. Pillman was scheduled to face Dude Love at Badd Blood: In Your House but was a no-show for the event as bell time approached.
Jim Cornette was tasked with finding Pillman’s whereabouts and called the hotel that he was staying at, and the receptionist informed him that the maids had found him dead in his room earlier that day.
Pillman Jr. seems set on following in his father’s footsteps and one day making it to the WWE, as he explained in an interview with Wrestle:List:
“I will tell you right now that I think the company that will benefit the most from me becoming a wrestler would be the federation [WWE], just because they have the trademarks, they have the name and they have the merchandising of my father,” Pillman Jr. said. “So I think it would be wise for me to go there. Obviously at the end of the day we want to make a good living for ourselves and we want to make it as big as we can.
“I think it might be smart for me to perform on the indies for while to get experience in the event that I might not make it, that way I’d still make a living for myself. I will say that making it to the big leagues, making it to WWE would be a dream come true. It would be the ultimate goal to follow in my father’s footsteps. One guy I look to, to compare what my possibilities would be is Cody Rhodes. Obviously he had the father and the whole legacy going for him and he went to the WWE and it wasn’t a good fit for him. He didn’t want to go with their plans and he had bigger plans for himself. Just seeing him thrive and doing so well on the independent scene has given me more options.”
Chris Jericho recently did an interview with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) to talk about his upcoming match with Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 next weekend. Here are the highlights:
The connection he feels to Kenny Omega and Japan:
“I’ve never wrestled Kenny Omega before. I understand how great Kenny Omega is – everybody’s talking about Kenny Omega and that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to have this match. Because the timing for this match is perfect. It probably couldn’t have happened last year – it couldn’t have happened last year, it probably won’t happen next year, this is the time for “Alpha vs. Omega.”
“This is the time for Kenny vs. Jericho. And he’s from the same home city as I am; from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – and to me, there’s a special connection there. He basically grew up in Japan, so did I, this is my 52nd tour of Japan in January. I think – we’re not just typical foreigners, we’re not just typical guys – we’re almost honorary Japanese.
His style compared to Omega’s:
“Well, once again, Kenny Omega has a great style – very good New Japan style, but I have New Japan style, I have WAR style, I have Mexico style, I have European style, I have ECW style, I have Smokey Mountain Wrestling style, I have WCW style, and more importantly, I have WWE style. Six-time World Heavyweight Champion. Kenny has never been even close to that. It’s a completely different world. Kenny Omega is a planet, Chris Jericho is the whole universe. I’m the Alpha. Alpha vs. Omega, it’s not just a catchphrase, it’s the truth.
“And it’s typical for someone like Kenny to think “Jericho can’t handle my style,” because he’s been so big here in New Japan. But he’s big with Okada, and Naito, and that’s great. Those four guys, five guys, six guys. I’ve been great against 50 guys! Against 100. Hall Of Famers. Some of the greatest of all time. Kenny Omega can’t even lace my boots up when it comes to that kind of respect, that kind of experience, that kind of knowledge that I have.”
Wanting to end Omega’s NJPW career:
“You don’t see blood on a New Japan ring, you don’t see blood in a WWE ring – the business has changed, it’s not about that anymore. Which I think is what made it so much more shocking when I hit Kenny over the head with the United States Championship and cut him open, bleeding everywhere- I liked it. It made me happy. It gave me energy. Made me feel alive. And it also change the entire concept of what this match is gonna be for me. At first, I thought, “Well, sure, if Kenny can have a seven star match I can have an eight star match, nine star match, the first-ever ten star match: “Alpha vs. Omega.”” Make Okada vs. Omega look like an opening match between a couple of young lions.
“But then, after Fukuoka, and then after the press conference in Tokyo the next day – it’s so violent, and intense, and vicious. This is gonna be a match like you’re not gonna see in New Japan again. It’s gonna be like a match – it’s gonna be a different type of match than any type of match at the Tokyo Dome. End of the match at Wrestle Kingdom 12. And once again, I like that, because to me it’s gonna stand out. You’re going to see the last match of Kenny Omega’s New Japan career happen at Wrestle Kingdom 12, because of me.
“Can you imagine all the New Japan Pro Wrestling fans? The women, crying. The little kids, crying. The longtime 20-year fans, crying when their hero, Kenny Omega’s career is over. Can you imagine how that’s going to make me feel? I’m gonna feel like the fu*king king of the world. Because I am. The best in the world. The greatest of all time. The Alpha. that’s who Chris Jericho is. And all the New Japan people, all the New Japan fans, and any wrestler in the New Japan locker room is going to learn a lesson. And it’s going to be a sad day for Kenny Omega and all of his fans at Wrestle Kingdom 12. I guarantee it.”
– Last week Matt Hardy was using Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata at a live event to make his entrance for his match with Bray Wyatt. Fans believed that this would be Hardy’s new theme song for his “Woken” character on WWE TV. Plans may have changed, however, as Hardy went back to using the Hardy Boyz them at Friday’s live event in Albany. Check it out:
– We’ve noted that WWE has been teasing a Tye Dillinger heel turn soon as he has been working live events as a heel against Kalisto. At a recent live event in Hershey Dillinger was telling fans that they can’t chant “10” because none of them are perfect 10’s except himself.
NWA Champ Nick Aldis recently appeared on the Arm Drag Takedown with Pollo Del Mar to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Aldis discussed big spots being used too much in wrestling today, reusing an older style of promotion in professional wrestling (similar to what the UFC is doing today) to get fans interested, and more. Here are the highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kzvvrepGiA
Big spots being used too much in wrestling today:
“[Wrestling] got hoodwinked into thinking the most important thing in our business was the match in the ring. I got into this to tell stories and to get people invested into characters and emotion. I wanted to be an entertainer! I wanted to be able to indulge in all the things pro wrestling provides which ‘real sports’ don’t.”
Reusing an older promotion model in pro wrestling (similar to what the UFC does today) to get fans interested:
“Essentially, if you changed the final outcome of the UFC builds with an NWA World Championship match from the 1980s, the whole lot of it leading up to that is very much the same. The reality was, if you wanted to see these two guys go at it, without interference or in the full match, you either had to buy a ticket or you had to tune into this pay-per-view or this special. That’s essentially what UFC’s model is. They put out [UFC Embedded], they put out smaller cards on free TV, but everything else they put out is press conferences, interviews, profile pieces, all of which is leading to the fight. The fight is the attraction.”
Taking the “unknown champion” (then-NWA Champion, Tim Storm) from a less popular promotion and turning it into an angle:
“Dave [Lagana] and Billy [Corgan], as the Managing Editor and Executive Producer, took that story and instead of [pretending] certain elements [that] some people might look at as ‘negative’ didn’t exist, they, in fact, embraced that and made it a compelling part of the story. In fact, that’s the part people have been most interested in. … You can find the elements of people’s real lives and make them into a compelling story, if you know how to do it right.”
Listen to Aldis’ interview on The Arm Dram Takedown by clicking this link here.
You can check out the full highlights from Aldis’ appearance on the Arm Drag Takedown podcast via The Huffington Post here.
On last week’s episode of SmackDown Live Kevin Owens picked up a win over WWE Champion AJ Styles after a distraction from Sami Zayn. As a result, WWE has announced that AJ Styles will be taking on Sami Zayn on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live – the first of 2018:
Styles vs. Zayn becomes the third confirmed match for Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live. Also on deck is a SmackDown Live Tag Team Title match between The Usos vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin, as well as a first round United States Title Tournament match between Xavier Woods and Aiden English.
On the latest episode of Neal Pruitt’s Secrets of WCW Nitro podcast, Pruitt welcomed the director of ESPN’s “30 for 30” on two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair, Rory Karpf. Karpf discussed Ric’s relationship with David Flair, ESPN’s reaction to the original version of the documentary, Shawn Michaels’ reaction to a quote from Flair in the film, and Flair’s relationship with Hulk Hogan. Here are the highlights:
Ric’s relationship with David Flair:
“I think it’s probably a strained relationship. Things change every time I talk to Ric [about it]. I don’t think they have very much in common, but I know Ric loves his son. I know [David] came to the hospital to see [Ric], so that was pretty big…but I think Ric is definitely closer to Megan and Ashley for sure.”
ESPN’s reaction to the first version of the film:
“We did three completely different rough cuts…the first one was a very linear progression of Ric’s story. [For] cut two, we really made the film all about 1980’s wrestling, so much so that some other people were featured as well. It was really about 1980s culture and kind of the boom of ’80s wrestling. ESPN hated that cut. They thought it was terrible.”
Shawn Michaels’ reaction to a Flair quote in the documentary:
“I said to [Shawn], ‘Ric said he wants to be remembered as the greatest wrestler’. Shawn just kind of nodded his head and he goes, ‘that’s really somethin’, huh?’ [Shawn] started talking about the wrestling business, and he said that ‘wrestling is really a business…it doesn’t love you back, nor should it’. I thought he had a lot of insight [in that way]. I don’t think this part made the film…but he said ‘y’know, wrestling, it’s a pretty silly thing’. He said he loves it, and it’s fun, but he can’t imagine it taking precedence over [his] family. He said [that] seems ridiculous to him.”
Flair’s relationship with Hulk Hogan:
“Those two have really become pretty good friends over the last couple of years. Ric said he wasn’t surprised to hear [Hulk] put him over like that [in the movie]. From what I understand, they had maybe a little bit of a strained relationship going back to WCW, but then Hogan brought him to TNA, Hogan loaned him some money, they went on a tour together. In fact… when Ric was in hospital, from what I was told, Hogan visited him twice – and was the first person to visit him – whereas a lot of wrestlers you might think [would] visit him didn’t even reach out.
“[Hogan] sent me a really nice email that I thought was really kind. Mainly again – even in the email – Hogan put over Ric. I’m hoping that Hogan will get to come back into wrestling, because that’s where he belongs, and I think that’s his number one love as well as [Flair].”
You can listen to Karpf’s interview on Secrets of WCW Nitro by clicking this link here.
– Sasha Banks’ hair ended up for sale on Ebay after a fan purchased a Conor’s Cure shirt she wore and found two strands of purple hair on it. The fan said that after discovering the hairs he decided to put them up for sale on Ebay and ended up getting $39.99. Here’s the description of the item and the posting can be found at this link:
“*This auction is for the Sasha Banks 2 hair strands only, does not include signed tshirt these hair pieces were found enbedded in.
“This auction includes two stands of purple hair from WWE superstar Sasha Banks. I found these strands weaved into the connors cure tshirt I purchased on WWE auction. I pulled them out and placed in a bag. These are from the 9/18/17 Raw episode when Sasha comes out to block Alexa Bliss from leaving the match against Nia Jacks.
“This auction is for the hair strands only, not the signed ring worn tshirt.
“I promise all pieces were pulled from shirt after inspection upon opening. I assure the strands belonged to Sasha Banks on raw 9/18 when she worn this shirt which can be proven by watching or viewing the authenticity of the ring worn tshirt by WWE.
“Any questions feel free to ask. ”
– Big E posted a video of himself and his fellow New Day members trying to recruit “Ms. Money In The Bank” Carmella for the Mixed Match Challenge. The trio ordered a referee over to Carmella to deliver some pancakes that read “Will you be our partner?” Carmella was flattered by the gesture but noted that it’s up to the WWE Universe to vote on the teams for the tournament:
Like every year, there were a ton of interesting stories in regards to professional wrestling in 2017. Here are the 15 biggest stories of the year:
NJPW Entered The United States Market
NJPW made headway into the United States market in 2017. Earlier this year, NJPW launched an English YouTube channel.
NJPW will continue to grow in the US with Superstars like Chris Jericho joining the promotion to battle Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4th.
On July 1st and 2nd, NJPW held it’s G1 Special in Long Beach, CA. It was announced in November that NJPW will be returning to Long Beach for Strong Style Evolved on March 25, 2018.
NJPW’s President Takaaki Kidani stated that NJPW will have an office and dojo in Los Angeles soon and hope to start touring the US. NJPW made several strides in 2017 to gain popularity in the United States and will look to become even more popular in 2018.
The Shield Returned To Dominance
The Shield (Photo Credit: WWE.com)
It started with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins on RAW. Rollins attempted to get Dean Ambrose to trust him again for weeks, but Ambrose couldn’t let go of the past. It was hard to blame him, it was Rollins who ended The Shield when he attacked Reigns and Ambrose with a chair from behind three years prior. Rollins then aligned himself with The Authority and went on to become WWE Champion.
On the August 14th edition of RAW, Ambrose and Rollins were finally able to put their differences aside and bump fists in the ring. The crowd erupted as the duo was together once again.
However, there was still one member missing. Roman Reigns didn’t officially reunited with the group until the October 9th edition of RAW. The Shield rushed The Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro and Curtis Axel during a Miz TV segment. The Shield beatdown everyone in sight and posed in the ring. Rollins and Ambrose would go on to become the RAW Tag Team Champions and Roman Reigns captured his first Intercontinental Championship.
The reunion was short-lived, as Dean Ambrose suffered an injury and will be on the sideline for 9 months. While it didn’t last long, The Shield reunion got one of the biggest pops from the WWE Universe all year. I’m sure we will see Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose together again in the years to come.
Kevin Owens Battled The McMahons
Owens joined SmackDown during WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up. The former Universal Champion didn’t seem to think SmackDown was the land of opportunity that Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan claimed it was. Owens crossed the line on the September 5th episode of SmackDown and started insulting the McMahon family. Shane McMahon finally lost it and attacked Owens.
The following week, Owens threatened to sue WWE and this led to Vince McMahon confronting Owens in the ring. Vince stated that Owens will face Shane McMahon inside Hell in a Cell. Owens accepted the match but then did the unthinkable and attacked the 72-year-old WWE Chairman.
SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon went on to face Kevin Owens at WWE Hell in a Cell on October 8, 2017. Owens emerged victorious thanks to interference from Sami Zayn. Sami pulled Owens off of the announce table as Shane McMahon was trying to hit an Elbow Drop from off the top of the structure. Shane crashed through the table and Zayn rolled Owens on top of him for the pinfall victory.
Shane still hasn’t gotten over this and has spent the last few months of 2017 trying to get Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn out of WWE. Zayn and Owens have overcome every obstacle that Shane has put in their way so far. At WWE Clash of Champions 2017, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan were special referees for a match between Owens & Zayn versus Nakamura & Orton. If Owens and Zayn lost, they would have been fired from all of WWE. Shane refused to count to three when Sami Zayn had the match won, which led to Daniel Bryan delivering a fast count to ensure Owens and Zayn got the victory.
Owens’ attack on Vince McMahon and the events at Hell in a Cell have caused Shane McMahon to become obsessed with making Zayn and Owens’ life a living hell. Unfortunately for Shane, his actions continue to backfire and he now has issues with SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan. The storyline is still evolving, as Shane inadvertently cost WWE Champion AJ Styles a match against Owens on this past week’s episode of SmackDown. The rivalry between Owens and McMahon is poised to continue in 2018.
John Cena Passed The Torch To Roman Reigns
John Cena on RAW Talk following his loss to Roman Reigns at WWE No Mercy 2017
John Cena made his RAW return with one goal in mind, face off against Roman Reigns. Cena and Reigns spent a few weeks hurling insults at each other during promos on RAW. Cena didn’t think Reigns was anything special and set out to prove it at WWE No Mercy 2017.
Roman Reigns faced John Cena in the Staples Center in Los Angeles on September 24th. It was billed as a dream match and Reigns prevailed in the end. After the PPV went off the air, Cena was a guest on RAW Talk with Jerry “The King” Lawler and Renee Young. Cena praised Reigns and claimed that WWE’s future was in good hands with Roman at the top. Cena added that he felt like a burden had been lifted off of his shoulders after his loss to Reigns.
Since his loss to Reigns, Cena has appeared less and less on WWE television. He is pursuing opportunities outside of WWE, but returned to WWE once again on this past week’s episode of RAW. Reigns has remained the top guy in WWE and will most likely be in the Universal Championship picture heading into WrestleMania 34 next year.
The Hardys Returned To WWE & Matt Hardy Became Woken
Matt and Jeff Hardy made their long-awaited return to WWE at WrestleMania 33. It was originally scheduled to be a Triple Threat Ladder match between Enzo & Cass, Gallows & Anderson and Sheamus & Cesaro for the RAW Tag Team Championships. WrestleMania 33 hosts New Day then came down to the entrance ramp and announced that the match had become a Fatal 4-Way. Matt and Jeff then came down to the ring and wound up becoming the new RAW Tag Team Champions.
Jeff Hardy went down with an injury and Matt Hardy spent some time losing on RAW every week. Matt finally snapped and became “Woken”. Fans have been waiting to see Matt Hardy bring his Broken Universe to WWE and it finally happened. Everyone was unsure if Hardy would ever be able to bring the “Broken” character to WWE due to a bitter dispute with Impact Wrestling.
Matt is now in a feud with Bray Wyatt that is being referred to as the Great War. Hardy has promised to delete Bray Wyatt and the two have had a series of video promos together over the past few weeks. On this past week’s episode of RAW, Hardy attacked Wyatt from behind and then psychotically laughed.
Adam Cole Joined WWE
Three time ROH World Champion and longest reigning PWG Champion Adam Cole made his WWE debut in 2017. Cole was one of the most popular independent wrestling stars out there and was rumored to be coming to NXT for months. Cole finally made his debut at NXT TakeOver: Brookyln III, when he Superkicked newly crowned NXT Champion Drew McIntyre. Cole was joined by Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly in the ring as he posed with the NXT Championship.
Cole, Fish and O’Reilly would then form the Undisputed Era in NXT. The trio has claimed that they were going to take over NXT and they have started to back it up. Undisputed Era won the WarGames match and now Fish & O’Reilly are NXT Tag Team Champions. Cole is now becoming a star in NXT and will look to do the same when he eventually joins WWE’s main roster.
“I would want to [start in NXT] because, first of all, I’m a fan of NXT. I think the brand is cool. I think the TakeOver shows are awesome. I think the fans are great. I love the roster of guys. I think it’s something that’s going to be looked at as a very special time in pro wrestling, so I want to be a part of it. Secondly, of course in a perfect world if I went to NXT, I wouldn’t want to be there forever; but I like the idea of going there and performing there and getting accustomed to the WWE audience and them getting accustomed to me and then eventually making the move to Raw or SmackDown. I think it’d be a lot of fun, and I think I would really enjoy working in front of that audience.”
In a little over four months, Cole has already connected with the NXT audience. He is now in a feud with another rising star in Aleister Black. Cole has already made an impact in WWE in 2017, but his future in WWE is even brighter.
Goldberg Won The Universal Championship
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Goldberg made his return to WWE on October 17th, 2016. He accepted a challenge to face Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016. The WCW legend went on to absolutely dominate Lesnar at the PPV, connecting with two Spears and finishing him off with a massive Jackhammer.
The rivalry spilled into 2017 when Brock Lesnar and Goldberg met again in the Royal Rumble match. Goldberg once again got the best of Lesnar and eliminated him. Goldberg was then eliminated by The Undertaker, but that didn’t stop him from being in one of the marquee matches of WrestleMania 33.
On March 5th, Goldberg got a shot at the Universal Championship when he faced Kevin Owens at WWE Fastlane 2017. Owens had recently betrayed Chris Jericho during the Festival of Friendship. Owens brutally attacked Jericho and beat him senseless. Jericho returned just as the Universal Championship match started and Kevin Owens became distracted. Goldberg quickly connected with a Spear and became the Universal Champion.
At WrestleMania 33, Goldberg defended his Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar. The result was different this time, as Brock Lesnar withstood Goldberg’s early attack and defeated him with an F-5. Still, Goldberg showed that he could still go in the ring after being away from WWE for 12 years. More importantly, Goldberg got to perform in front of his son on the biggest stage wrestling has to offer.
Asuaka, Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe & Shinsuke Nakamura Joined The Main Roster
Roode, Joe and Nakamura all made a name for themselves outside of the WWE before arriving in NXT. In 2017, all three joined WWE’s main roster and made an impact. Samoa Joe joined RAW and originally debuted as Triple H’s henchman on the January 30th episode of RAW. He attacked Seth Rollins, which led to Rollins missing time due to a knee injury.
It didn’t take long before Samoa Joe established himself as one of the most talented performers on RAW’s roster. He is a force on Monday nights and is making Roman Reigns’ life a living hell right now. Joe’s biggest match so far on the main roster was his Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar at WWE Great Balls of Fire. Joe came up short but was able to prove he belongs in the main event scene in WWE.
Bobby Roode arrived on SmackDown during the August 22nd episode. Roode got a great reaction from the crowd and easily defeated Aiden English. Roode’s time on the main roster has been up and down so far. He was terrific in NXT as heel and many feel that Roode would connect more with the audience on the main roster as that character. Having said that, Roode recently advanced past the first round of the United States Championship tournament and has been featured on SmackDown’s midcard on a weekly basis.
Shinsuke Nakamura debuted on SmackDown on April 4th. His run on the main roster has been a roller coaster so far. WWE seemingly was unsure of what to do with Nakamura when he first arrived. They implemented random explosion sounds during his entrance and constantly referred to him as “the artist known as Shinsuke Nakamura”.
Shinsuke picked up a massive victory against John Cena to earn a shot at the WWE Championship. Nakamura failed to defeat Jinder Mahal twice and was unable to capture the title.
Shinsuke Nakamura’s talent is undeniable and hopefully gets to showcase it even more in 2018. Nakamura was incredibly popular in NJPW but decided that he wanted to better his career in WWE. After a great stint in NXT, Nakamura’s main roster run has been hot and cold so far. The best moment so far was the stare down Nakamura had with AJ Styles at WWE Money In The Bank 2017. WWE hinted that there might be great things to come for Nakamura and hopefully that comes to fruition in 2018.
Asuka went undefeated on NXT and also broke Goldberg’s record after accumulating 174 wins without a loss. At NXT TakeOver: Brookyln III, Asuka defended her NXT Women’s Championship against Ember Moon. Asuka was once again victorious, but suffered a collarbone injury during the match. Asuka relinquished her NXT Women’s Championship and then joined the RAW roster after healing from her injury. She made her debut at WWE TLC 2017 and defeated former WWE Superstar Emma. Asuka remains undefeated and will surely be a huge part of the RAW women’s division moving forward.
Jinder Mahal Was WWE Champion For 170 Days
Jinder Mahal is your new WWE ChampionThe former 3MB member won a Six-Pack Challenge on the April 18th edition of WWE SmackDown to become the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. Mahal went on to defeat Randy Orton at WWE Backlash 2017 to become the new WWE Champion. Two nights later, Mahal held a Punjabi celebration on SmackDown.
Jinder Mahal relied on help from the Singh Brothers throughout his reign to hold onto the titles. Samir and Sunil Singh were constantly causing chaos during his matches to ensure that the Modern Day Maharaja would remain WWE Champion. At WWE Battleground 2017, Randy Orton faced Jinder Mahal in a Punjabi Prison match. Orton successfully disposed of the Singh Brothers during the match, but a giant made his WWE return to help out Mahal.
Mahal continued to escape with the WWE Championship over the next several months. Baron Corbin attempted to cash in his MITB contract but became distracted by John Cena. Mahal capitalized and rolled Corbin up to remain WWE Champion. Mahal then defeated Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE SummerSlam 2017 and WWE Hell in a Cell 2017. AJ Styles finally dethroned Mahal at during the November 7th episode of SmackDown. Mahal had a shot to recapture the title at Clash of Champions earlier this month but once again came up short.
Mahal advanced in the United States Championship tournament on this past week’s episode of SmackDown. Time will tell if Mahal finds himself back in the WWE Championship picture, but his unbelievable rise to the top of WWE was certainly one of the biggest stories of 2017.
Kurt Angle Returned To WWE
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Kurt Angle was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania 33 weekend. On the RAW after WrestleMania, Vince McMahon announced that Kurt Angle was the new RAW GM.
Kurt Angle made it known that he wanted to have another match in WWE, but it came out of nowhere. Several WWE Superstars became ill and one of them was Roman Reigns. Roman was scheduled to team with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins versus The Miz, Braun Strowman, Kane, Cesaro and Sheamus. Reigns was unable to compete and Kurt Angle replaced him at the last moment. Angle dressed in full Shield attire for the match.
Angle went on to wrestle again at WWE Survivor Series 2017 for Team RAW. Triple H Pedigreed Angle during the match even though they were on the same team. Triple H also Pedigreed Angle’s son storyline son, Jason Jordan, on an episode of RAW leading up to the Survivor Series PPV. It has been rumored for some time that Triple H will face Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 34 next year. We will see if that winds up being the case when WrestleMania season rolls around. As for 2017, Angle was a part of some major storylines in WWE, returned to the ring and took his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Paige Returned To WWE
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Paige underwent neck surgery in October of 2016. In a year full of incidents and scandals, many were concerned that Paige would never find her way back to WWE. Fortunately she did and Paige returned to WWE RAW on November 20th. Paige returned alongside NXT call-ups Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. The trio is now known as Absolution and has caused chaos throughout RAW’s women’s division in recent weeks.
WWE announced that there will be the first ever women’s Royal Rumble match on January 28, 2018. Absolution will certainly be a big part of that and it would be tremendous story if Paige emerged victorious after all she had been through in 2017. Paige also had an injury scare at a WWE live event recently but it fortunately wasn’t serious. Absolution has become a force on RAW and Paige is poised to become a champion once again in 2018.
Roman Reigns Retired The Undertaker
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Roman Reigns eliminated The Undertaker during last year’s Royal Rumble match and that pissed The Undertaker off. Roman Reigns was determined to prove that WWE was his yard now and at WrestleMania 33, Reigns did just that. Reigns defeated The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 and The Undertaker left his hat, gloves and jacket in the ring after the match. The Undertaker raised his fist in the air on the entrance ramp and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.
The following night on RAW was one of the most fascinating promos you will ever see. Roman Reigns took several minutes to utter five words as the crowd refused to let him speak. Finally, Reigns stated “this is my yard now” and walked away.
Time will tell if The Undertaker is officially retired or not. WrestleMania season is just around the corner and I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if The Undertaker shows up again. Reigns handed The Undertaker only his second WrestleMania loss of his historic career and has continued to be at the top of WWE ever since.
Ric Flair Defied The Odds
Photo Credit: WWE.comRic Flair spent 10 days in a medically induced coma after complications from emergency bowel surgery and was given just a 20% percent chance to live. His fiancee, Wendy Barlow, slept at the hospital every night as Flair made his miraculous recovery.
Ric Flair posted the following video in September while wearing a “i ain’t dead yet mother f***ers” t-shirt:
Charlotte Flair captured the SmackDown Women’s Championship after defeating Natalya on the November 14th edition of WWE SmackDown. After the match, Charlotte was surprised by her father on the entrance ramp. Ric and Charlotte shared a hug and celebrated her championship victory.
AJ Styles Became One Of WWE’s Biggest Stars
AJ Styles made his WWE debut at last year’s Royal Rumble. It was rumored for a long time and it finally happened. The Phenomenal One arrived in WWE.
The WWE Universe voted AJ Styles the breakout star of 2016 and deservingly so. His 2017 may have been even better than last year and AJ continued to prove why he is one of, if not the best wrestler on the planet.
AJ Styles started off 2017 with an instant classic with John Cena at the Royal Rumble PPV. He then went on to have one of the matches of the night at WrestleMania 33 with Shane McMahon. Styles had a series of great matches with Kevin Owens as they feuded over the United States Championship.
At WWE No Mercy 2017, Styles wrestled Finn Balor. It was originally supposed to be Balor versus Wyatt, but Bray was ill and Styles served as a last minute replacement. The crowd was on the edge of their seat for the entire match and Balor picked up the victory. AJ Styles went on to have another excellent match at Survivor Series 2017 when he lost to Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. AJ is now once again WWE Champion after defeating Jinder Mahal on the November 7th edition of SmackDown. Styles once again defeated Mahal at Clash of Champions to retain his title.
AJ Styles introduced himself to the WWE Universe in 2016. In 2017, AJ Styles has become one of the faces of WWE. His work in the ring is impeccable and fans know they are in for something special whenever he is on the card. It took far too long for Styles to make it to WWE. In the short period of time he has been there, Styles has become one of the biggest stars in WWE.
Bobby Heenan Passed Away
RIP Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
Bobby Heenan passed away on September 17th. He was one of wrestling’s most iconic performers and personalities.
Heenan joined WWF in 1984 and instantly became one of the more entertaining personalities in the comany. His work on Primetime Wrestling with Gorilla Monsoon was excellent.
During his career, Heenan managed Superstars including Andre The Giant, Nick Bockwinkel, “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, King Kong Bundy, Big John Studd, Harley Race, Jesse Ventura the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) and more.
Heenan joined WCW in 1994 and can be heard on commentary during WCW’s most memorable moments. In 2004, Heenan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Bobby Heenan is the reason that countless people are wrestling fans. He was always entertaining and is regarded as the best manager of all-time.
The news of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's passing today gutted me.
Tonight’s WWE live event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada abruptly ended after Samoa Joe bled profusely during the main event match against Intercontinental Champion Roman Reigns.
After getting busted open above his eye, Joe continued brawling at ringside as he threw Reigns into the barricade. WWE personnel then began checking on Joe and despite him telling them that he was OK to continue, the referee decided to call off the match seconds later, ending the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpE930eTzCE
They will battle again this Monday on Raw as Reigns defends the Intercontinental Championship against Joe. Raw General Manager Kurt Angle made the announcement on Twitter on Friday, with an added stipulation being that Reigns will lose the title if he gets disqualified.
Angle wrote, “On the first #Raw of 2018 @WWERomanReigns will defend his #ICTitle against @SamoaJoe; if Roman is DQ’ed, he’ll lose the match AND his title.”
After Sid Vicious no-showed last night’s Absolute Intense Wrestling event in Cleveland, Ohio, the independent promotion tried to make things up to fans in attendance by having Impact Wrestling’s Ethan Carter III (EC3) dress up as the former WWE and WCW star.
Appearing under the name “EC Justice,” he took on Gregory Iron in a comedy match. Iron himself came out dressed as Sid and wrestled as “Greg Justice.”
AIW advertised Vicious to wrestle on the show, but he didn’t board his scheduled flight according to a post on the promotion’s Facebook page. After multiple phone calls to Vicious went unanswered, the promotion reached him through former WWE star Hornswoggle’s number. Vicious claimed Donald Trump’s travel ban prevented him from flying to Cleveland due to an unpaid speeding ticket and that he didn’t have his passport with him (even though he was traveling within the United States and is a United States citizen).
AIW explained, “Sid claimed Donald Trump’s travel ban prevented him from boarding his flight to Cleveland this morning because of an unpaid speeding ticket and he claimed this is new government policy since he didn’t have his passport even though he was traveling within the United States and is a United States Citizen. We recorded his cancelation call just so there is proof of all this and we we will do our best to play the audio tonight or on a future episode of our podcast.
“We apologize to all of the fans who were excited to meet Sid tonight and unfortunately this is something 100% out of our control. We invested quite a bit of money in this appearance and we have now lost out on close to $1,000 we will never get back on airline tickets, hotels, and merchandise we had made for Sid.”
– On the latest edition of “Fan Questions With The Nature Boy,” Ric Flair addressed his relationship with girlfriend Wendy Barlow (aka Fifi the Maid in WCW) and whether wedding bells are in their future
“Oh, most certainly, yeah,” said Flair, who’s been married four times. “It’s just a question of, you know. her children are in school … it’s a long story.”
Flair married his first wife, Leslie Goodman, on August 28, 1971. They had two children, daughter Megan and son David, before divorcing in 1983 after twelve years of marriage. On August 27, 1983, he married his second wife, Elizabeth Harrell. They had two children, daughter Ashley and son Reid. Flair and Beth divorced in 2006 after nearly 23 years of marriage. On May 27, 2006, Flair married his third wife Tiffany VanDemark, a fitness competitor. In 2008, Tiffany filed for divorce from Flair, which was finalized in 2009. On November 11, 2009, Flair married his fourth wife, Jacqueline Beems, in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2012, Flair filed for divorce from Beems, which was finalized in 2014. Flair began dating Barlow in 2012 and they got engaged last year.
Flair also reveals that he cried when the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors in this year’s NBA Finals and that it contributed to his health issues in August.
– Goldust is clamoring to team with Asuka in WWE Mixed Match Challenge, airing exclusively on Facebook Watch beginning Tuesday, January 16, at 10 ET/7 PT. In this video from backstage at today’s WWE live event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Goldust says they should team since he competed in a Mixed Tag Team Match before, with Luna Vachon at WrestleMania 14 (against Marc Mero and Sable). However, “The Empress of Tomorrow” says he’s not ready for Asuka.
