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Ryback Doesn’t Think WWE Should Expand Into India

Jon Fuentes
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28

On the latest episode of former WWE Superstar Ryback’s podcast, Conversation With The Big Guy, Ryback discussed Jinder Mahal’s recent push into the main event picture on SmackDown Live, WWE trying to expand in the Indian market, and much more. Here are the highlights:

Jinder Mahal’s push:

“Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with giving a new guy an opportunity. That’s how you discover if you’ve got guys that can hang or not. The thing with him is it’s going to determine, and, obviously, if he’s given any amount of time on the pay-per-view, that’s his time to show what he can do. And, again, I just think it’s… there’s always a reason. They do what they want. It’s their company and they can get any amount of mileage out of him they want, no matter what the match quality is because if they just want a heel to keep in that position, they’ll find a way to make money with it for a while until they want to dump it, but, like, if he goes out there and performs at a high level, they might keep him there longer. Do you know what I mean? Like, so we’ll see.”

Not understanding why the WWE is trying to expand in India:

“I don’t know why. They have the TV deal, but people don’t have any f–king money out there, so I don’t know why they’re trying to [appeal to that market]. I heard that the merchandise sales out there aren’t good. No s–t! Like, I’ve been to India. They don’t have money. There [are] certain people that do, but the ones that do, I’m pretty sure aren’t f–king watching fake fighting.”

Visiting India making him appreciate living state-side even more:

“Man, I don’t know. I’ve been there. It is a unique place, that’s for sure. You realize how good we have it over here when you go to places like that.” Ryback added, “you realize just how overpopulated the world is and how bad [it is]. It’s bad.”

Not feeling safe in India during a mall appearance: 

“I’ve been there for my media appearances years ago for WWE and I had to do a mall appearance, like 13,000, 14,000 people on like a tri-level mall,” Ryback recalled. “They had to run me out of there. When it was over, the people started rushing the barricades and we had only one WWE security guard with me and that was it. I swear to God, it’s the only time I’d been concerned for my safety ever. And they ran me out of there, threw me in a van, and drove me straight to the airport and flew me home.”

You can read the full interview, in which Ryback talks about hating going to places like India and a mishap with the embassy there alongside Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston, here.

Chris Jericho Offers an Interesting Solution to The Cruiserweight Division’s Problems

Jon Fuentes
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24

WWE Superstar Chris Jericho recently did an interview with Busted Open Radio to discuss his recent run with the company. Jericho talked about the current issues with the WWE’s Cruiserweight division, presented a solution to the problem, and also talked about all the talent he put over this year. Check out the highlights here:

Fixing the Cruiserweight Division’s current problems:

“There’s a lot of that but also, how much more can you do? Also, you say Cruiserweights – you remember things differently than what there were. People say ‘Attitude era was great we want the Attitude Era.’ I’m like, really? Did you forget when Mae Young gave birth to a hand? Did you forget about the Katy Vick necrophilia angle? Really think about what you’re saying. So the Cruiserweight division in WCW, while the style was innovative, a lot of people really didn’t give a damn. I remember vividly, vividly working in a Clash Of Champions, Jericho vs. Eddie Guerrero. And you think ‘Oh my gosh, what a dream match.’ It was for the Cruiserweight championship, and nobody gave a sh*t.

“They sat on their hands the whole show and I remember just – I think it was in Nashville or something, but nobody cared. Not one person making noise. Which you might think is crazy, but that’s the way it was. So when you see 205 Live and people are making noise, we went through it too. And it’s like you said, the style isn’t that different from a Seth Rollins, a Jericho, I think I see every single person does an a-tope from Samoa Joe to Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn – so what is the difference? I don’t really know. If you’re going for the characters and personality then that’s “the heavyweight guys.” So what do the Cruiserweights do to try and break through? I don’t know. Neville is a great character but he needs a great babyface to work with.

“And here’s what I think could work, I think if you put Enzo Amore as a Cruiserweight, and put Enzo vs. Neville for the title, have Enzo win it, watch people get interested in the Cruiserweight division. And people at home are going ‘Ah Enzo can’t work!’ It’s not about that. It’s about getting people to care about the title. Get Enzo in there, have him win it, and watch people start to get involved in the 205 Live. Then Neville has someone to work with. He doesn’t have a baby face to work with. He really doesn’t, that’s super genuinely over with the crowd. That will help.”

All the young talent he put over this year:

“Yeah I am, and it’s funny too because even the Dean Ambrose feud, I know a lot of people didn’t like the Asylum match but that whole feud was based around Dean Ambrose being called the Lunatic Fringe, but never doing anything loony. You can’t just call yourself that. So that’s when I came up with the potted plant, smash it over his head. Then he comes back and destroys my light-up jacket because I don’t want that anymore, cause that’s a babyface thing – which I have now brought back into the Fozzy show cause that gets a great reaction as it should. But he destroys the jacket, then I put him in a stray jacket, then I beat the sh*t out of him and we have this big match that culminated into the thumbtack bump. All that stuff was designated to get more of a spotlight onto him and his character.

“Same what I did with AJ, same what I did with Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, the matches we had always tore the house down. Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, it was a great year to work with all those guys because work wise I can still teach them and keep up with them if that’s the word you want to use. Eclipse them if that’s the word you want to use. But they all have the same attitude I have in my “generation.” They just want to have a great match. They don’t really care about this, that, or the other thing, we just want to have as good a match as possible. And I can help with the character of that.

“I remember where I used to have this thing where I wear the scarf and I refuse to take it off. I won’t take it off. Then finally the babyface takes it off and holds it, and what’s he gonna do with it? I would have Seth Rollins blow his nose it in, or have Roman Reigns put it on and prance around – people would love it. Finn Balor did that too. It gives these people who haven’t really had a chance to show what a character is, the character of being jus this guy who is going to screw with Chris Jericho. And of course I said accordingly you have your match right there, you’re off to the races. it was fun doing that and helping the guys. And also it was good for me, it helped me hone my style and evolve my way of doing things. It was definitely one of my favorite years ever.”

Listen to the full interview at this link.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcribed quotes

Former WWE Talent on Why AJ Styles Turned Down WWE Initially

Jon Fuentes
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8

Former WWE talent Simon Dean was recently a guest on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show to talk about a variety of pro wrestling topics. During the interview, Dean revealed why AJ Styles declined to sign with WWE in favor of TNA years ago. You can check out what he had to say here:

“I was right there for it,” Dean said. “It was me and AJ. We were in Australia doing a tour for World Wrestling All-Stars. I told him I had been signed by WWE. They had a tryout in Cincinnati and he had went to that. I thought I was going to have to go to that, and I didn’t, I went right through it. In Cincinnati, he’d told me basically, after the tour in Australia we’d come back, and they had a [show] in Vegas.

“Bob Ryder and Jeff Jarrett had come up to me, and they told me that they were launching this new company called TNA. I told them that I had just signed with WWE, and I want to give it a shot. They wanted me to come to TNA, and they wanted to build the company around AJ. So, it’s not that AJ never wanted to go to the WWE, it was just that the offer was never right for AJ to come to WWE.”

You can listen to the interview by clicking here.

H/T to Daily DDT for the transcribed quotes

Brian Pillman Jr. Training With Rip Rogers

Chris Stephens
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16

The son of the late- Brian Pillman has recently begun his training to become a pro-wrestler. While he had originally reached out to Lance Storm’s school, it appears he has settled on Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Rip Rogers, who sent out the original “….dive” tweet last week, is the head trainer at the school. OVW is also near Pillman’s hometown of Cincinnati.

https://twitter.com/IanisaGoodDude/status/866299021291278336

Brian Pillman’s Family

Brian Pillman Sr. was 35 when he died. He already had 3 of his own children at the time, and his wife Melanie was pregnant with his 2nd son when he died. Pillman had also adopted two of Melanie’s children.

The 23-year old Pillman Jr. was only an infant when his father died in 1997. Many believe the elder Pillman was far ahead of his time. The “Beyond the Ring” on his life and career is on the WWE Network, and a great watch.

Pillman Jr. posted the following to Instagram yesterday:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUU33WzDP3N/

Video Highlights from The Rock Hosting SNL

Chris Stephens
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24

Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson hosted Saturday Night Live’s season finale this past weekend. In doing so, he joined the exclusive club of people who have hosted the show 5 times or more.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUXqjLNlCat/

Check out these highlights from The Rock on SNL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pPNnkvNTTM

The UK Scene Reacts to Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bate at NXT Takeover: Chicago

Jake Skudder
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20

Pete Dunne was crowned the 2nd ever WWE United Kingdom Champion at last night’s NXT Takeover event in Chicago.

The win in Chicago held extra significance for Pete Dunne. He mentioned on Twitter that he had been to RAW in the Allstate Arena 3 years prior as a fan:

Many fans and critics were calling his bout with Tyler Bate the match of the night and now members of the UK independent scene have taken to Twitter to show their appreciation for the match and the two competitors.

https://twitter.com/Tyler_Bate/status/866106992380846080

https://twitter.com/Tyler_Bate/status/866106992380846080

https://twitter.com/MartyScurll/status/866094322151641090

https://twitter.com/Ligero1/status/866093116369010688

Were you a fan of the match? Have you been keeping up with the WWE’s UK Division or is this the first you have seen either man perform? Let us know in the comments

 

NJPW: Best of the Super Juniors Day 3 Results

Jake Skudder
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1

New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament is now well underway.

The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.

Here are the results from Day 3 of tournament which is now available to view on NJPWWorld.com.

Non Tournament Match – Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki Oka b. Katsuya Kitamura & Shota Amino – Oka scored the win for his team with a Single Leg Crab on Umino.

Non Tournament Match –Taichi & TAKA Michinoku b. Will Ospreay & Jado – TAKA and Taichi of Suzuki-Gun took the win after Taichi hit a Super Kick on Jado

Best of the Super Juniors B BLOCK Match – Yoshinobu Kanemaru b. ACH – Kanemaru won in just over 10 minutes with the Deep Impact, he is now 1-1 in the tournament, ACH is also 1-1.

Best of the Super Juniors B BLOCK Match – Tiger Mask IV b. KUSHIDA – Tiger Mask won the match with his Tiger Suplex in what can only be described as an upset. Tiger is now 1-1 and KUSHIDA is 0-2.

https://twitter.com/KUSHIDA_0904/status/864468080948375552

Non Tournament Match – Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll b. Raymond Rowe, Hanson, Jushin Thunder Liger & David Finlay – Bullet Club took the win after Yujiro hit the Pimp Juice on Finlay

Best of the Super Juniors B BLOCK Match – El Desperado b. BUSHI – Desperado took the win via pinfall to move to 2-0 in the tournament, BUSHI is now at 0-2

Best of the Super Juniors B BLOCK Match – Ryusuke Taguchi b. Volador Jr. – Taguchi hit the Dodon to advance to 2-0 in the tournament, Volador is now at 1-1

Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Ricochet & Dragon Lee – Naito secured the win for his team after hitting the Destino on Kojima

NXT TakeOver: Chicago (5/20) Recap & Reaction

Robert Lentini
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25

Roderick Strong vs Eric Young

Roderick Strong came through the crowd and attacked members of Sanity ringside. Strong then went after Young right when the match started and sent him flying into the turnbuckle. Strong then Clotheslined him out of the ring and followed him out there. Young tried to get away as Roderick beat him down outside the ring. The action returned to the ring and Strong connected with a Dropkick that knocked Young to the mat. Strong continued his attack with a couple of chops in the corner.

Eric Young fought back and took control of the match by hitting a Neckbreaker for a two count. Killian Dain and Alexander Wolf paced around the ring as Eric Young continued the beatdown. Strong knocked Young to the mat and then hit Wolf with a Dropkick under the bottom rope. Killian Dain then took out Strong with a Crossbody outside the ring as the referee was distracted.

Back in the ring, Young leaped off the second rope and connected with an elbow to the back of Strong’s head for a two count. Young once again was distracted and Wolf kicked Roderick in the head while he was on the ring apron. The crowd chanted “lets go Roddie!” as Young applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Young controlled the next few minutes of the match but Strong connected with a Dropkick while Young was in midair.

Strong hit a Backbreaker and followed it up with a knee to Young’s face. Eric Young then rolled out of the ring to try to avoid Strong. Roderick got onto the ring apron but Young grabbed him and planted him with the Wheelbarrow Neckbreaker onto the floor outside the ring. Young brought Strong back into the ring and went for the pinfall but Roderick kicked out at two.

Both Superstars got back to their feet and traded punches. Young got the upper-hand and knocked Strong to the mat. Young climbed up the turnbuckle but Strong joined him up there. Young headbutted Strong to the mat and connected with a massive Elbow Drop for a two count. Young went for the Wheelbarrow Neckbreaker again but Strong blocked it. Strong then kicked Killian Dain off the ring apron and threw Young into Wolf on the ring apron.

Young poked Strong in the eye and climbed back up the turnbuckle. Strong once again joined him there and went for the Superplex but Young clubbed him in the chest. Young went for a Superplex of his own but Strong blocked it. Strong connected with a kick to Young’s head and Young fell onto Dain and Wolfe outside the ring. Back in the ring, Strong lifted Young up for a Suplex and dropped him into a Double Knee Backbreaker for the victory.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Reaction: NXT TakeOver: Chicago started off with a great match between Strong and Young. The finish to this match was awesome and the crowd was into the match the entire time.

UK Championship Match: Tyler Bate (c) vs Pete Dunne

Jim Ross was on commentary for this one and got a great response from the Chicago crowd when he was introduced before the match.

Dunne took control of the match early and brought Bate to the mat. Bate escaped and both Superstars got back to their feet and locked up. Dunne once again got the upper-hand and locked in an Arm Bar. Bate broke the hold and hit a Dropkick and Dunne rolled out of the ring. Bate followed Dunne out of the ring but Dunne was ready and punched Bate in the face. Dunne tried to stomp on Bate’s hand on the steel steps but Tyler avoided it and punched Dunne in the face.

Dunne Suplexed Bate onto the ring apron and climbed back into the ring to break the referee’s count. Dunne then posed for the crowd and then once again locked in an Arm Bar on Bate. Dunne broke the hold on stomped on the chest of Bate. Dunne connected with a series of kicks to the back of Bate’s head. Bate powered back to his feet and connected with an Exploder Suplex.

Bate hit a couple of running uppercuts on Dunne in the corner. Bate went for a third but Dunne countered with with a kick to Bate’s head. Bate battled back and planted Dunne with a German Suplex for a two count. Bate went for a standing Moonsault but Dunne caught him and applied a Triangle submission hold in the middle of the ring. Bate showed tremendous strength and lifted Dunne off the mat and slammed him back down to break the hold.

The crowd chanted “this is awesome!” as Bate got back to his feet first. Bate lifted Dunne onto his shoulders and spun him around several times and finally dropped him to the mat. The crowd rose to their feet as Bate went for a pinfall. Dunne kicked out at two and both Superstars got back to their feet. Bate went for a German Suplex but Dunne landed on his feet. Dunne connected with a punch to Bate’s head and followed it up with a Powerbomb for a two count. The crowd once again got back on their feet and applauded the two Superstars in the ring.

“NXT!” chants echoed throughout the arena as both Superstars laid on the mat. Dunne and Bate traded punches in the middle of the ring. Bate raised his right hand and then punched Dunne in the face with his left hand. Dunne responded by connected with a kick to Bate’s head. Dunne launched Bate into the ropes but Tyler bounced off and connected with a massive Clothesline for a two count.

The crowd chanted “fight forever!” as both Superstars got back to their feet. Dunne lifted Bate up for the Flatliner but Bate countered it into a ridiculous Tornado DDT that sent Dunne flying out of the ring. Bate leaped onto the second turnbuckle and hit a Moonsault on Dunne outside the ring. Back in the ring, Bate hit a Corkscrew 450 Splash for a two count and Dunne once again escaped outside the ring.

Bate leaped over the top rope but Dunne moved out of the way and Bate crashed to the floor. Dunne brought Bate back in the ring and hit the Bitter End for the victory.

Winner & New UK Champion: Pete Dunne

Reaction: This match was something special and is worth watching if you missed it. The crowd added so much energy to this match and both Dunne and Bate performed very well. It is hard to believe that Tyler Bate is this excellent in the ring at just 20 years of age. Pete Dunne is also incredible in the ring and deserves to hold the UK Championship. It was also great to hear Jim Ross on commentary again. This match will be hard to top for match of the night during NXT TakeOver: Chicago.

NXT Women’s Championship Match: Asuka (c) vs Nikki Cross vs Ruby Riot

Cross whipped her jacket at Ruby Riot to start off the match and knocked her out of the ring. Riot got back up to the ring apron but was immediately knocked back to the floor outside the ring. Asuka launched Cross out of the ring and Riot got back into the ring. The crowd was behind Ruby Riot in the match. Asuka and Riot locked up. Riot knocked Asuka out of the ring and Nikki Cross attacked Ruby Riot. The action spilled outside the ring as Riot punched Asuka in the face.

The injured Ember Moon was shown watching the match from the crowd with her arm in a sling. Back in the ring, Cross connected with a Neckbreaker to Riot. Asuka climbed to the rope and hit Cross with a Dropkick. Cross planted Asuka with a Neckbreaker or a two count. Ruby Riot got back into the ring and was greeted with a Powerbomb from Asuka. Asuka then locked in the Ankle Lock on Ruby Riot but Nikki Cross broke up the hold. Asuka charged at Cross but missed and went tumbling out of the ring.

Cross laughed at Ruby in the ring. Ruby Riot responded by knocking Cross to the mat with a Clothesline. Asuka got back into the ring, but was sent back out of the ring with a Hurricanrana from Ruby Riot. Asuka got back onto the ring apron but Nikki Cross knocked her to the floor. Ruby Riot connected with a Suicide Dive through the second rope onto Asuka.

Back in the ring, Riot climbed to the top turnbuckle and leaped onto Nikki Cross. Riot went for a pinfall but Asuka broke it up and planted Ruby with a German Suplex. Ruby Riot kicked Cross in the midsection and Asuka planted Cross with a German Suplex. Riot then kicked Asuka in the face and climbed to the top rope. Riot tried to leap onto Asuka but Asuka countered it into the Asuka Lock. Nikki Cross broke up the hold and slammed Riot onto the ring apron.

Asuka went for a baseball slide onto Cross but Cross pulled up the ring apron and Asuka got hung up in it. Cross then beat the hell out of Asuka while she was trapped in the ring apron. Cross then brought Asuka back in the ring, hung her up on the top turnbuckle and slammed her to the mat with a Neckbreaker. Cross went for a pinfall but Riot got back in the ring and broke it up. Both Cross and Riot went for a Crossbody and both Superstars collided.

Cross and Riot Clotheslined Asuka out of the ring. Riot connected with a Pele Kick and went for the pinfall but Asuka broke it up. Asuka then kicked Riot in the face and pinned both Cross and Riot at the same time for the victory.

Winner & Still NXT Women’s Champion: Asuka

Reaction: The match started off clunky but picked up towards the end. The finish felt a bit random, but overall this was still an entertaining match.

NXT Championship Match: Bobby Roode (c) vs Hideo Itami

Roode posed in the ring to start off the match and Itami almost hit the GTS right away. Roode escaped out of the ring and gathered himself. Back in the ring, Roode applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Itami broke the hold and hit a vicious elbow than knocked Roode to the mat. Roode battled back and slammed Itami into the turnbuckle. Roode went for a right hand but Itami ducked and connected with a chop to Roode’s chest.

Itami knocked Roode to the mat and connected with a series of kicks to the back and chest of Bobby Roode. Itami mocked Roode’s “glorious” pose and Roode charged at him. Itami went for a DDT off the second rope but Roode knocked him to the mat. Roode then leaped off the second rope and hit a Blockbuster for a two count. Roode then continued the assault by stomping on Itami.

Roode connected with a Clothesline and followed it up with a Neckbreaker for a two count. Roode applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Itami broke the hold and went for a backslide pin but Roode kicked out at two. Roode then connected with another Clothesline and Itami fell to the mat. Itami got back to his feet and slapped Roode in the face. Itami hit a running kick to Roode’s face and both Superstars fell to the mat.

Itami hit a Clothesline and then planted Roode with a Suplex. Itami climbed to the top rope and and hit a Clothesline for a two count. Itami went for the GTS but Roode blocked it and sent Itami into the corner. Roode charged at Itami but Itami moved and Roode slammed into the ring post. Itami locked in an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring. Roode escaped it but was promptly slammed into the turnbuckle.

Both Superstars battled on the top turnbuckle. Roode knocked Itami to the mat and went for another Blockbuster but Itami avoided it. Itami hit a Falcon Arrow for a two count. Itami stayed on the attack by connecting with several kicks to the midsection of Roode. Itami charged at Roode but Roode was ready and planted him with a Spinebuster for a two count.

Roode went for the Glorious DDT but his shoulder gave out. Itami then went for the GTS but Roode escaped to the ring apron. Roode then hung up Itami’s neck on the top rope and then slammed his head into the barricade outside the ring. Itami responded by slamming Roode shoulder-first into the steel steps. Itami then went for a Dropkick but Roode got out of the way and Itami slammed into the steel steps.

The action to returned to the ring and both Superstars traded punches. Itami got the upper-hand and knocked Roode to the mat. Itami then hit a Dropkick as Roode was against the turnbuckle. Itami went for the GTS but his leg gave out. Roode then hit the Glorious DDT but Itami kicked out at two. Itami hit the GTS and Roode fell outside the ring. The “CM Punk!” chants started immediately as Itami rolled Roode back in the ring. Itami lifted Roode up for another GTS but Roode avoided it.

Itami hit a series of slaps to Roode’s face and knocked him to the mat. Itami went for the GTS and Roode countered it into a Glorious DDT. Roode then rolled through and hit another Glorious DDT for the victory.

Winner & Still NXT Champion: Bobby Roode

Reaction: Roode and Itami put on a great match. The crowd was dead for a good majority of it, but got into it towards the end. Roode’s reign as NXT Champion continues, but he is destined to join WWE’s main roster.

NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: The Authors of Pain vs #DIY

Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa climbed up the ladder on the entrance ramp before making their way to the ring. Akam and Rezar paced around the ring waiting for the bell to ring as the titles were lifted above the ring. Gargano and Ciampa started out on the offensive but Akam and Rezar knocked them to the mat. Gargano and Ciampa then knocked Akam and Rezar out of the ring as the crowd cheered.

Gargano and Ciampa grabbed ladders from under the ring. Akam slammed Gargano into the barricade and Rezar did the same to Ciampa. Rezar charged at Ciampa but Ciampa tripped him up and Rezar slammed into the steel steps. Gargano then leaped onto Akam off the ring apron. Gargano and Ciampa then brought the oversized ladder that was on the entrance ramp to the ring.

The ladder was leaning against the ring ropes and Gargano hit a Suicide Dive through it onto Akam and Rezar. Gargano and Ciampa set up a ladder in the ring and climbed it. Akam got back in the ring, but was greeted with a ladder to the face. Rezar got into the ring but #DIY was ready for him and beat him down in the corner. Gargano tried to leap onto Rezar but was caught and got slammed onto Ciampa’s back.

Akam held the ladder as Rezar slowly tried to climb it. Ciampa knocked him down by hitting him with another ladder. Both Rezar and Akam were on their hands and knees and Gargano and Ciampa slammed a ladder across their backs. Ciampa tried to quickly climb the ladder but he was knocked down and got a ladder slammed into his face.

Both members of The Authors of Pain tried to climb up the ladder but were brought back down. Both Ciampa and Gargano tried to quickly climb up the ladder but the ladder was pushed over and they both fell into the top rope. Ciampa was pinned to the turnbuckle by a ladder between the second and top rope. Rezar and Akam then booted the ladder into the midsection of Ciampa several times.

Rezar and Akam then slammed a ladder into Ciampa and Gargano and knocked them out of the ring. The Authors of Pain set up two ladders from the ring apron to the barricade and brought #DIY to the ring apron. Rezar and Akam went for Powerbombs but both Gargano and Ciampa avoided them. Gargano hit Akam with a Superkick. Both Rezar and Akam were then laid out on top of the ladders.

The gigantic ladder was then set up in between both members of The Authors of Pain. Gargano and Ciampa climbed to the top of the ladder and leaped onto Rezar and Akam. Both ladders broke and everyone fell to the floor as the crowd chanted “holy sh**!”. Ciampa was the first Superstar to get back into the ring and he set up a ladder.

Akam joined Ciampa in the ring and both Superstars slowly climbed the ladder. Gargano set up another ladder next to them in the ring. Ciampa and Akam traded punches on one ladder as Gargano and Rezar climbed the other. Ciampa was knocked off the ladder and bounced off the ropes and hit the ladder with Gargano and Rezar on it. Gargano quickly leaped to the other ladder as Rezar fell to the floor. Gargano then knocked Akam to the mat and was about to grab the titles but Paul Ellering prevented it. Gargano then hit Ellering with a Superkick.

Rezar and Akam then beatdown both Ciampa and Gargano as Ellering cheered them on while laying against the barricade outside the ring. Rezar and Akam went to charge at Ciampa with the ladder but Gargano shoved him out of the way. The Authors of Pain then slammed the ladder into Gargano’s face. Rezar had his hands on the titles but Ciampa pulled him off and slammed him through a ladder in the corner of the ring.

Akam then climbed the ladder and Gargano grabbed his leg. Akam climbed down the ladder and shoved Gargano to the mat. Gargano hit Akam with a Superkick and Akam fell to his knees with a ladder wrapped around his neck. #DIY then hit Meeting in the Middle on Akam while his head was in between the rungs of the ladder. Gargano and Ciampa once gain set up a ldder and started to climb.

Rezar and Akam knocked the ladder out from under them and Gargano and Ciampa hung above the ring. The Authors of Pain then hit the Super Collider on #DIY. Rezar and Akam then climbed the ladder and grabbed their titles.

The crowd gave a standing ovation to #DIY after the match as they got back up to their feet. Ciampa then attacked Gargano at the top of the entrance ramp and hit him with a vicious knee to the face. Ciampa then lowered his knee pad and hit him with another knee to the face. Ciampa then slammed Gargano off the announcer’s table and through a couple of tables on the floor.  NXT TakeOver: Chicago went off the air with the crowd booing Ciampa as he stood on the announce table.

Winners & Still NXT Tag Team Champions: The Authors of Pain

Reaction: This match was awesome. NXT TakeOver: Chicago had something for everyone. The UK Championship match was a terrific wrestling match. The NXT Tag Team Championship match was pure chaos and incredibly fun to watch. Every match was solid and overall this event was great.

What did you think of NXT TakeOver: Chicago? Let us know in the comments below.

NXT Takeover: Chicago (5/20) Results & Discussion

Eric Lynch
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386

NXT Takeover: Chicago aired live on May 20th, 2017 on the WWE Network from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL.

– The show opens up with a video about underdogs in the city of Chicago. Bobby Roode tells the camera that the story of the underdog doesn’t exist in his NXT.

– Roderick Strong def. Eric Young: Sanity comes out with Young, and Strong lays them out before the match so it’s just him and Young to start off. Strong starts off strong and controls the pace against Young early on. Young mounts a brief comeback but Strong shuts him down with a series of forearm shots and a knee to the face. The action spills out to ringside and Killian drops Strong when the referee’s back is turned. Back in the ring, Young takes control until he attempts a cross-body off the top and Strong blocks it with a dropkick. Strong hits some elbows and punches, then a series of clotheslines. Strong drops Young with a back breaker then hits a running knee in the corner. Strong hits a back suplex for a near-fall. They roll out to ringside where Young hits a neckbreaker on Young on the floor, and both men are down. Young hits a flying elbow off the top rope, then Sanity starts to get on the apron but Strong knocks them off. Strong and Young go to the top rope where Strong hits a knee to the face that sends Young flying down to ringside ontop of Sanity. Back in the ring, Young comes back with a boot to the face, but Strong comes back with another knee to the face. Strong hits his signature backbreaker for the win, then flees the ring as Sanity comes in after him.

– Pete Dunne def. Tyler Bate: Jim Ross comes out first to join the commentary team and gets a big pop from the Chicago crowd. Dunn controls the opening moments with mat wrestling and he works over Bate’s left hand. Things spill out to ringside where Bates leaps off the ring steps with a flying elbow on Dunne. Dunne comes back with a vertical suplex onto the ring apron. Back in the ring, Dunne boots Bate in the face several times, then Bates comes back with a t-bone suplex. Bate throws Dunne in the corner where he hits a running European uppercut. Dunne comes back with a knee to the face and he attempts a suplex, but Bate gets out and hits a suplex of his own for a near-fall. Bate goes for a standing shooting star press but Dunne catches him in a triangle choke. Dunne hits some punches and elbows, but Bate picks him up and slams him with a powerbomb. Bate gets Dunne on his shoulders in the fireman’s carry position and spins him around, then pins him for a two count. Dunne comes back with a forearm shot to the face and hits a powerbomb for a near-fall. The two men trade punches in the middle of the ring until Bate drops Dunne. Dunne comes back with a kick to the head and both men are down. They trade strikes again, then Bate attempts a tiger suplex but fails. Bate comes right back with a DDT that sends Dunne rolling out to ringside. Bate hits a moonsault off the top onto Dunne on the floor, then slides him in the ring for a corkscrew 450 splash off the top, but still only gets a two count. Dunne rolls outside and Bate attempts a suicide dive and misses. Dunne rolls him back in the ring and hits his finisher for the win to win the UK Championship.

– Asuka (c) vs. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross: Nikki gets taken out early on, then Ruby drops Asuka and sends her outside. Ruby gears up for a suicide dive but Nikki sideswipes her and drops her. All three women out to ringside now where Riot takes control. Ember Moon is shown watching in the crowd. Things go back in the ring where Asuka hits a missile dropkick off the top onto Nikki and she falls onto Ruby. Ruby hits some leg kicks on Asuka but Asuka stops her and hits a powerbomb. Asuka puts her in an ankle lock, but then Nikki runs in and hits Asuka from behind. Nikki and Ruby start going at it with strikes until Asuka comes back into the fray and hits Ruby. Ruby drops Asuka with a hurricanrana, then Ruby slams Nikki into the corner. Asuka takes Nikki outside and drops her with a knee to the face, then Ruby hits a suicide dive on Asuka outside. Ruby takes Nikki back in the ring for a senton drop off the top rope for a two count. Asuka hits a suplex on Ruby for another two count. Asuka grabs Nikki next, but Nikki fights away and hits a neckbreaker for a two count. Ruby superkicks Nikki which directly leads to Asuka hitting a German Suplex on Nikki. Ruby then kicks Asuka and attempts a senton drop off the top on her, but Asuka rolls out of the way and locks Ruby in the Asuka Lock. Nikki hits a splash on Asuka to break the Lock.

– Bobby Roode (c) def. Hideo Itami: Itami attempst the Go 2 Sleep early on, but Roode escapes and rolls outside. Back in the ring, Itami hits a series of knee strikes to take control of the match. Itami works on Roode in the corner and attempts a Tornado DDT, but Roode fights him off and hits a Blockbuster for a two count. Roode controls the next few moments of the match and starts slapping Itami on the back of the head while he’s down. Itami gets back up and slaps Roode across the face, then hits a flurry of strikes that leaves Roode down. Itami drops Roode’s neck across the top rope, then hits a flying clothesline off the top turnbuckle for a two count. Itami tees off on Roode with kicks until Roode ducks one and attempts a rollup. Itami grabs Roode’s arm to block the pin and attempts an arm submission but it doesn’t happen. Itami throws more kicks at Roode then goes for a running knee but Roode catches him with a spinebuster for a two count. Roode attempts a DDT, but Itami fights out. Itami goes for the Go 2 Sleep, but Roode gets out and drops Itami’s throat over the top rope. Roode and Itami brawl around ringside before rolling back inside where they exchange forearm strikes. Itami drops Roode in the corner and hits a running dropkick on him. Roode escapes a Go 2 Sleep attempt by Itami and hits the implant DDT for a two count. Roode is selling a shoulder injury, and Itami is selling a leg injury. Itami hits a Go 2 Sleep out of nowhere on Roode, but Roode immediately rolls outside and Itami is unable to follow up with the pin. Itami gets Roode back in the ring and slaps him in the face several times. Itami goes for another Go 2 Sleep, but Roode gets out and hits not one but two Glorious DDTs for the win to retain the NXT Title.

– Kevin Owens, Pat Patterson and others are shown in the crowd watching the show at the Allstate Arena.

– Authors of Pain (c) def. DIY: All four men start brawling right off the bell, with DIY getting the upper hand and sending the Authors outside. Ciampa hits a drop two hold on Akam into the ring steps, then hits a cross body on him. Gargano hits a suicide dive on Rezar, then DIY grabs the ladder. Back in the ring, Akam side suplexes Gargano ontop of Ciampa. The Authors start climbing a ladder towards the belts hanging above the ring, but Ciampa grabs another ladders and uses it to bat them off. DIY clams the ladder onto the Authors then start climbing, but the Authors push them off. The Authors take some time to beat down Ciampa and Gargano to keep them grounded before they go back for the belts. They start to climb the ladder, but decide against it in favor of beating down DIY some more. The Authors hit Ciampa and Gargano with a ladder and send them rolling outside. The Authors grab another big ladder and slide it in the ring, then they take two other tables and prop them up between the ring and fan barricade like tables. The Authors go to powerbomb DIY into the propped up ladders, but Ciampa and Gargano both escape. DIY comes back with strikes on the Authors, then they lay them ontop of the propped up tables. Ciampa and Gargano both climb up a big ladder standing upright and they both hit splashes onto Rezar and Akam through the ladders below. Back in the ring, all four men start climbing ladders towards the belts until DIY pushes the Authors off. Paul Ellering runs in and pushes over the ladder, so Gargano superkicks him. The Authors come back in and lay out both Ciampa and Gargno. The Authors deliver a ladder shot right to the face of Gargano then they start climbing towards the Titles. Ciampa runs up the ladder and suplexes Rezar off of it through another ladder in the corner of the ring. Akam starts going for the Title but Gargano grabs his leg to stop him. Ciampa and Gargano both superkick Rezar a couple times, then they go for the Titles. The Authors come back in and shove the ladder over, then deliver a couple of powerbombs to the DIY members. Rezar and Akam immediately climb up and grab the Tag Titles while Gargano and Ciampa are recovering from the powerbombs.

– After the match, the copyright logo shows and DIY heads up the ramp. Out of nowhere, Ciampa turns on Gargano and throws him into the Titantron. Ciampa hits two running knees to the face, and Gargano tries to hug Ciampa’s leg. Ciampa takes Gargano to the top of the announce table, then slams him through some production equipment on the floor. Referees check on Gargano and Ciampa watches as Takeover goes off the air.

Dolph Ziggler Releases Promo on Twitter Hyping Match with Nakamura

Jake Skudder
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19

Dolph Ziggler has released a promo via Twitter hyping his bout against Shinsuke Nakamura at Sunday’s Backlash event on the WWE Network.

In the short video Dolph talks about the WWE Universe liking ‘shiny new toys’ and how he built a following and gained the respect of the fans organically. Ziggler also talks about the perception that he is a ‘gatekeeper’ for the NXT stars and how him beating Nakamura means the ‘entire business’ will win.

It is certainly worth checking out the 2 minute video below, Dolph speaks straight in to the camera and it is the most passionate and ‘real’ he has felt in a very long time.

https://twitter.com/HEELZiggler/status/865959323033141249

Card For NXT Takeover: Chicago (5/20), Live Coverage Tonight

Eric Lynch
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NXT Takeover: Chicago takes place tonight at the Allstate Arena and airs live on the WWE Network at 8 PM ET. Join us tonight for live play-by-play Takeover: Chicago coverage and discussion!

Below is the entire card for tonight’s show. On Friday, Triple H shot down internet rumors that Tommaso Ciampa was injured, so the NXT Tag Title Match is still on as-scheduled.

NXT Takeover: Chicago card:

NXT Championship
– Bobby Roode (c) vs. Hideo Itami

NXT Women’s Championship
– Asuka (c) vs. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross

NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match
– Authors Of Pain (c) vs. DIY

WWE United Kingdom Championship
– Tyler Bate (c) vs. Pete Dunne

– Roderick Strong vs. Eric Young

Some matches for next week’s NXT TV will be taped prior to tonight’s pay-per-view. Drew McIntyre will take on Wesley Blake in singles action, and Aleister Black is also scheduled to be in action.

  • Discussion: What do you think the best match on tonight’s show will be? Comment with your predictions!

Impact Highlights: Low Ki Defends, Ultimate X Returns

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling
airdate: May 18th 2017
Orlando, FL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFEmVFi7JV8

1. GFW World Tag Team Title Tournament 
LAX (Santana & Ortiz) vs. Garza Jr. & Laredo Kid 

Lax are already the Impact tag champs, but this tournament is for the GWF tag titles. Garza Jr. & Laredo Kid are two of the young luchadors who left AAA to join Konnan in the relatively newly formed Crash promotion.

Diamante ended up getting involved for Lax, taking out Garza Jr. on the outside. This allowed Sanatan & Ortiz to hit a Doomsday Device type move, but replace the top rope clothes line with a blockbuster into a power-bomb.

Winners: LAX 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9wnncGHcBY

  • Bruce Pritchard and Magnus have a confrontation in the back. Magnus is upset that he had to take on El Patron so soon after taking on Matt Morgan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_gqP6Cfz8s

2. Kongo Kong w/Laurel Van Ness vs. Braxton Sutter w/Allie

During this match Matthews mentioned that Impact plans on running live events shortly.

Kongo Kong took the advantage early, but Sutter was able to make a comeback after Kong missed a cannonball in the corner. Sutter tried to take the big man down with kicks, but never was able to. Kongo cut off his comeback with an avalanche in the corner, then followed it up with a side-driver type move and got the 3-count.

After the match, KM and Sienna hit the ring and started laying the boots into Sutter. Van Ness held Allie back. Mahabali Shera made the save. Sutter then challenged Kong and KM to a tag match against him and Shera for next week.

Winner: Kongo Kong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxc5lPgTt3M

3. James Storm vs. EC3

Magnus was on commentary for this match. Storm dressed up as a cowboy last week and then delivered a beatdown to Storm with the leather strap to the back.

The leather strap found its way into this match as well, as EC3 lost it mid-match and started using the strap on the referee. This led to Magnus getting involved as well, and eventually Bruce Pritchard came out to confront EC3.

Winner: James Storm via DQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIAqf2Q60e4

  • Bruce Pritchard told EC3 he needed to “find his balls”, which caused EC3 to beat him up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIWfq6lfU60

4. Global Force Women’s Championship
ODB vs. Sienna (c)

The 29 year old Sienna has been wrestling since 2008, and is really starting to get her due in Impact as of late. Before landing in Impact, Sienna did tours in Japan and competed for Shine and various smaller promotions. She picked up her first successful title defence here as well.

Sienna got the majority of the offence, and a clean win in this match. She took the early advantage, until ODB was able to make a short comeback. After ODB missed a move from the 2nd rope, Sienna hit the Silencer and got the pin.

Win: Sienna (retains)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jgfZxfkCDc

  • Jeremy Borash announced he has obtained a lawyer, and according to his legal documents he is now reinstated on the announce team.
  • Turns out JB’s lawyer is Joseph Park, the “brother” of Decay’s Abyss.
  • Park informs everyone that Borash is now the lead announcer for Impact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yKHoY9Xv0Q

  • Mathews tells Park he’s Abyss, which upsets him.
  • Park than says he will tag with Borash at Slammiversary (July 2nd) against Mathews and whoever he can get to be his partner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoboBdddMKY

5. X-Division Championship
Ultimate X Match
Low-Ki (c) vs. Trevor Lee w/Shane Helms vs. Andrew Everett

Low Ki is currently 5th in total days spent as X-Division champ. In 11 days he will pass Petey Williams on that list. Chris Sabin is the leader in this category, having spent 432 days as champ over 8 reigns. Austin Aries and Samoa Joe are #2 and #3 respectively.

Low-Ki, who wrestled in a full suit again, pulled out the victory here. Both Everett and Lee scaled the ropes, while Low-KI scaled the metal barrier and kicked both his opponents down. He grabbed the belt and retained his title.

Winner: Low-Ki (retains)

Jinder Mahal Now A Betting Favorite To Win At Backlash

Staff
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With just a few days until Sunday’s Backlash pay-per-view, Jinder Mahal is now a betting favorite to defeat Randy Orton for the WWE Championship.

According to WWELeaks.org (via betting site Paddy Power), Randy Orton was the favorite (1/6) and Jinder Mahal was the underdog (7/2) when the betting market opened on Wednesday.

The odds remained consistent on Friday morning, when things started to narrow. By Friday afternoon, there was a surge in betting for Jinder Mahal, who is now a 3/10 favorite over Orton (11/5).

We’ll keep an eye on the betting lines over the next couple days and will provide an update if there are any more significant shifts. There is still time to see things shift back in Orton’s favor, but things are looking good for Jinder as of this writing.

Join us here this Sunday for our Live Coverage of WWE Backlash.

Discussion: If Jinder Mahal does become WWE Champion at Backlash, which SmackDown superstar do you want him to feud with first

HHH Comments on Tommaso Ciampa’s Status for Takeover: Chicago

Chris Stephens
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5

Tommaso Ciampa, 1/2 of Team DIY along with Johnny Gargano, appeared to injure his ankle recently at a house show. The injury caused the referee to give the “X” signal, which normally indicates a performer has been legitimately injured.

On the NXT media conference call earlier, HHH was asked about Ciampa’s status, and confirmed there was no break or fracture to his ankle, and his match at Takeover is still on.

Team DIY challenges the Authors of Pain in a ladder match for the NXT tag team championships at Takeover: Chicago.

Team DIY vs. Authors of Pain

Gargano & Ciampa became the 10th team to wear NXT tag team gold at NXT Takeover: Toronto in November. They defeated the 2x NXT tag champs the Revival in a best 2-of-3 falls match.

They would drop the belts to the Authors of Pain at Takeover: San Antonio back in January however. Since that time, the Revival have been called up, leaving Team DIY as top contenders for the belts.

Also kicking around the tag team division is Heavy Machinery, and members of Sanity.

 

Christian Says Kurt Angle Showed up to His Wedding in Ripped Pants

Jon Fuentes
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4

On a recent edition of WWE Network’s Table For 3, former WWE Superstars Edge, Christian, and Kurt Angle joined together for a meal to talk about a variety of topics. During the event, “Captain Carisma” discussed watching Angle come up through the developmental system and the former Olympian’s awkward appearance at his wedding. Check it out:

Knowing Angle was going to be a natural after their encounters together in developmental:

“I was already under a developmental contract at the time and they were just bringing me back monthly to figure out if I was ready to go up to the main roster. [Angle] never had a pro wrestling match [at that time]. Like, I remember getting in there and doing the basic lockups and grabbing the arm, just basic things that you learn very early on. And sometimes it takes guys are long time to pick those types of things up and I remember, boom, the first time [Angle] had it. Every time, [Angle] had it and I remember thinking to myself, ‘my God, this guy is a natural.'”

Talking Angle through his first match at a spot show in New England:

“To me, that was a huge honor. First of all, for me, they trusted me to be the guy to come in there and have a match with [Angle]. I was like, ‘don’t worry, you always know what you’re doing out there. I’m going to talk to you’ and [Angle is] like, ‘what? Don’t do that.’ I was like, ‘what do you mean?’ ‘You can’t talk.’ I was like, ‘yeah, I might even tell you a joke’ and now he [has] got his hands here [over his face], ‘please, don’t make me laugh. Please, don’t talk to me.'”

Angle showing up to his wedding with ripped pants and a red face:

“Maybe a little known fact that [Angle] stood up at my wedding. That’s how good friends we are and Adam was obviously the best man. When [Angle] showed up, his face was like beet red and I was like, ‘Kurt, are you alright?’ He was like, ‘I haven’t put this tux on for a while. The button is too tight.’ And it looked like [Angle’s] head was going to pop. And [Angle was] like, ‘hey, look at this,’ and [Angle] put [his] leg up and [he] ripped the crotch out of the pants on the way to the wedding.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcribed quotes

Jinder Mahal: Vince McMahon An ‘Evil Genius’ Who Knows What He’s Doing

Jon Fuentes
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6

This Sunday, SmackDown star Jinder Mahal headlines his first WWE pay-per-view when he challenges Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at Backlash. Ahead of his championship opportunity, the former 3MB member was a guest on Chris Jericho’s popular Talk Is Jericho podcast to discuss his ascension from obscurity to main events. Mahal also spoke at length about his evolving relationship with Vince McMahon, which you can read about below.

Vince McMahon changing his original post-Six Pack Challenge win promo:

“He had rewritten my promo,” Jinder said. “The original promo was something totally different, so when I finished calling the match, one of the writers was like, ‘hey, Vince changed your promo.’ I was like, ‘okay, bring it to me. Please bring it to me.’ So they [broughgt] it to me and I had read the American comment and I was like, ‘ah, I like the old promo better.’ Like, it was like something like, ‘I tried being peaceful, but nobody was listening. But now I have all you guys’, everyone’s, attention. I beat five of SmackDown’s very best and I did it all alone.’

Something like that. It was just like a regular heel promo, but the new one was like, ‘you Americans this and that.’ And I was like, ‘argh, man, I don’t think we should go [there]. Like, but I’m like, ‘but whatever. Vince wrote it. It’s okay.’ But I did it and the reaction I got, I was like, ‘oh man, Vince is a genius!’ He knows exactly what’s going to draw the most heat.”

Originally shying away from Vince McMahon but now having a great relationship with him:

“I’ve become closer with Vince. It was weird, during my first run, and even when I was on 3MB, I would kind of like avoid Vince. Not avoid him, but he’s intimidating. Now, I have like a good relationship with him.”

“It’s weird. He’s like an evil genius. Is there anyone who has watched more [pro] wrestling than Vince McMahon?” Mahal added, “Vince knows what he’s doing.”

H/T Wrestlign Inc. for the transcribed quotes

Johnny Mundo Reveals What His Current Relationship With WWE is Like

Jon Fuentes
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10

Former WWE Superstar and current Lucha Underground talent Johnny Mundo (a.k.a. John Morrison) recently spoke to Wrestle:List to speak on a variety of pro wrestling topics. Check out the highlights here:

What his current relationship with the WWE is like today:

“Well, right now I’m under contract with Lucha Underground. And I’m really happy with Lucha Underground. In my opinion it has the best wrestling on TV currently. Rey Mysterio, Fenix, Pentagon Jr., Son of Havoc, Angelico, PJ Black, Taya, Dragon Azteca, Brian Cage – the roster of Lucha Underground – the product, the polished one hour TV show is really cool for me. And it’s in Los Angeles, where I live, we’re shooting three of four months, and then taking time off during which I can do things like make movies, like with Bounty Hunter, and wrestle for promotions, like Five Star Wrestling. So, right now I’m really happy with where I’m at. Will I go back to WWE? I don’t know. It’s what I grew up on and I always dreamt of headlining a Wrestlemania, and it’s one of the few things that I haven’t achieved that I dreamed of as a kid. Never say never in wrestling.”

Making the transition from pro wrestling to acting:

“There’s a learning curve, for sure. Acting for film is more nuanced than professional wrestling. I had to learn to tone down my reactions. In acting for TV and film, a lot of the time you have to think big, but don’t react big because the camera is so close and takes everything. A lot can be told by just your eyes. In pro wrestling, you’ve got to be a lot bigger, because it’s ultimately the crowd that you’re working for. Even if it’s a TV taping, the crowd is a part of the show. In addition, the stunt fighting and choreography is very similar and very different. In wrestling, you’re doing one take of everything and making contact, because there’s no camera angles. You have to learn the difference between a stunt punch, a wrestling punch, and to really be good at stunt fighting, the difference between a boxing style punch, a kung-fu style punch, a taekwondo style punch. There’s a million different ways to throw a punch. In pro wrestling, you are creating your own character, all the coolest things you’ve seen and your best attributes are what you do. And you refine that over time, and it becomes, for me, Johnny Mundo. And for El Ligero it becomes El Ligero. But you step into the world of film and TV, and the character could be fighting as Hercules, the Eternal Warrior, or an android. So, you have to learn a different movement style, quickly.”

Difference between working in Mexico and the United States:

“There’s a couple of differences, and some of them I really liked. The crowds in Mexico get angrier than they did with WWE. I’d regularly get stuff thrown at me like bottles of water and trash. It’s kind of cool. It’s also a really built-in character I’m doing out there. I’m currently the Absolute Champion of AAA. So being an American, and cheating to keep all the titles, you can understand why the crowd is upset. But as far as the culture of the locker room, I felt really welcomed down there. Even if I can’t communicate very well with some of the wrestlers, because my Spanish is limited. Wrestling locker rooms are globally pretty similar and pretty accepting, as long as you show up and you’re there to work, and you’re respectful. I’ve never been anywhere that’s tough to deal with in that regard. There’s a lot of finishing the show in Mexico and having a shot of tequila, and a lot of the time there’s no water backstage, just beer. But that’s what makes the experience cool, and traveling cool.”

Big E on How The Hardys Have Impacted The WWE’s Tag Team Division

Jon Fuentes
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0

WWE Superstar and one-third of former WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day, Big E, recently did an interview with Mid Day. Here’s what he had to say:

The impact The Hardys have had on the WWE’s Tag Team division:

“I think it’s definitely heating up obviously with the addition of the Hardy Boyz… that’s huge for igniting people’s passion with WWE tag team wrestling again. Also, The Revival, dastardly as they maybe, I think they are very talented. They say ‘what’s old is made new’ so, they borrowing a lot of Brainbusters from the tag team and wrestling of that age has helped them feel new. On SmackDown Live, seeing The Usos with their latest turn as heel and reigniting their careers as well as seeing how much momentum they have. I am a big fan of Breezango as well. Those guys need to be given a chance which they are finally getting. I really feel they are gonna tear it up with the opportunity they have with The Usos.

“It’s exciting to sit back a bit, we are kind of forcibly before we eventually make our SmackDown Live debut. The tag team division is in pretty good hands. We also have an eye on what is going on at NXT. There’s a lot to like about tag team wrestling and we will see how things shape after the superstar shake up.”

The New Day’s journey from being heels to where they are now:

“Oh it is a very long story! Well, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods (the third member of The New Day) and me noticed quite early that we shared chemistry and a bond that was uncommon. Regardless of what incarnation the group would take, the WWE universe would see our chemistry and that would be the selling point. We believe that energy attracts energy. When we have fun and enjoy each others company, people are drawn in. However, The New Day would have manifested, we would be fine. Initially, we had a rocky start with ‘The New Day sucks’ chants. I remember, Xavier Woods being really fired up in the ring a few times. Initially it just started with a ‘clap’ (The New Day’s gimmick) and no words and Xavier Woods came up with that. It was a way to give us a clap that was unique and one that fans register as The New Day. It was hard on us for months. I remember us working a lot of time outside of WWE, at home, writing texts and emails trying to get on the same page and going out of our way to get this off the ground. And for people to tell us we suck, I mean, we are working as hard as we can.

“Most of WWE’s hardcore fan base wants to see underutilized wrestlers in better positions. And that was us. Kofi has been with WWE for a long time and never really had a world title opportunity and Woods never got to showcase his talents. We thought people would pull through for us, as underutilized guys, but it was not that way.

“I think, the one beautiful thing is that the WWE universe demonstrated that they have a voice and that they matter. If it wasn’t for them being so vocal and if they were apathetic, The New Day would have been dead in the water. It was perseverance for us as we believed in each other and that is the biggest take-away from this for us. If the WWE universe believes, they can definitely change a lot – like with Daniel Bryan and his WrestleMania moment. That is what is unique about WWE, that the fans can change and alter careers of the very WWE superstars that they watch.”

Goldberg Talks Working With Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33, The Build-Up to Their Match, More

Jon Fuentes
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13

Former WWE Universal Champion Bill Goldberg recently did an interview with Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc. to talk about his recent run with the company. You can check out the highlights here:

The build-up to him and Brock Lesnar’s WrestleMania 33 match:

“It was a very tense build up and everything; 13 years far removed from the business, 13 years removed from the match, and the way we had went out. At the same time it was different circumstances, but in everyone’s eye it was a negative, self included so to be able to be able to have an opportunity to put something positive ahead so people don’t dwell on that the rest of their lives and get a little retribution and go out and show everyone that I can still do it.

“There are a lot of things on that checklist that I had to take into consideration, I’m currently writing a book about my last run; I mean, there was a lot packed in within a very short period of time. At the end of the day I am honored, humbled and privileged to anybody that thought I could pull it off and given the opportunity to show that I can. From the first day to the last day, I had all the confidence in the world to no confidence at all, which is what drives me; trying to be humble in every respect, where sometimes the negative pushes you to the point where you are in an emotional tizzy about it, which is a word I have never used. It’s a mentally lobotomizing situation that I can sit here and complain about all day long where people wouldn’t understand it, but at the end of the day I am the luckiest guy in the world to be given that opportunity.”

Everything being worth it after admitting he was ‘miserable’ during his recent WWE stint:

“People had made mention that I was so miserable throughout the previous run, but you know what, a woman is miserable throughout her pregnancy, but it doesn’t mean that at the end of the day she has the baby it is a negative experience. I tell it like it is; it sucks burping and farting all day because you are pushing your body to count the calories and be a semblance of who you were back in the day. There are certain things that are difficult to do; packing on the weight at 50 years old is extremely difficult for me to do because at 30 I was trying to gain weight and your body doesn’t react the same way. Through the miles of abuse you put on it throughout the years; whether it’d be on the field or in the ring, it doesn’t want to respond the way that it used to, but again, as miserable as I may have sounded, i was more than humbled to of been given the opportunity that it happened.”

What it was like working with Lesnar at WrestleMania:

“Brock is one of my best friends on the planet. He always has been and always will be. Whether we’re inside the ring with him. He has done a lot of things in his life and is the utmost professional. That guy can work his ass off. Whether we shell 2 moves or 200 moves, whether it’s the psychology or the simple art of selling, Brock Lesnar is one of the best that has ever been out there. I hope people can appreciate the growth he has made as a person and character throughout the years because he’s a pro; he knows what to do, to be able to share the ring with him again 13 years far removed from the last time, and like you said, I may be beating a dead horse here, it was an honor and a privilege.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcribed quotes

WWE Backlash 2017 Match Card & Predictions

Robert Lentini
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Tye Dillinger vs Aiden English (Kickoff Show)

Prediction: Tye Dillinger has already defeated Aiden English and will move to 2-0 against the former Vaudevillian.

Erick Rowan vs Luke Harper

Rowan has already picked up a victory over Harper recently on SmackDown. This match was made on Tuesday night’s episode of Talking Smack. Erick Rowan was a guest on the show and demanded that the match be made. SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon granted Rowan’s wish and the two former Wyatt Family members will battle on Sunday night.

Prediction: I’d like to believe that Luke Harper will pick up the win this Sunday at Backlash. Harper is very talented but has been completely wasted on SmackDown the past couple of months. Rowan has a new gimmick where he is hearing voices from his mask. It comes off as dumb rather than scary. Harper gets the win on Sunday and hopefully becomes relevant again on SmackDown.

Baron Corbin vs Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn made the move from RAW to SmackDown during WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up. The brand switch hasn’t made a difference for Zayn, as he is right back to getting his ass kicked on a weekly basis. Zayn was attacked by Corbin during an episode of Talking Smack. Corbin has beaten down Zayn since then and it would be a major upset if Zayn were to pick up a victory at Backlash.

Prediction: The announcers will praise Sami Zayn for not giving up, but he will ultimately lose the match. JBL will say something like “yeah, but you’ve got to know when to just stay down” as Corbin is punching Zayn in the face. Corbin hits the End of Days and wins in dominant fashion.

Becky Lynch, Naomi & Charlotte Flair vs Carmella, Natalya & Tamina Snuka

Natalya, Carmella, Tamina Snuka and James Ellsworth have named themselves the “Welcoming Committee” and have made Charlotte Flair’s life a living hell since she came over to SmackDown. They tried to recruit Becky Lynch, but Lynch beat them down instead. Charlotte Flair has her eyes set on Naomi’s SmackDown Women’s Championship, but agreed to put that on hold in order to deal with the Welcoming Committee.

Prediction: Charlotte and Naomi will get frustrated with each other during the match. Ellsworth will probably try to interfere and get kicked out. If the Welcoming Committee is going to remain a stable on SmackDown, they need a victory here.

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos (c) vs Breezango

Breezango have been on a roll lately. They defeated The Colons on Tuesday night and are heading into WWE Backlash with confidence. The Usos have been cutting promos on Breezango after their matches on SmackDown.

Prediction: I think Breezango will win the SmackDown Tag Team Championships in the future. However, The Usos should retain the titles on Sunday. The New Day should be making their SmackDown debut soon and I’d like to see them feud with The Usos.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Dolph Ziggler

Shinsuke Nakamura will wrestle in his first match on WWE’s main roster this Sunday at Backlash. Ziggler has pretty much built up this match by himself, as Nakamura has only made a couple of entrances and thrown out an insult or two in the past few weeks. Ziggler believes that Nakamura has done nothing to deserve such praise from the WWE Universe and wants to embarrass Shinsuke at Backlash.

Prediction: I would be shocked if Shinsuke Nakamura lost this match. Nakamura will pick up the victory but Ziggler will attack him after the match. I’m guessing this feud will continue after Sunday night and that is fine by me. Ziggler and Nakamura can put on an incredible match and I predict that they will steal the show on Sunday night.

United States Championship Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs AJ Styles

AJ Styles earned a shot at Owens’ United States Championship a few weeks back. There hasn’t really been much to this feud until the most recent episode of SmackDown. Owens cost AJ Styles his match against Jinder Mahal. Owens has declared himself the new “Face of America” and AJ Styles wants to take his title and bring it back to the USA.

Prediction: Kevin Owens will either get himself disqualified or cheat to win. There is no reason to take the United States Championship off of Owens right now. AJ Styles can absorb a loss, he is practically untouchable. Styles should be in the WWE Championship picture anyway, so a loss here really doesn’t matter. This match also has the potential to be the best match of the night.

WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton vs Jinder Mahal

Mahal has gotten the upper-hand on Orton pretty much since winning the Six-Pack Challenge to become #1 contender. Mahal has attacked Orton during the House of Horrors Match at Payback, stole Orton’s WWE Championship and planted Orton with a Khallas to close out Tuesday’s SmackDown.

Prediction: Jinder Mahal has done the best he could with this opportunity. He has cut a few solid promos and has done his best to make this feud feel legitimate. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. I think several factors have prevented this feud from being great. First, people just didn’t want to accept Jinder Mahal as the #1 contender. Fans complain that they want to see new people get opportunities in WWE. When that finally happens, they get annoyed that it wasn’t the guy or girl they wanted. Thus, WWE was immediately fighting an uphill battle when they pushed Jinder Mahal.

WWE didn’t do enough to get the doubters to change their minds. I gave the feud a chance, but I got bored with it rather quickly. Another reason why this feud hasn’t worked is because Randy Orton is the WWE Champion. Orton hasn’t brought anything to the table since taking the WWE Championship off of Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania 33. If the WWE Champion was beloved by the WWE Universe, maybe fans would have reacted to Jinder Mahal more. Instead, the ratings for SmackDown have plummeted and this feud was ultimately a failure.

Randy Orton will retain his WWE Championship this Sunday at Backlash. One can only hope that his next feud is entertaining. SmackDown has been quite boring since he became the top guy on the show. Maybe after Backlash, Randy Orton will finally decide to …entertain.

Who do you think will win this Sunday at Backlash? Share your predictions in the comments below.

The Rock Appears on the Tonight Show, Addresses Run for President

Chris Stephens
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While promoting the Baywatch movie, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last night.

Rock was asked about his comments in GQ earlier this month, stating that his running for President is a “very real possibility”.

The Rock on the Tonight Show

After doing a Baywatch style slow-motion entrance onto the show, Rock answered questions related to a possible Presidential run. When Fallon brought the idea up it received a pop from the live audience.

They talked about a poll that came out recently which showed the Rock would be favoured to defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Here is an article on the poll.

“3 years is a long way away so we’ll see”

The Young Bucks Welcome Marty Scurll to Bullet Club, Video

Chris Stephens
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2

Marty Scurll joined Bullet Club at the War of the Worlds PPV event this weekend. The Young Bucks have now released previously unseen footage from backstage at the event.

The Bucks insinuate that Scurll has been with Bullet Club longer than what has been shown on television.

Bullet Club’s “Villain”

At the War of the Worlds PPV, Adam Cole lost a singles match to Hiroshi Tanahashi. After the match the Bucks came out and acted like they were going to super-kick Cole, but then 2-sweeted him instead.

The lights went out and Kenny Omega’s face appeared on the screen. Omega publicly fired Cole, and announced “the Villian” Marty Scurll as the newest member of Bullet Club. The lights went out again, Scurll was in the ring, and the Bucks super-kicked Cole, officially ending his time in the faction.

Updates on Paige, Summer Rae and Eva Marie

Jake Skudder
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On a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer provided an update on the statues of WWE Superstars Paige, Summer Rae and Eva Marie.

Paige is still out of action recovering from neck surgery, but the feeling is that she wouldn’t be brought back to television at this time even if she was cleared to wrestle. In light of her personal issues and how outspoken Alberto has been about WWE, her status with the company is helped by the fact that WWE and The Rock are developing the movie based on her family.

Summer Rae is ready to return, but WWE does not currently have anything planned for her in the short term.

Eva Marie will not be appearing on the upcoming season of Total Divas and could be done with WWE entirely. She has several projects going outside of WWE and we’ve come a long way from the days when Eva Marie was seen internally as ‘the female Roman Reigns’ (ie. in line for a monster push and one of the faces of the company).

Meltzer noted, “There’s an even number of women on both [RAW and Smackdown], so they don’t want to mess with that right now.”

Visit f4wonline.com for details on how you can subscribe to the Wrestling Observer. 

Eric Bischoff Comments on Randy Orton’s ….dive Tweets

Jake Skudder
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Eric Bischoff recently took time during his Bischoff on Wrestling podcast is discuss the …dive controversy surrounding Randy Orton. He had this to say:

“Drawing more money, what does that mean anymore? Again, I like Randy a lot and I have a ton of respect for him so I do not mean this to be any kind of a shot at Randy. But Randy has the luxury of having a very successful career with for what is in all intents and purposes — it wasn’t intentional but [WWE’s] a monopoly.”

“Yes, WWE makes a lot of money and as a result so does Randy. Randy hasn’t had to change his style because he has the privilege of working for a company that is able to pay Randy a lot of money. And he doesn’t have to go out and make his living on the independent circuit. Randy doesn’t have to go out and create new fans. All Randy has to do is stay on the treadmill.”

“[Randy] has that luxury, that privilege of getting [his] seven figures and having a check show up in the mail once a month for things [he] don’t even remember doing, and getting merchandise money because [he has] this machine behind [him] that prints that money. And a lot of people don’t, the vast majority of people don’t. It’s a little bit like the music industry where 2% of the people make 98% of the money. Well, I don’t think that 2% of the people who are making 98% of the money should necessarily look down their nose at the other 98% who are trying to craft a living.”

Credit to Still Real To Us for the transcription.

What do you make of Bischoff’s comments? Let us know in the comments.

Tommaso Ciampa Possibly Injured at NXT Live Event (Video)

Jake Skudder
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5

Reports indicate that DIY member Tommaso Ciampa was injured at an NXT live event mere days before his tag team title match at NXT Takeover in Chicago.

Ciampa and DIY partner Gargano were in a tag team bout against Sanity when the match was stopped and the referee threw up the ‘X’ sign. Early indications point to this being a legitimate injury that comes at a terrible time for both Tommaso and Johnny Gargano.

Join us here this Saturday night for our Live Coverage of NXT Takeover: Chicago.

https://twitter.com/briantheguppie/status/865375861134020608

https://twitter.com/briantheguppie/status/865415082850697218

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