With WWE No Mercy just six days away, a number one contender to The Miz’s Intercontinental championship match has yet to be named. Tonight on RAW, that will change.
According to PWInsider, RAW will feature a Six Pack Challenge match to determine who faces The Miz at No Mercy.
Already announced for the show is RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax. WWE has been teasing a final confrontation between John Cena and Roman Reigns ahead of their match this Sunday, but Cena has not been officially advertised for the show. During an interview with China’s SCMP.com, Cena revealed that he would be flying back to San Jose tonight, so expect him on the show as well.
It’s worth noting that local ads for RAW are hypingBray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor and Roman Reigns vs. the ‘Monster Among Men’ Braun Strowman, one or both of these could be the dark match that takes place after RAW goes off the air.
Join us here tonight for our weekly WWE RAW Live Results & Discussion.
WWE was in China over the weekend, with a live event held on Sunday from Shenzhen. John Cena was on hand to make a special appearance at the show, defeating Rusev in front of a packed house at the Shenzhen Civic Centre.
During an interview with SCMP.com, Cena said he was initially not supposed to attend the show, but “bent time” to be there and will be flying all day on Monday to appear at RAW from San Jose, California.
WWE first broke into the Chinese market back at the 2010 Expo in Shanghai. Cena recalls, “I remember the first time we went to China, we were just a footnote in the Expo. But we were off to a good start and we were welcomed by the loyal Chinese fan base which got us another event, another event, another event. And now all these years later the culture is catching up with what we do.”
Cena says the possibilities are endless for WWE in China. WWE currently seven Chinese trainees at the Performance Center in Orlando. Two two of them, Tian Bing and Boa, were in Shenzhen on Sunday.
“Not only do I see potential success for Chinese superstars to move through the ranks, I envision a world where we do television broadcasts from over here. I envision a world where we do WrestleMania from here.
“So I would love to create a culture in China surrounding WWE, that’s with a strong developmental system for our superstars and hopefully a greater and greater live event presence.”
As we’ve previously noted, Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Jay Lethal recently did an interview on the Interactive Wrestling Radio to promote his upcoming ROH Death Before Dishonor against Silas Young. You can check out the highlights here below:
His thoughts on GFW’s recent rumored issues:
“We are, and I consider Ring of Honor the #2 wrestling company in the entire world. Some people might take this the wrong way. Some people might take this out of context. So, if someone hears this, please listen to the whole thing. With the thought process that you are the #2 wrestling company in the world, you really don’t look under you to see what the #3 wrestling company in the world is doing. You look up to see what the #1 wrestling company in the world is doing so that you can better yourself and not work down. That is in no way a knock on TNA, it is just a logical way of thinking. Take out the company names from the equation. The #2 doesn’t look at the #3, they look at the company that is in the #1 spot and that is all I’m saying.
“With that said, I did work for Impact Wrestling at one time. I had a great time there. They gave me one of the greatest days of my life when I wrestled Ric Flair live on pay-per-view. To see that they are going through such hard times, I don’t get joy from this though some people might think that my thought process would be, ‘Yeah! This is what they get for letting me go!’ No, no, no. I made a lot of great friends, a lot of great relationships from working there many of whom are still there. I have some great friends that just joined there. It hurts to see them going through any down or hard times because as we all have learned, the better each wrestling company does, the better the wrestling business as a whole does.”
The promo he and Ric Flair cut:
“That promo with Ric Flair was probably the scariest promo of my life. I was never, ever in TNA given a chance to, first of all, cut a promo, a live promo, in the middle of the ring with a live microphone. I was never, ever given this opportunity. When I was doing the Black Machismo character, all my promos or interviews were done backstage. Even if I didn’t say the right word or the right thing, it didn’t really matter so much because it was more of a comedic role. I could get away with it. I never had to do more than 1 take as my Black Machismo character. But, this Flair thing possibly could require a couple of takes. But, they didn’t care.
“They put me in the middle of the ring for the very first time, not knowing how I would do… It is like, ‘We didn’t trust you before but now that Flair wants to do this program with you, we have 100 percent confidence in you.’ Then, when you go on top of that, I have to go back and forth on the microphone with someone who is considered to be greatest promo guy in the history of this business. That made it the scariest moment of my life… All of the time I had to be face to face! I remember being so nervous, my hand went completely numb!”
Why he was let go by GFW:
“Again, not to talk negatively about them. I don’t want this to be taken out of context like, ‘Jay Lethal says they got rid of him for no reason.’ But, there was no reason given to me. Only speculation. A few things that I’ve speculated. One was they had already gotten rid of my buddy Sonjay Dutt and they were already trying to make some budget cuts for guys, when your contract comes up for renewal, you get a little bump. They were trying to limit those bumps.
“I also heard a rumor that Dixie’s mom came into the office because too much money was being spent and she made cuts. I also heard that, at the time, Jeff Jarrett was trying to start a new wrestling company up called… Something to do with NASCAR. Legally, guys who worked on that show could not work for Impact. I heard a rumor that was the reason I was let go. That one kind of made sense to me because shortly after I got released, I was contacted by Jeff Jarrett to work on that NASCAR show. I was never given a direct answer. They say things happen for a reason. When one door closes, another one opens. Everything they allowed me to do in the company prepared me for what I’d get to do in Ring of Honor. Lead the roster as the World Champion of a company that is recognized for its wrestling. That is one of my career highlights right there!”
His reign as ROH World Champion:
“Oh my Gosh! I loved it, I loved it! It’s a sick reason that I loved it. Here’s the reason. You’ve got guys on the roster like the Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and you’ve got those guys and they should be in the main event. But, they’re not. They’re in matches, 3, 4, 5, and 6. And you’ve got to follow them! Because you’re the World Champion, you’ve got to dig down deep and come up with something as entertaining or better than what they just saw. That will drive you crazy because it did drive me crazy for some events.
“The fact that I had to dig down deep and pull out something… People will go, ‘the World Title match was good but this other match was better.’ I never wanted to hear that. I always wanted people to leave thinking, ‘Wow, what a main event!’ That really makes you pull an extra something out of yourself that you didn’t even know existed. I always enjoyed those moments where I’d leave the ring thinking, ‘Wow, I just followed all those amazing matches.’ That is the hardest part of being a part of the Ring of Honor roster. Our roster is full of literally the greatest wrestlers in the world. You’ve got to keep up or you’ve got to get out!”
While Brock Lesnar is not scheduled to appear on Raw tonight and John Cena’s status for the event is also up in the air, it appears that it won’t stop WWE from putting up an action-packed episode of the show.
According to several sources, WWE is currently advertising two huge PPV worthy matches for tonight’s episode of the Red Branded Show from San Jose locally.
The first is a rematch from the SummerSlam between The Eater of Worlds Bray Wyatt and the inaugural Universal Champion Finn Balor.
The second bout which is advertised in the area is also a PPV rematch between the Big Dog Roman Reigns and the Monster Among Men Braun Strowman.
Out of these two, at least one match is expected to be televised and it’s speculated that the other would be a dark main event. Though it’s worth mentioning that there is no mention of either of these matches in the official preview for the show.
It would be logical to broadcast the match between Braun and Roman as Balor vs Wyatt is also scheduled for No Mercy this Sunday and giving it away days before the PPV once again would not be a wise choice.
As we’ve previously reported, WWE Hall Of Famer Bobby “The Brain” Heenan sadly passed away at the age of 73 following a decade-long battle with throat cancer. Heenan is recognized as, arguably, the greatest manager in professional wrestling history, and the WWE Universe took to Twitter to react to the sad news of his passing. You can check out the Tweets here below:
Bobby Heenan died today and it has left me very sad. He was the best of the best in the biz and a friend. RIP Bobby. Praying for you Cindy pic.twitter.com/T8wuFAYuST
Bobby Heenan was great at all that he did Manager Wrestler Announcer Host The Brain Weasel Celebrate his life on @WWENetwork 1 of a kind pic.twitter.com/RdcVzUCmK4
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback recently took to his podcast, Conversation With The Big Guy, to comment on a variety of professional wrestling topics. “The Big Guy” commented on the recent Sexy Star controversy, revealed if he’d shoot on CM Punk or John Cena in a match, how the incident affects the professional wrestling industry, and WWE telling him to stop using ground-and-pound in the ring. Here are the highlights:
His thoughts on the Sexy Star controversy:
“F–k, she must not’ve been very good at the hold if she couldn’t break [Rosemary’s arm] if that’s a real thing.” Ryback said, “the good news in all of this is that she doesn’t know how to break your f–king arm, so you don’t really have to worry about [it]! You might just be in a little pain, but no true damage is going to be done by the end of it, so that might be her only saving grace, is ‘look, guys, Sexy Star likes to shoot – she’s not good though.’ That might just be… Sexy Star, you’re welcome. I just saved you some bookings. ‘Look, guys, she’s going to try to f–king hurt you out there, but don’t worry.’ Yeah, [the resulting injury will only be a sprain].”
If he’d shoot on CM Punk or John Cena in a match:
“I don’t know if they have an issue. If there is, you typically wait to go to the back to take care of that if that’s the case. That’s like if you told me, again, this is just that, ‘look, you’ve got to go out there and wrestle CM Punk or John Cena tomorrow.’ Like, in my head, I’m not going out there and f–king… you can’t, you just don’t, as a wrestler, coming in and learning everything I did coming in, it’s not even an option. You don’t do that when you have another human being’s life in your hands.”
“You don’t do that right then and there no matter what. You just don’t because the whole thing with [pro] wrestling is trust when you’re in there and that’s the only thing wrestlers have with each other when they’re in there no matter what because you’re giving your body up in different positions at different times for the sake of the match.”
How the incident affects the wrestling industry:
“You think the guys are bad, guys, women will always make things worse.” Ryback opined, “I mean, honestly, I don’t give a s–t, but it’s whatever. Like, it doesn’t belong in [pro] wrestling and that, so it doesn’t look good on all accounts.”
Being told by WWE to stop using ground-and-pound in the ring:
“I had actually a little run with the ground and pound right before I… actually, it was doing fairly well. There [were] a couple of shows that… so now ‘Ryback invented ground and pound’ is the new thing. Yep, assholes, I did. I dare you to find someone who does it better than me. And then, they, crowds were getting with it, and then they told me to stop.” Ryback added, “when I switched to the trunks, I had a little run with the ground and pound. Check it out on YouTube.”
2K has released the first official gameplay trailer for the upcoming WWE 2K18 video game. WWE 2K18 will be available for PS4 and Xbox One on Tuesday, October 17th. Fans who order the Deluxe Edition get the game early on Friday, October 13th. The Nintendo Switch version is scheduled for a ‘Fall 2017’ release.
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Get your first look at The Rock, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin and loads more!
– During a WWE Live Event last week in Brisbane, Australia, Monday Night RAW star Finn Balor was attacked by Bray Wyatt prior to their match-up getting officially underway. Shortly after, Balor took to social media and posted the following picture of his signature leather jacket getting ripped during the attack by Wyatt, and he wasn’t very happy about it. The pair will go one-on-on at No Mercy on pay-per-view (PPV):
– WWE held its first Live Event in China yesterday (Sun. September 17, 2017) as part of the company’s overseas tour. Prior to the show getting underway, SmackDown Live stars Lana, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Natalya got to hang out around the country. Check out some photos here:
Starrcade is back. North Carolina’s Greensboro Coliseum has announced a special WWE SmackDown brand live event is scheduled for Saturday night, November 25th. WWE.com has since confirmed the news.
The Greensboro Coliseum hosted the first-ever Starrcade back in 1983. As an homage to the main event of the first Starrcade (Flair vs. Harley Race in a steel cage), WWE Starrcade will feature two steel cage match main events:
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Smackdown Women’s Champion Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair
Also advertised for the show:
United States champion AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Rusev
Grudge Match: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. The Usos
Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler
Plus, there will be appearances from the Hardy Boys and WWE Hall of Famers The Rock N’ Roll Express and Ricky Steamboat.
.@WWE LIVE STARRCADE is back on 11/25 for the first time in two decades with double steel cage match main events! Check out the lineup below pic.twitter.com/IBApHh6pMk
If John Cena does make it to San Jose, California for tonight’s RAW, he’s going to have a very long travel day ahead.
Cena competed at last night’s WWE SmackDown live event from Shenzhen, China, defeating Rusev. The match took place prior to the mid-show intermission and a flight from Shenzhen to San Jose takes approximately 14-15 hours.
While WWE is not officially advertising Cena for RAW, WWE.com’s preview for the show is teasing a final confrontation between Cena and Reigns ahead of their match this Sunday at No Mercy:
“John Cena and Roman Reigns’ microphone battles have gotten more intense each week since The Cenation Leader arrived on Raw to test Roman Reigns’ mettle, and a heated confrontation six nights before their anticipated dream match at WWE No Mercy seems inevitable.
Although Cena seems to have the upper hand in terms of verbal warfare heading into this week’s Raw, live in San Jose, The Big Dog could be saving his most cutting remarks for last.”
Knowing John Cena’s work ethic and dedication to WWE, it would almost be surprising if he wasn’t there.
Join us here tonight for our weekly WWE RAW Live Results & Discussion.
“The Boss” Sasha Banks recently appeared on the Her Take interview series presented by Champs Sports. Topics discussed include her journey to WWE, the state of women’s wrestling, preferring NXT over RAW and who she was a bigger fan of between Steve Austin and The Rock.
Sasha Banks came up in NXT with Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Bayley, collectively known as WWE’s “Four Horsewomen.” The group appears to be on a collision course with Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler and the other ‘Four Horsewomen’ of MMA. Sasha has fond memories of their time together inNXT.
“It’s the best, they motivate me. They make me who I am because I want to be the best and I want to get better every single day. I remember being with Bayley, Charlotte and Becky in NXT, and we just pushed each other, and I remember every time that we had a match we wanted to outshine the guys, having the fans be like, ‘You know what, they stole the show.’ That’s the best feeling in the world.”
Sasha says her best matches are actually the ones against her friends, because “you hit your friends harder” in the ring.
“It’s crazy, I feel like you hit your friends harder. Legit, we go to war with each other,” Banks said. “I’ve had countless amazing matches with Becky, and with Bayley we won Match Of The Year of 2015. I want people to be like ‘That wasn’t just a good match because they’re girls,’ or ‘That was a good girls’ match.’ I want them to be like ‘That was a good match, period.’”
In a rapid-fire Q&A round at the end, Sasha chose Steve Austin over The Rock, stating that even though she likes both, she has a soft spot for Austin because he “slid into her DM’s” to congratulate her on one of her matches.
“I love both, but I’m gonna have to choose Stone Cold Steve Austin, just because he slid into my DMs one time. And when he did he was just saying how good a match was and I just remember freaking out.”
Could we see events like Halloween Havoc, War Games and Starrcade added to WWE’s monthly pay-per-view offerings?
According to a report by Ryan Satin over at Pro Wrestling Sheet, WWE officials are giving serious consideration to resurrecting several WCW-branded PPV events.
Ever since WCW closed down back in 2001, fans have considered the possibility of WWE adopting these beloved shows. With WWE presenting 16 pay-per-views in 2017 (not including the quarterly NXT Takeover specials), there’s certainly room on the calendar to replace some of the less popular shows like Great Balls of Fire, Fastlane and Road Block.
WWE used The Great American Bash as an annual event from 2004-2009 and last year rebranded Night of Champions with Clash of Champions.
Discussion: Which WCW pay-per-view would you like to see return?
Former ROH World Champion and Davey Richards announced on Sunday that he will soon be undergoing knee surgery and must cancel his upcoming bookings through the remainder of the year as a result.
The “Lone Wolf” revealed that he’s been battling knee issues for over a decade, but won’t let this roadblock derail his career. He’s committed to rehabilitating the knee post-surgery and will take the proper time off so he can return 100%.
Richards posted the following on Twitter on Sunday:
“I can’t apologize enough to everyone but I have to cancel my remaining bookings for 2017. I am going to need surgery on [my] right knee. I’ve always been someone who has bore my heart inside of the ring and “kept it real” with the fans. I’ve been known to, as you call it, “no show” events. Truth is (no excuse) I’ve been battling knee issues since 2006 when I tore my knee the night before my first ROH match. Cortisone shots, anti-inflammatory drugs, Stem Cell therapy, hyperbaric chambers, etc. have kept me able to perform this long, but not anymore.
“I’ve given my life to wrestling since I was 10 and honestly if all I have is a bum knee I am thankful. But I refuse to let it end like this. I’m going to take the proper time off [to] get the correct surgery and rehab. I hope to return to make good on the events I haven’t been able to perform at [because] of my knee. I always prided myself on being a wrestler’s wrestle and if I couldn’t give you [100 percent] I didn’t want to waste your time. Perhaps foolish pride. But that’s me. Anyways – thank you for reading. I love you all and love this great sport and hope to return to it and give you your money’s worth. Thank you.”
Tonight’s edition of WWE RAW takes place from San Jose, California at the SAP Center. This is the ‘go-home’ show ahead of Sunday’s No Mercy pay-per-view.
WWE.com is advertising the following items for the show:
Nia Jax aims to knock Alexa Bliss off her pedestal
Will it be Roman Reigns or John Cena who gets in the final word before WWE No Mercy?
Braun Strowman shows no mercy
Brothers-in-arms stand triumphant
Will Enzo Amore get even with The Miz?
Join us here tonight for our weekly WWE RAW Live Results & Discussion.
We are deeply saddened to report that legendary wrestling broadcaster, manager and personality Bobby “The Brain” Heenan (Raymond Louis Heenan) has passed away.
The incomparable Bobby Heenan was one of the most memorable performers of the 1980’s and 90’s. His wit and comedic timing were unmatched. Heenan burst on to the national wrestling scene in the early 80’s as a manager in the AWA. He joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1984 and pro wrestling would never be the same again. His work alongside Gorilla Monsoon on Primetime Wrestling and early 90’s WWF pay-per-views, his longstanding feud with Hulk Hogan and his introduction of Ric Flair to the WWE Universe back in 1991 are the building blocks that many fan’s love for wrestling are built on. He joined WCW back in 1994 and was one of the prominent voices each and every week as WCW surpassed WWE as the top promotion in the world.
As a manager, Heenan guided the careers of countless legends 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.
In 2002, Bobby Heenan was diagnosed with throat cancer and later tongue cancer. Throughout his heroic fight against cancer, Heenan continued to appear at wrestling conventions in recent years. Despite his debilitating illness, Heenan still enjoyed interacting with the fans who grew up enjoying his one-of-a-kind talent.
He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2004.
Rest in peace, Bobby Heennan. A strong case could be made that Heenan is the most talented performer to ever grace the industry. There will never be another one like him.
Our deepest condolences to Bobby Heenan’s family, friends and fans.
The wrestling world reacts to the passing of Bobby Heenan:
The news of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's passing today gutted me.
A fan posted photos on Twitter of Bayley wearing an AJ shirt, reading her book and posing next to her poster. The fan wrote “get a friend who supports you as much as Bayley supports AJ Lee”. AJ retweeted the post and added that Bayley “is a majestic unicorn, too precious for this world”.
The Bella Twins uploaded a new video on their YouTube account with Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella discussing Pediatric Cancer Awareness month. Bryan discussed how he became aware of Connor “The Crusher” Michalek and how they formed a bond.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1VUu5Uq56k
AJ Styles on wearing his Bullet Club mask in Japan
AJ Styles wore the mask he used during his run with NJPW with the Bullet Club at a WWE Live Event in Osaka, Japan. Styles wore the mask down to the ring and then removed it before the match started. Styles posted a photo on Instagram about wearing the mask and added “Had to show that CLUB love in Osaka!”.
Former WWE Champion Edge recently took to he and former WWE Tag Team Championship partner Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to discus his first Money In The Bank cash-in at the 2006 New Years Revolution pay-per-view (PPV) on John Cena. Cena had just gotten through defending his title in a grueling Elimination Chamber match-up, before Vince McMahon came out to announce that Edge was cashing-in his contract, and Cena would have to prepare for a one-on-one match with “The Rated R Superstar” for the WWE Title.
Edge would go on to win the WWE Title, sparking the beginning of his epic feud with the former Tag Team Champ. Edge discussed he and Vince McMahon’s interaction before the cash-in took place, and revealed what “The Chairman Of The Board” told him before the epic moment:
“Prove me right, prove me right because he was the only one that was in my corner. Everybody else either thought it was too soon, after 9 years with the company [laughs]. Or didn’t think it was going to work or whatever”
Edge stated that McMahon’s words were extremely motivating, and he felt as if he was ready to ‘chew the world apart’:
“Hearing that right about when I’m [about to cash-in], I was ready to chew the world apart”
Check out the E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by visiting this link here.
It’s pretty much routine for Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns to work against one another at WWE Live Events all the time, and that was exactly the case during the WWE’s visit to Brisbane, Australia where “The Monster Among Men” and “The Big Dog” went head-to-head in the show’s main event. Reigns and Strowman went to battle in a Brisbane Street Fight, where Reigns hit a spear through a table on Strowman to pick up the win. Shortly before their match, a video has been going viral of the WWE Universal Title challenger giving Reigns the one-finger salute. Check it out:
You can also witness the finish to their match here as well:
– Bladerunner 2049 is set to hit theatres on October 6th and stars former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Batista, alongside the likes of Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Edward James Olmos and more. In the second of three short prequels the the film, you can check out Batista as his character, Sapper Morton, who has been described as a replicant fugitive. Check it out here:
– As we’ve previously reported, WWE SmackDown Live Tag Team Champ Kofi Kingston could have possibly suffered a leg injury earlier this week at a WWE Live Event in Honolulu, Hawaii. Kingston was cleared to wrestle at last night’s (Sat. September 16, 2017) Live Event in Osaka and is also set to compete in tonight’s event from Shenzhen, China.
Former WWE NXT Tag Team Champs Eric Rowan and Luke Harper could be seeing some big changes to their gimmicks soon.
As first reported by Pro Wrestling Sheet, the pair are being considered to work a new gimmick together as well as change up their look. Harper and Rowan have been working against one another in singles matches lately, with Harper picking up the win.
Multiple sources have confirmed that WWE is considering bringing the pair back as a team, however, their were also rumblings earlier in the summer to have them revealed as the team who has been attacking Breezango.
Former Ring of Honor World Television Champion Marty Scurll recently spoke with Channel Guide Magazine about various topics. Here are the highlights: When he found out he would be joining the Bullet Club: “I only knew a few weeks out. It was a natural fit with myself just about to debut for New Japan, and I had been spending a lot of time with the Young Bucks, who are two of my best friends in the business. I was nervous, but I also love new challenges. My mindset was how can I add to this group? How can I make it better? Rather than what can it do for me. I loved the angle we did for it. That was all down to myself, the Bucks and Kenny. We came up with it all. I wish every PPV we do could end on an amazing cliffhanger. We made Bullet Club the number one trend in the world for a short period. That’s bad ass. That’s what every PPV should aim to do.” Possibly signing with WWE: “Right now, I love what I’m doing. I want to conquer ROH and New Japan. I want to continue to push the boundaries and break the mold of what a wrestler without the machine behind them can do. There’s a group of us like minded in that sense, the Bucks, Kenny, Cody, Page etc. In terms of ‘The Villain’ and WWE, I’m pretty sure if they saw opportunity in me to make money, I’m sure they’d let me have a lot of creative freedom. But who knows if they do. I do see a lot of Villain shirts on their programming though. I would love to pick the brain of Vince McMahon. ‘The Villain’ and the ‘Evil Genius’ discussing the business over a steak dinner sounds divine.”
GFW World Heavyweight Champion Eli Drake recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to talk about several different topics. Here are the highlights:
Winning the GFW World Title:
“Once I heard the decision was made [to win the world title], I put a lot of extra pressure on myself to not relax or be complacent,” said Drake. “I actually started doubling up my workouts and I was in the ring two or three times a week extra just because I wanted my work in the ring, on the mic, and my conditioning to be second to none. If I’m going to be the face of the company, then I’m going to make sure I can go like nobody else.” Impact Wrestling competing with Thursday night football:
“I don’t like to use that as an excuse,” he said. “If we’re putting out a compelling product, then we should still have the eyeballs on our product. If you rewind about 20 years, and look at WWE in 1997, they were putting on a great product but nobody knew because WCW made such a loud noise via the NWO. It took WWE another year-and-a-half to make that big comeback, even though they were producing some great stuff with [Steve] Austin and DX.”
– The latest WWE Top 10 video counts down the most memorable ‘McMahon family assaults.’
They say there’s “no chance in hell” anyone can get the best of the McMahon Family, but that hasn’t stopped some Superstars from trying. Count down the 10 nastiest assaults to be inflicted on a member of the most powerful family in sports-entertainment.
– Last week, former WWE Superstar Sean “X-Pac” Waltman competed at the Bar Wrestling 4 event from Baldwin Park, California. The show, which featured EC3, Brian Cage, Taya Valkyrie, Awesome Kong, JTG and many more in action, is now streaming over at Pivotshare.
This clip of Waltman in action has been circulating on Twitter and it’s pretty amazing considering the 45-year-old Waltman has been competing for nearly three decades.
Ricochet, who will compete in the main event of MLW: One-Shot on October 5th, gave Waltman props saying, “X-PAC is STILL that dude!!” Waltman put Ricochet over in a big way, saying there’s few, if anybody, on his level right now.
– Congratulations are in order for WWE producers Scott Armstrong and “Road Dogg” Brian James. Earlier this month, the Armstrong family was inducted into the Alabama Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame for their ‘outstanding service, contributions and dedication’ to the sport and art of professional wrestling.
The following are results from Saturday’s SmackDown live event from Osaka, Japan:
– SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day retained over Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin
– Sami Zayn defeated Aiden English
– Randy Orton defeated Rusev in a Last Man Standing match
– United States Champion AJ Styles retained over Kevin Owens. Styles wore a mask resembling the logo of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson’s team, The Club.
* Luke Harper defeated Erick Rowan
– Charlotte Flair, Naomi and Becky Lynch defeated Carmella, Lana, Tamina Snuka and SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya. Asuka, who is set to debut on the RAW brand in the coming weeks, accompanied the babyface team and received a huge pop when she addressed the audience before the match. She was wearing a sling on her arm.
– WWE Champion Jinder Mahal retained over Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event. Nakamura got the biggest pop of the night. He took out The Singh Brothers after the match and spoke to the crowd to thank them for coming to the show.
Kairi Sane recently spoke with NBC Sports after beating Shayna Baszler in the finals of The Mae Young Classic on Tuesday night on the WWE Network. Here are the highlights:
Winning the first-ever Mae Young Classic: “I was very proud of myself to be there as one of the finalists. It was surprising that I made it so far. I felt nervous, but it was such a happy day for me.” Differences between working in front of an American audience as opposed to a Japanese audience: “I have to say American fans make me happier. I love their reactions. It’s very exciting and fun. It’s as if they’re fighting together with me.” You can read the entire interview here.
