UK based promotion IPW:UK recently made a blockbuster announcement for their December 17th show in Rochester, England. Former WWE 205 Live Superstar Austin Aries will be making his way back to Great Britain for the company at their ‘Undisputed’ event and now IPW have another ace up their sleeve.
Former PROGRESS World Champion Jimmy Havoc will be taking on former TNA Champion Abyss in a Monster’s Ball match. If you know Havoc’s history then you know exactly what he is capable of in a no holds barred environment. Conversely if you know ‘The Monster’ Abyss then you also know exactly what to expect on December 17th!
Tickets are still available to purchase via the IPW:UK site.
WWE announced via a press release yesterday that Elias will be facing Titus Worldwide’s Apollo Crews at the pre-show of the upcoming No Mercy PPV this Sunday.
This is a surprising match to be added to the PPV as these two Raw stars have not even shared screen in recent times, let alone them being involved in a feud.
Though now it’d be interesting to see if this match turns out to be start of a new rivalry between these two former NXT Stars. The statement released by WWE can be seen below:
“The Walking with Elias World Tour will continue at WWE No Mercy Kickoff when Elias goes one-on-one against Titus Worldwide’s Apollo Crews.
In addition to displaying impressive ring ability, Elias has been quite busy bringing his unique brand of concert to the WWE Universe, and Raw’s resident guitarist will likely have some choice words for the STAPLES Center crowd.
There is no doubt that O’Neil will come to Los Angeles looking to attract the Hollywood elite, but can Crews, the powerhouse of Titus Worldwide, silence the sinister songsmith?
Find out at WWE No Mercy Kickoff, streaming live on WWE Network tomorrow, beginning at 7 ET/4 PT! It can also be seen on a free stream on WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest.”
Lucha Forever has announced that Pete Dunne will be taking part in a dream match on October 5th…
The WWE UK Champion will be facing Naomichi Marufuji in a genuine ‘once in a lifetime bout,’ this clash will be the first ever between the ‘Brusierweight’ and the Pro Wrestling NOAH icon Marufuji.
Also announced for this mega card is a 6-man tag bout featuring company owner Will Ospreay, Zack Sabre Jr and Marty Scurll against Travis Banks, Chris Brookes and Jimmy Havoc.
This card is not one to miss and it will be available on the Lucha Forever On Demand service soon after October 5th.
One of the latest WWE Signees Shelton Benjamin recently joined Edge and Christian for their E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the episode featuring the former US Champion:
Talking about being released from the company back in 2010, Shelton said that he felt like he needed it since he hadn’t achieved his ultimate goal, winning the WWE Championship:
“When the release came, honestly, I felt like I needed it. I had been there for 10 years and I said, ‘I had a lot of great moments, but I’ve never really accomplished what I wanted to, obviously, being WWE champ and there’s a whole list of things that every Superstar should aspire to be being the champ, being the WWE Champion is one of them. If you’re not there to be champ, then quit the [pro wrestling] business.”
Revealing his initial reaction to Shinsuke Nakamura when he first started working for NJPW, Benjamin said that he couldn’t figure him out at the start because everybody was treated equally in the NJPW locker room opposed to WWE:
“I just thought he was a Japanese guy who does a lot of Michael Jackson stuff. Like, ‘what’s going on with this guy?’ I couldn’t figure him out. And then, you see him perform and you figure out real fast who the top guys are because of the fan reaction. But, in the locker room, I couldn’t tell. The way that they treat each other was so much different in the locker room, as far as if you walk into a WWE locker room, you can kind of feel where people are on the card, just kind of based on how people around them are reacting. [In NJPW locker room] I couldn’t pick up on any egos or any hierarchy.”
Apart from this Shelton Benjamin also talked about how he didn’t know about NJPW when he first started with WWE and more.
We are just 2 days away from the No Mercy PPV and it’s possible you may have chosen your favorite to win the match between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman. However, it appears that the company is yet to decide the winner of this bout.
During the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez talked about one of the two main events for the show and revealed that there is something odd about it.
According to the Wrestling Journalist currently there are two times listed for the Universal title bout in the run sheet for the event, which indicates that Officials haven’t decided the outcome of the match yet:
“Basically, there are two times listed for the main event. That doesn’t mean they’re gonna mean they’re gonna do a finish and have another match. Basically, Vince hasn’t decided what to do yet or he has decided but he doesn’t want anyone to know.”
Continuing on the topic he said that it likely means that Mr. McMahon will decide the outcome of the title match on the day of the event itself:
“And so I think that he’s gonna make his decision late in the day on Sunday. So I guess maybe don’t put any money on that match if you think you know what the finish is because I think that’s gonna be one of those top-secret finishes style matches.”
While many believe that it’s too early for Braun Strowman to hold the Universal Championship, the way WWE has built him in the past few months; it shouldn’t be a surprise if he ends up defeating Lesnar at the PPV.
Though what actually happens and who walks out as the champion after No Mercy will only be revealed this Sunday. You can check out our prediction for the PPV here.
Charlotte Flair was recently interviewed by the New York Post and discussed Ronda Rousey and Cyborg potentially working in WWE. Ronda Rousey, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn had a confrontation with Charlotte, Bayley and Becky Lynch backstage during the Mae Young Classic tournament. Rousey was interviewed about fellow Four Horsewoman Shayna Baszler being in the tournament.
In her interview with New York Post, Charlotte stated that it is great that Rousey and Cyborg want to be a part of WWE because it is drawing more attention to the women’s division as a whole. Here is what Charlotte said about Cyborg and Rousey wanting to come to WWE:
“I think it is great because whether Ronda or Cyborg want to be a part of the company, it is still drawing more attention to the women’s division as a whole. Anytime outsiders who aren’t necessarily our main audience are interested, ‘Oh, they want to go to WWE. Who do they want to wrestle?’ I just think it is exciting. I just think it puts more eyes on us.”
Charlotte also spoke about the fact that neither Rousey or Cyborg have had enough training yet to be a skilled WWE Superstar. Charlotte referred to the rumored battle between WWE’s Four Horsewomen and UFC’s Four Horsewomen at next month’s Survivor Series PPV as a “gimmick match”.
“I am a little biased in terms of what it takes to be a WWE superstar and performer for the company. I would look at this as a term ‘a gimmick match,’ where I wouldn’t have an expectation, say me versus Nattie [Natalya] at Hell in a Cell. I wouldn’t expect it to be a match like that. They don’t have the training that we have. It’s just different.
I think the only challenge would be people might forget that WWE is a sports entertainment company. I think it would be exciting … but I don’t know if that would even be a challenge. It may even make it more exciting.”
Bleacher Report recently interviewed Sasha Banks prior to her match for the Raw Women’s Championship at No Mercy this Sunday and during the interview, she made some interesting comments about the four Horsewomen of UFC.
Banks was talking about the Mae Young Classic Finals and said that she was disappointed on not being able to support the women who saw the same dream as her by being there. However, continuing on the topic, the former Women’s Champion commented on UFC’s Horsewomen saying that those ‘phoney four Horsewomen’ couldn’t hang in their ring:
“I got to see the picture of our Horsewomen versus the phoney Four Horsewomen. They’re fans of us. That’s why they’re called the Four Horsewomen. Honestly, I do not care. They couldn’t hang in our ring and that’s it.”
When asked about her recent comments on Sam Roberts Podcast where she said that she doesn’t know the plans for her character ahead of time, the Raw star claimed that it’s exciting to come to work sometimes and not knowing what she will have to do:
“It makes it what’s exciting about coming to work sometimes. There’s an excitement to coming to work every week and not knowing what you’re doing and just making the best of it all.”
Apart from this Sasha Banks also talked about her ongoing storyline with Alexa Bliss and more. You can check out her complete interview here.
Today marks 20 years since Bill Goldberg burst onto the national wrestling scene. Goldberg made his television debut on WCW Monday Nitro back on September 22nd, 1997.
To mark the occasion, Goldberg spoke to WWE.com about his football career, what convinced him to try professional wrestling, his experience breaking into the business, whether we’ll ever see him in a WWE ring again and much more. You can check out the full interview over at WWE.com. Here are some highlights:
His first meeting with WCW officials:
GOLDBERG: [Laughs] I met them years ago, you know? I had played at the Falcons and I went to University of Georgia; it was home base in Atlanta. I’m not gonna tell you specifics, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out [laughs], but I ran into them every weekend, no matter what we did. I rubbed shoulders with and befriended them. The Steiner Brothers were also great. I watched from afar, and I kind of studied a bit and was like, “You know what? If I ever did that, I’d do it this way.”
What he remembers about his first few matches:
GOLDBERG: Oh, I was absolutely terrified. The biggest thing with me, and people don’t get it, is that I greatly appreciate the opportunity from the wrestling world to give me a chance because I was not from the wrestling world. I was from elsewhere; I was looked upon as an outsider. Fortunately, I had success in another endeavor and then came over to try and steal some of the glory from you guys. [Laughs] That may not be the case, but it’s hard not to feel like that. And I was resented. I was just there to try and help bring in some money, raise the bar and be part of the team. That’s it, end of story. I never tried to be selfish, I always tried to lead and I always tried to make everybody better. It’s not just about a money grab because I took a lot of pride in it.
If we’ll see him back in a WWE ring:
GOLDBERG: Ask your boss! [Laughs] Hey, man, never say never, dude. Stranger things have happened. I did sit [around] for 13 years and then suddenly appear back in the ring. Let’s just say it ain’t gonna take nearly the effort to get me ready again that it did last time. So, I’ll see you on the rebound for damn sure.
There’s much more to the interview – check it out at WWE.com.
Ring of Honor returns to pay-per-view tonight with Death Before Dishonor live from Las Vegas, Nevada. The show will also be available for streaming on the FITE app.
Here’s the final card for Death Before Dishonor 2017:
ROH World Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Minoru Suzuki, Suzuki’s first match in the United States in 25 years
ROH Tag Team cCampions The Young Bucks vs. The Motor City Machineguns
ROH Television Champion KUSHIDA vs. Kenny King
The Kingdom vs. Bully Ray & The Briscoes.
ROH Six Man Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks & Adam “Hangman” Page vs. the winners of Kingdom vs. Bully Ray & The Briscoes
Las Vegas Street Fight: Jay White vs. Punishment Martinez.
Last Man Standing: Jay Lethal vs, Silas Young.
Marty Scurll vs. Chuck Taylor.
Visit ROHWrestling.com for more information on tonight’s show.
– Emma’s new theme music, “All About Me” by CFO$, is now streaming on Spotify.
– John Cena was Edge & Christian’s guest on the latest episode of the E&C Pod of Awesomeness podcast.
A mere two days prior to No Mercy, John talked with E&C about Roman Reigns, his future in the ring, and what it takes to succeed in the WWE. Also, John reminisced about some of the great matches he had with Edge, spoke on why he hasn’t wrestled the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, and told the story of how he started integrating rap into his promos, which may have kept his wrestling career afloat.
In addition to E&C’s talk with John Cena, they honored Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and talked about Edge’s jetlag, after his flight to Ireland.
– Former WWE Superstar Michelle McCool shared this photo of her and her husband, The Undertaker.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZUUjF8nQ98/
– WWE has announced that 205 Live star Cedrick Alexander will be making special appearances for EVOLVE’s live events this weekend in Chicago and Detroit.
Former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam was recently interviewed by Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to promote his appearance at Booker T’s charity event on Sunday in Hollywood. This show will be for the victims of Hurricane Harvey.
During the interview, Van Dam spoke about a potential return to WWE. The former WWE Champion hasn’t been seen on WWE television since he left the company in 2014. Here is what he had to say:
“I’m looking at 24 matches, all international, booked over the next 12 months. I don’t have any plans to share, but there is always a possibility of a return. I’ve talked to WWE recently, but it’s about the new video games that are coming out. That was more of a business talk about that, but when the business is right, and it’s the right time to go back, that, of course, is then always a possibility.”
A playlist featuring some of Bobby “The Brain” Heenan’s best moments in the AWA and WWE is coming to the WWE Network later today.
Courtesy of WWENetworkNews.com, the following is the full content listing for the Heenan collection:
AWA 08/10/1974 – A Brilliant Name
With an already established career under his belt, Bobby Heenan gives himself a moniker that accurately describes his cunning intelligence.
AWA 01/13/1980 – Battle of the Managers
Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan takes to the ring to go one-on-one with Lord Alfred Hayes in a classic Battle of the Managers.
AWA 08/17/1980 – If the Suit Fits?
Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan goes one-on-one with Greg Gagne in a match where the loser is forced to wear a humiliating weasel suit.
AWA 04/19/1981 – An Incredible Partnership
Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan and Nick Bockwinkel prove to be a perfect match when they take on ‘The Incredible’ Hulk Hogan in a Handicap Match.
Tuesday Night Titans 10/02/1984 – ‘I am Not a Weasel’
In a memorable interview with Vince McMahon, Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan stands firmly against his public perception.
WrestleMania I – The Brain is Always Working
Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan shows everyone what he is after when Big John Studd meets Andre the Giant in a Body Slam Match.
Prime Time Wrestling 02/13/1987 – The Giant Awakens
The world is left in shock when Andre the Giant aligns himself with Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan against Hulk Hogan.
WrestleMania III – Bigger! Better! Badder!
Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan leads Andre the Giant to the ring to challenge Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship.
Prime Time Wrestling 03/21/1988 – The Brain’s Boardwalk Empire
Luck is less than a lady to Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan when he and Gorilla Monsoon enjoy Atlantic City.
WrestleMania IV – Ready for a Dog Fight
Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan and The Islanders take to the ring to battle Koko B. Ware and The British Bulldogs.
Prime Time Wrestling 05/16/1988 – A Weasel Runs Through It
Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan shows off his annoying work ethic by invading Gorilla Monsoon’s leisure time.
WrestleFest 1988 – The Ultimate Humiliation
Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan finds himself at the mercy of The Ultimate Warrior when they meet in a Weasel Suit Match from Wrestlefest ’88.
Prime Time Wrestling 01/30/1989 – Happy Trails
Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan shows how the west was won when Prime Time Wrestling visits a western movie set.
Prime Time Wrestling 01/16/1989 – Mergers and Acquisitions
The Red Rooster’s broken partnership with Bobby Heenan leads to a memorable match between them at WrestleMania V.
Prime Time Wrestling 07/17/1989 – The Bobby Heenan Show
The Brain is given an opportunity to try a solo career when he hosts his very own program, The Bobby Heenan Show.
Royal Rumble 1993 – Introducing The Narcissist
The cunning linguistics of Bobby Heenan are on display when The Brain unveils The Narcissist to the WWE.
Raw 01/11/1993 – Out in the Cold
No matter the circumstances, Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan finds himself left out in the cold when it comes to participating in RAW.
Survivor Series 1993 – Behind the Microphone
Hear the memorable commentary of Bobby Heenan in this battle between Shawn Michaels’ Knights and The Hart Family.
WrestleMania X-Seven – A WrestleMania Homecoming
Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan returns to WWE to call the infamous Gimmick Battle Royal alongside Mean Gene Okerlund.
WWE Hall of Fame 2004 – Where The Brain Belongs
Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan’s legacy is honored with a rightful induction into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2004.
The first season of Southpaw Regional Wrestling is arriving on the WWE Network this coming Monday, according to a scoop by WWENetworkNews.com.
Southpaw is the smash hit comedy series starring WWE’s top superstars about a fiction 1980’s regional wrestling promotion. The show premiered on WWE’s Youtube channel back in March and was an instant classic. Another long-lost tape of footage was uncovered, with season 2 dropping last month and culminating with the epic Showdown at the Swamp.
Earlier this week, WWE sent out a poll gauging fan interest in new WWE Network content, including original comedy series like Southpaw Regional Wrestling and a WWE version of ‘The Office.’
In light of that poll and WWE finally adding Southpaw to the Network, it seems like there’s a good chance we haven’t seen the last of Lance Catamaran and the gang.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted a new blog entry over at his official website where he gives his thoughts on various topics. Here are the highlights:
WWE bringing back Starrcade:
“Love the idea of WWE bringing back the Starrcade theme for a live event coming to Greensboro, N.C. in November. What point did I apparently miss that has actually made this booking somewhat controversial? Broadcasting Starrcade was a personal thrill for me back in the day.”
Bobby Heenan’s passing: “Still shaken over the death of my long time friend, and former broadcast partner, Bobby Heenan, this past Sunday after years of suffering and illness that drastically changed his life and affected many of us in a profound way. Bobby Heenan was simply the best to ever combine the diverse skill sets of wrestling, managing, and broadcasting in the history of the pro wrestling game. Arguably the most talented overall performer in the history of the biz was our beloved ‘Weasel.’ Bobby, please say hello wife Jan when you see her, and tell her that I miss her every minute of the day. You always made she and I laugh and that’s always our best medicine.” Paige preparing for her WWE return: “Happy to see WWE’s Paige back in the Performance Center getting ready to make her return to the ring on the main roster. The talented, young Brit has too much talent to not be fully invested in the WWE, which can feature her skills better than any promotion on the planet. Plus, earn Paige the most cash.”
Ross also talked about ROH Death Before Dishonor and more. You can read the bloghere.
WWE No Mercy airs this Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The card features two matches that many feel are WrestleMania worthy. Roman Reigns will battle John Cena and Brock Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman.
Cruiserweight Championship: Neville (c) vs Enzo Amore
Enzo Amore earned a shot at the Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Cedric Alexander, Tony Nese, Gran Metalik and Brian Kendrick on the September 5th episode of 205 Live. Enzo stole the victory by rolling up Cedric Alexander and grabbing a handful of Alexander’s tights for leverage.
Since Enzo has become #1 contender, he has consistently gotten his ass kicked on RAW in the weeks leading up to Sunday’s PPV. Enzo came down to the entrance ramp to cut a promo about his match with Neville on Monday night. Before he could even get started, Braun Strowman emerged from backstage and proceeded to beat the hell out of Amore simply because he felt like it. Neville took advantage of the situation and made his way down to the ring to beatdown Enzo some more. Neville hit the Red Arrow and then mocked Amore.
Prediction: This match is a coin flip to me. Neville lost the Cruiserweight Championship on an episode of RAW to Akira Tozawa and then won it right back at SummerSlam. WWE has purposely made Enzo look foolish recenty. On Monday he was beatdown by Strowman and the week prior to that he got an ass-kicking courtesy of The Miz and The Miztourage. I’m reluctantly picking Enzo Amore to win the Cruiserweight Championship on Sunday. If he does win it, I don’t see his title reign lasting long. Pick: Enzo Amore
Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) vs Jason Jordan
Jason Jordan won a Six-Pack Challenge on Monday night to earn a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. I thought that this match was going to happen last month at SummerSlam, but instead the Intercontinental Championship wasn’t even defended at the second biggest PPV of the year.
Jason Jordan lost to John Cena and Roman Reigns on recent episodes of RAW, but both matches were very competitive. The Miz has been taking shots at Jordan’s storyline father, RAW General Manager Kurt Angle, as of late. After Jordan won the Six-Pack Challenge on this past week’s episode of RAW, The Miz and The Miztourage attacked Jason Jordan. The Miz planted him with a Skull Crushing Finale and said that Jordan will still be a bastard after Sunday and raised the Intercontinental Championship.
Prediction: I believe Jason Jordan will win the Intercontinental Championship in the near future, but just not this Sunday at No Mercy. The Miz will screw Jordan out of winning the title on Sunday and then Kurt Angle will say that Jordan deserves another shot. Pick: The Miz
Finn Balor vs Bray Wyatt
Balor defeated Bray Wyatt at SummerSlam as “The Demon King”. Wyatt claimed that Balor was hiding behind his face paint and could not defeat him without it. That really is all there is to this story. Balor said on Monday night that “The Demon King” is his creation, so Wyatt should fear him.
Prediction: I don’t see why Finn Balor wouldn’t walk out of No Mercy with the victory. I don’t think WWE wants to establish that Balor is weak without his face paint on. Thus, I think Balor wins clean via the Coupe de Grace and hopefully this feud finally comes to an end. Pick: Finn Balor
RAW Tag Team Championship: Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins vs Cesaro & Sheamus
This hasn’t been portrayed as just a feud between these two teams on recent episodes of RAW. Gallows & Anderson and The Hardy Boyz have also been involved and none of these teams seem too fond of each other. Sheamus and Cesaro have called Rollins and Ambrose selfish and that they really do not trust each other.
Prediction: I doubt WWE would take the tag titles off of Ambrose and Rollins this quickly. There will be a time when they turn into enemies once again, but it is far too soon for that to happen. It seems like this is all heading towards a TLC match between Ambrose & Rollins, Sheamus & Cesaro, Gallows & Anderson and The Hardy Boyz next month at the TLC PPV. It wouldn’t make any sense for Ambrose and Rollins to drop the titles on Sunday. Pick: Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins
RAW Women’s Championship Fatal 5-Way Match: Alexa Bliss (c) vs Sasha Banks vs Bayley vs Emma vs Nia Jax
Bayley returned from injury on Monday night and was added to this match. Nia Jax defeated Alexa Bliss on RAW and then was attacked by Sasha Banks. Nia started beating down Banks as well, which then led to Bayley coming down to the ring for the save. Alexa Bliss even assisted Sasha and Bayley in throwing Nia out of the ring. Alexa tried to celebrate with Sasha and Bayley, but instead got a Bayley to Belly for her troubles. Emma wasn’t even on Monday’s episode of RAW.
Prediction: I feel like we can just eliminate Emma from the conversation here. She seems destined to be the Superstar pinned here. Asuka will be making her RAW debut soon and you’ve got to believe that she will be thrust right into the RAW Women’s Championship picture. I think Alexa Bliss is going to retain Sunday night. Nia Jax will dominate everyone, but Alexa will steal a pinfall in the midst of the chaos. Pick: Alexa Bliss
John Cena vs Roman Reigns
John Cena and Roman Reigns have been taking shots at each other for the past few weeks on RAW. Reigns poked fun at Cena for taking twenty minutes to defeat Jason Jordan. Reigns faced Jordan the following week and it took him even longer to defeat him and Cena pointed that out.
Cena brought up Roman Reigns being suspended for failing a drug test and made the WWE Universe aware of Reigns’ zipper being down. Reigns accused Cena of burying young talent and brought up Alex Riley. On Monday’s RAW, Reigns brought up how Cena cut a promo on The Rock for going Hollywood and leaving WWE behind. Reigns pointed out how Cena misses a ton of time nowadays to film movies.
Prediction: I thought that this was going to be a match that WWE would save for WrestleMania, but we get to see it Sunday night. In my opinion, Cena has gotten the better of Reigns in all of their promos together. I don’t think he will get the better of him again at No Mercy. I think Roman Reigns will pick up the victory and then the two Superstars will shake hands. The crowd should be electric for this match and I can’t wait to see it. Pick: Roman Reigns
Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman “monster-handled” Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam and has done so a few times since then on RAW. Lesnar hit a German Suplex on Braun but Strowman got right back up. Strowman then planted Lesnar with the Running Powerslam and celebrated in the ring. WWE has done a solid job of presenting Strowman as unstoppable and Lesnar as the underdog in this match.
Strowman and Lesnar were interviewed in separate rooms on Monday night. Heyman praised Strowman, but claimed that Braun will not conquer The Beast. Brock Lesnar leaned towards the camera and thanked Strowman for challenging him and stated that is when he is at his best. Lesnar then said “Suplex City Bitch” as the two Superstars stared into the camera.
Prediction: I am just as hyped for this match as I was the Fatal 4-Way at SummerSlam. At this point, I don’t see Lesnar losing the Universal Championship until WrestleMania. I think Lesnar retains on Sunday in a very physical and entertaining match. I honestly would not have one problem with Strowman winning the title either. He is the star of RAW right now in my opinion and it would be great to see the Universal Championship featured every week. I just don’t see that happening Sunday, but the future remains incredibly bright for Braun Strowman. Pick: Brock Lesnar
Who do you think will win on Sunday? Share your No Mercy predictions in the comments below.
Adam Cole to make his WWE NXT in-ring debut next week
Adam Cole will make his WWE NXT in-ring debut on next week’s episode of NXT. He will face Eric Young in his first match. SAnitY attacked Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish and Adam Cole at the end of last night’s episode of NXT.
In the video below, Cathy Kelly announces the match for next Wednesday night and breaks down the ongoing feud between The Undisputed Era and SAnitY.
WWE posts video about Paige’s upcoming return
Paige hasn’t stepped foot in a WWE ring since June of 2016. She recently shared photos on Instagram of her at the WWE Performance Center in preparation for her return to the ring.
In the video below, Cathy Kelly discusses Paige’s potential return and highlights some reactions on Twitter from Billie Kay and Ember Moon.
Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Champion Cody Rhodes spoke with Brian Fritz of Sporting News to promote Friday’s Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view. Here are the highlights:
Defending the ROH World Title against Minoru Suzuki:
“He’s a maneater,” Cody said of the ROH Title challenger. “He’s a throwback in a sense to an era where you’d go to shows and you know you couldn’t kick that guy’s ass. It’s unlike any match type I’ve ever been faced with and it presents a very well-developed picture for me in the sense that I am a pro wrestler. Minoru Suzuki is a pioneer in the world of mixed martial arts. And he, as a professional wrestler, is an absolute legend.”
His future in pro wrestling:
“I think 2018, we’re (Cody and his wife Brandi) going to make a decision probably between New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor or both,” explained Cody. “Or we’re going to make the decision to go right back on the complete independent brand tour. Who knows. I got my feel of the lay of the land and now I know how I want to approach the next year.”
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns recently made an appearance on CBS’ In This Corner podcast to promote his match with John Cena this weekend at the WWE’s No Mercy pay-per-view (PPV). During the interview, Reigns discussed his zipper malfunction on Monday Night RAW and John Cena taking advantage of it, as well as his feud with Cena helping improve his promo skills. You can check out the highlights here:
His zipper malfunctioning on Monday Night RAW and John Cena taking advantage:
“The funny thing is, my zipper literally broke like two minutes before I was walking out. Usually I do a last-minute check. Do I have boogers in my nose? Any like weird hair conditioner on my ears? Is my zipper up? I kind of push and normally you’ll check your zipper to make sure the teeth are right in place. I actually pushed right through it. The actual zipper handle popped off, and once that happens, you have to go out there in two minutes. It’s not like I’m just wearing trunks or something. I’ve got blousing straps at the bottom, and I would have to take everything off in order to get new pants on.”
Reigns didn’t skip a beat upon fielding the insult and responded to Cena’s ad-libbed comment by saying, “I busted it actually … big dog.” The joke instantly lit up social media.
“John being John, if anything presents itself, which I feel is fair game if it’s there to take it, and he did,” Reigns said. “Luckily, that’s one thing of just over the years going back and forth in locker rooms, I have a quick rebuttal with little things like that. It was just something that, thank God I was ready for it, but really he shocked me in bringing up. I thought I had it closed up the whole time but apparently not. I was peaking at him, I guess.”
His promo skills improving during his feud with Cena:
“It was nice to be able to change gears and get better at something. I think I’ve definitely gotten better on the stick working with John. I have to give him credit for that. Like he said in one of his opening promos, you either step up or you step aside.”
You can listen to Reigns’ interview on the In This Corner podcast by visiting this link here.
Ring of Honor COO Joe Koff spoke to Jack Jorgensen the FanSidedDaily DDT blog this week to promote Friday’s ROH Death Before Dishonor PPV and spoke about Sinclair Broadcasting’s support of ROH, their working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, Women of Honor and much more.
Among the topics discussed was the possibility of WWE SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan becoming a free agent next year and the possibility of him returning to ROH.
With all the buzz around Daniel Bryan wanting to get back in the ring when his WWE contract expires, Koff says he would personally welcome Bryan Danielson back to ROH.
“Well I don’t think it’s any secret, and all the previous ROH wrestlers know, that they are always welcome back in Ring of Honor. This is their home, so to speak,” Koff said. “We never chided anybody for leaving for what they thought were greener pastures. And look, a lot of them have succeeded on a far greater platform than we could have provided them at the time.
“So if Bryan Danielson would love to come back, I didn’t work with him personally while he was here, but I would personally welcome him back.”
You can enjoy all the Ring of Honor action this Friday night by catching this year’s Death Before Dishonor card on PPV, ROHWrestling.com, or the Fite.TV app.
On last week’s episode of SmackDown Live, “The Chairman Of The Board” Vince McMahon made his return to the blue brand to confront Kevin Owens, who had been attacked by his son, Shane, on SmackDown the previous week. Things didn’t end well for McMahon, however, as “KO” viciously attacked him with a head-butt before hitting a superkick that would put McMahon down for a splash.
When the segment was over, McMahon was busted open on his forehead from the head-butt from Owens, leaving many to speculate as to whether or not Vince bladed for the segment. Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE officials are internally denying that claim. Some have suggested that the segment was planned to make Vince bleed, who perhaps bladed backstage before the altercation and covered it up with nu-skin. The cut would reopen easily after the head-butt from Owens.
Meltzer noted that WWE’s statement was similar to those that the company has released after Brock Lesnar matches, which often include blood as well. People involved in planning the segment weren’t talking about McMahon being busted open before the segment either. He also noted that while he was watching the segment on a big screen, the close-ups showed a line on McMahon’s head before the head-butt, which is where the blood came from after Owens delivered the blow. There was also more blood than what would be expected from an average head-butt.
Discussion: Do you think McMahon bladed before the segment and planned to bleed?
As we’ve previously reported this week, former WWE Divas Champion Paige has been training at the WWE Performance Center in Florida to prepare for her in-ring return to the company.
Per a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Paige has already received full clearance to return to work inside the squared circle and is simply working on getting back into ring shape at the moment. Paige hasn’t wrestled in over a year since suffering her neck injury, which required surgery to repair, and rumor has it that upon her return she’ll be doing work on the SmackDown Live brand. WWE officials reportedly already have a storyline lined up for her when she’s ready to return.
Discussion: Who would you like to see Paige feud with when she makes her return to SmackDown? Should she immediately go after the SmackDown Women’s Title?
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns was recently a guest on the CBS “In This Corner” podcast to talk about his ongoing feud with John Cena, in which the pair will collide in one of the premiere bouts at this weekend’s No Mercy pay-per-view (PPV) event. “The Big Dog” discussed his backstage relationship with John Cena, if they’re friends, and if he has taken anything “The Leader Of The Cenation” has said in his promos to heart. You can check out the highlights below:
If he and John Cena are friends backstage:
“I will be completely honest. Me and John have always been cordial but I would never say we are close friends by any means. There is a business respect but I think that’s what makes it so special. We are truly competing against each other and I think people see that”
Has he taken anything Cena has said in his promos personally:
“It’s not like a situation where I am taking anything that he says to heart, because I don’t really care what he thinks about me, you know what I mean? If you care for somebody and they knife you, it will hurt your feelings and it can depress you. When you don’t care about somebody or their opinion, it doesn’t affect you. And that is what it is like with me and John”
Marissa Payne of the The Washington Post has published an article about Jinder Mahal’s controversial promo from Tuesday’s SmackDown Live titled, “WWE has dealt with racism before, but a scripted rant has fans chanting ‘that’s too far!’”
For those who missed it, the WWE Champion mocked Shinsuke Nakamura’s Japanese heritage. In addition to criticizing Nakamnura’s (saying “you always rook the same” whether he’s happy or angry), Mahal also referenced Japanese people feasting on cats and dolphins and compared Nakamura to Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid movies.
https://youtu.be/y8-6yXcvKRk
Fans in the arena chanted, “that’s too far” and fans on social media shared the same sentiment, calling out WWE for racism.
Who on earth is writing @JinderMahal's promos! They are distasteful and racist! I am not impressed! @WWE sort this out! #SDLive#Nakamura
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer was quoted in the article, explaining, “Wrestling was always in its own little world. Now everyone watches it, and you can’t get away with those kind of old tricks. The fan base will blame it on the company and not on the heel.” He added that it’s an embarrassing situation for WWE, since “Nobody wants to be called racist.”
A WWE spokesperson issued a statement to the Washington Post about the promo:
“Just like many other TV shows or movies, WWE creates programming with fictional personalities that cover real world issues and sensitive subjects.
As a producer of such TV shows, WWE Corporate is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans.”
Jinder Mahal will defend the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura at Hell in a Cell on Sunday, 10/8.
Earlier this week, People Magazine published their recent sit-down interview with WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, who spoke about his recent medical emergency and the decades of hard living that triggered his health issues. You can watch the video over at People.com.
People sent in a follow-up press release, revealing new details about Flair’s struggle with alcoholism. After a failed rehab stint a few years back, Flair has come to terms with the reality that he is an alcoholic and vows to never drink again.
PEOPLE Exclusive – Wrestling Legend Ric Flair Fighting for His Life After Decades of Alcohol Abuse: Health Scare Tamed ‘Nature Boy’
(NEW YORK) – Wrestling legend Ric Flair may have once commanded the ring – but after the cameras turned off, things “just got out of control.”
Decades of “social” drinking finally caught up with the 16-time pro wrestling world champion this year, landing him in the hospital and near death last month.
“I crashed in an airplane and broke my back, I’ve been hit by lightning,” Flair tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “But this is totally different. Anything I’ve been through before is nothing like this.”
On Aug. 11, the 68-year-old was rushed to the hospital with stomach pains. Within hours, Flair was in the early stages of kidney failure and on the verge of congestive heart failure – the result of years of alcohol abuse.
Flair’s family members were told he had only 20 percent odds of surviving, and he was placed in a medically induced coma while they – including daughter, pro wrestler Charlotte Flair – took to social media to asks fans for prayers.
Doctors subsequently removed part of Flair’s bowel, and inserted a pacemaker. Now, in recovery at a convalescent center in Atlanta, Flair tells PEOPLE of the entire ordeal, “It scared the s— out of me.”
He adds, “But I’m not out of the woods yet.”
Now, the man once known as the “Nature Boy,” needs a nurse to help steady his shaking hands so he can sip water from a glass. He admits, “I didn’t think I was an alcoholic, but obviously I was.”
Flair’s problem with alcohol started while he worked to build a camaraderie with his fellow wrestlers during the early days of his career in 1972. It helped them “bond,” he says, noting though, “I never drank when I was working.”
“But as soon as work was over, I went right to the mill,” he says, adding that he’s long struggled to “do anything in moderation,” and admitting to a failed rehab stint four years prior.
Alcohol also served as a tonic of sorts when it came to coping with his injuries and intense physical pain from his job. “I’ve never taken a pain pill in my life,” he explains. “I’d just take a shower, flip my hair back and go to the best bar in town.”
Now, the father of four says he is dedicated to doing better.
“I’ll never drink again,” says Flair. “I never want to go through this again.”
