WWE appears to be planning for some surprise participants in the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is trying to keep the participants a secret aside from Mickie James, Carmella, Natalya, and Becky Lynch. Naomi may be cleared to return by WrestleMania on 4/2 in her hometown, and other rumored participants include Summer Rae, Tamina, and Eva Marie.
It’s still possible that WWE may bring back some names from the past to take part in the WrestleMania match. Some names reportedly being considered include Kelly Kelly, Victoria and Lita.
WrestleMania 33 takes place on April 2nd at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
It appears that WWE SmackDown events are now drawing more fans than RAW events. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, in February SmackDown averaged 4,980 fans at house shows while RAW averaged 3,450 fans at house shows.
RAW had reportedly been beating SmackDown in attendance up until the end of 2016, but John Cena’s return is being credited for turning things around for the blue brand in the first months of this year.
Monday night RAW and Tuesday night SmackDown each average approximately 8,600 fans per show. This time last year, RAW averaged 9,800 fans per show, and SmackDown averaged 7,300.
On Wednesday night’s edition of NXT it was announced that Aleister Black will be making his debut against Andrade “Cien” Almas at Takeover: Orlando. Vignettes promoting Black’s debut have been airing on NXT for the last two weeks.
NXT Takeover: Orlando airs on the WWE Network on April 1st, the night before WrestleMania, at 8 PM ET from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL. Below the current card for the show:
Jerry “The King” Lawler recently provided an update on the possibility of his Memphis wrestling tape library being added to the WWE Network soon. On the latest edition of Lawler’s Dinner With The King podcast, The King confirmed that he does own the Memphis tape library and feels confident that WWE will purchase it.
“Yes, I do own [the Memphis library],” Lawler said. “There’s just some controversy about USWA footage, which would have been from ’88 to ’96. But all the other, from ’77 to ’88 and from ’96 on, yeah, I own that footage.”
When asked about the WWE Network, Lawler says he “absolutely, without a doubt” expects to see the Memphis footage added to the streaming service.
WrestleMania 33 goes down on April 2nd, and construction has already begun on the set for WWE’s biggest pay-per-view of the year. Twitter user @TownNation tweeted photos this week from the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL showing workers preparing the arena for WrestleMania.
The photos show a crew working on a structure high into the sky that may be the canopy that will cover the ring.
Last time WrestleMania was at the Camping World Stadium (then known as the Citrus Bowl) in 2008, WWE built an eight-pillar canopy over the ring with four big screens on it.
WrestleMania 33 takes place on Sunday, April 2nd at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL at 7 PM ET with live coverage all day on SEScoops.com and the SEScoops app.
Jan Ross was hit by a car on Monday night while riding a scooter close to their home. She suffered a catastrophic brain injury including multiple skull fractures.
Earlier today, Jim Ross wrote on his blog:
We were a team in WWE. I was a “coach” and Jan was the best coach’s wife ever. She loved the talents and their spouses, invited them into our home, cooked for them and even did some of their laundry that they would bring over. Some of the Attitude Era’s biggest stars were made to feel welcome in our home over the years thanks to my wife.
She helped me battle thru multiple bouts of depression as a result of the multiple, Bells palsy attacks, my dependence on Ambian, and nursed me to back health after serious, colon surgery that threatened my life and she never complained one time.
This woman loves me more than I’ll ever deserve and simply knowing her has enriched my life to levels that I can never repay.
Our deepest condolences to Jim Ross and his family. RIP
WWE is interested in purchasing Ring of Honor and discussions regarding a potential sale have been ongoing for months. Pro Wrestling Sheet broke news on Wednesday night that WWE and Sinclair Broadcasting have been engaged in “secret talks” since January.
As you might have guessed, a major selling point of this deal for WWE is content for the WWE Network. Not only would WWE acquire Ring of Honor’s tape library dating back to 2002, but Ring of Honor’s weekly television show would also migrate to WWE’s growing streaming platform.
The careers of countless current and past WWE Superstars ran through Ring of Honor, including Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Brian Kendrick, Austin Aries, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Matt and Jeff Hardy. There’s plenty of footage in the ROH archives involving these performers that WWE would like to get a hold of.
No word yet on what this means for the talent currently under contract with Ring of Honor or the company’s live touring operation. It’s safe to say ROH’s long standing relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling would dissolve if the company was sold to WWE.
Top Ring of Honor wrestlers include ROH Champion Christopher Daniels, ROH Tag Team Champions Matt and Jeff Hardy, Adam Cole, the Young Bucks, Will Ospreay, ROH Television Champion Marty Scurll, Cody Rhodes, Jay Lethal and ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions, Briscoe Brothers and Bully Ray.
It’s worth noting that we do not know how close the two sides are to finalizing a deal. The story by Ryan Satin notes that talks have been progressing slowly, but this is a significant story nonetheless.
We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available.
Jimmy and Jey Uso won WWE tag team gold for the 3rd time last night on Smackdown. They won their first championships in March of 2014, and their second in December of the same year. With another championship win to their name, the Usos are making a case for themselves as the greatest tag team their bloodline has ever produced.
Jimmy and Jey Uso’s real names are Jon and Josh Fatu. Why the WWE doesn’t go with their more famous sounding last name is anyone’s guess. They are part of a long lineage of championship tag teams that their family has produced.
Anoa’i Family Tag Team Legacy
The Wild Samoans were the first tag team the family produced, and Afa and Sika would play a major role in cementing wrestling as the family business. A legendary tag team, they held the WWF tag titles on 3 occassions and were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
Afa and Sika’s sister married and had children with I’aulualo Folau Solofa Fatu. They had 3 sons who became wrestlers. Eddie Fatu would go on to have a very successful WWE run as Umaga before dying at the early age of 36. The other two sons were twins, Sam and Solofa Fatu. They would become the Tongan Kid and Rikishi respectively.
The Tongan Kid, Uncle to the Usos, would form a tag team with family friend Haku as the Islanders in the 1980s. While they would never win the WWE tag team titles, they were successful in their own right.
The next tag team the family produced was “the Headshrinkers”, which consisted of Rikishi (as Fatu) and his cousin Samuel Anoa’i, who was known as Samu. They would win the WWE tag team championships on one occasion.
Next up was 3 Minute Warning, which consisted of Eddie Fatu (Umaga) and Matthew Anoa’i (Rosey). The team would serve as bodyguards for Raw GM Eric Bischoff for a period, before both wrestlers would move into different characters.
Finally the Usos are the first 3rd generation tag team the family has produced. Now with 3 championship title reigns to their name, they are starting to make a case for themselves as being the greatest tag team in family history. They still might need to do more to pass the Wild Samoans however, but considering the Usos are only 31 years old, they have plenty of time left still.
Paul Heyman is partnering with Yahoo! Sports once again in the lead up to WrestleMania 33.
Starting next Monday and running through WrestleMania Sunday, the popular Heyman Hustle website will drop an original blog post and a new video for Yahoo Sports’ The Turnstile sub-site.
The videos will feature exclusive footage of Lesnar preparing for his upcoming Universal Championship match against Goldberg, Heyman participating in “media row” in Orlando, outtakes and tons more exclusive footage.
“Last year, our partnership with Yahoo! Sports was the most successful collaboration we’ve ever done with the Heyman Hustle website,” Heyman told TheWrap. “It also provided a look into our Looking4Larry Agency that launched the bidding war for the rights to the reality show we’re currently shooting.”
“This year, we are debuting seven never-before-seen videos with behind the scenes footage of Brock Lesnar that even I find intimidating, and also doing a Facebook Live session for which I’m already lawyering up!”
Head over to The Wrap to see the first exclusive video featuring Brock Lesnar participating in a [very brief yet still terrifying] sit-down interview.
As we gear up for WrestleMania 33, WWE COO Triple H spoke with Peter Rosenberg this week for a special 1-on-1 interview on Rosenberg’s Cheap Heat Podcast. Here are some highlights of what Triple H said about:
His promo with Mick Foley to end last week’s RAW:
“It was great. It’s funny, there’s certain guys or women you have a certain chemistry with. When you get on screen with them, everything clicks and you just have magic. It’s that way with Mick. I think for both of us, we both felt it was a trip back 15 years in time. He and I haven’t been in the ring together forever. It was very cool to have that moment. He brings out an intensity in me, I think I bring that out in him, where he can get real emotional. It’s just a very cool place, we’re both really excited about it.”
Trying to get organic reactions from performers:
“To me, as a character, you look in the other guy’s eyes and you see what he’s bringing to you. I know what’s behind Mick’s [eyes] and I know if I move forward, I know the reaction I’m going to get. I’ll never forget, there was a time years ago when, sometimes a guy is not tense enough, you do something to them, you’re trying to get a reaction because it’s all about that reaction and that chemistry with each other. I had done something with a guy where I had kind of pie faced him in the ring because he wasn’t intense and I knew that would just infuriate him and make him fire up on me. It was actually my brother-in-law [Shane McMahon]. I knew it would just infuriate him and it did. It got the reaction I wanted to get and it made for a great TV moment.
I did that years later with another performer and the guy absolutely just shrank and looked at me like, ‘Why would you do that to me?’ It was the exact wrong reaction but I was taking a guess at it because he was giving me nothing. When you work with someone like Mick, when you work together so many times, I know when I press him what he’s going to give me and he knows what I’m going to give him back. That’s part of the chemistry.”
What are the main differences between his era and the current generation of up-and-comers?
“Part of it is just experience. It’s funny, Shawn Michaels and I have had this conversation because he’s been doing a lot of things with us down at the Performance Center. I have said to him every now and then, you just have to say to yourself, ‘These kids are learning. It’s developmental, right? When you’re working with them at that level.’ We forget sometimes how brief a period of time some of these guys have been doing this. Because they’re at WrestleMania or because they’re at RAW and it’s packed and it’s huge, you think these guys are the best in the world. But they’ve been doing it for like 2 years. Or they’ve been doing this for 3 years. Or sometimes you find guys who have been doing it for 15 years, but out on the independent circuit and nobody has been guiding them. They’ve been the best guy there forever and nobody’s been helping them get better. They don’t do a lot of TV interviews, they don’t do a lot of character stuff. They might have been physically in the ring.
One guys says, ‘I’ve been working for 10 years.’ But you’ve been working what, a couple days a month? So the level of skill is different and I think when you break it down to today vs. then, it’s an experience level. You get to the point where you know what you’re doing, but the experience where you can just feel it and be in that moment without having to think or worry about what to do or how to react. It’s a feel, it’s not a think. I think that only comes with experience. This job, you get better the more reps you do.”
Of the current generation, who got it the easiest?
“It’s hard to say ‘it clicked right away.’ There’s guys that you see came from ‘not having it at all’ but you could see it was there, I’d say Bray Wyatt. Seth Rollins, it took him a while to get comfortable. The Shield were all able to get comfortable together and support each other, while they were getting used to the system and the environment. It’s hard, if you’re by yourself and it’s all on you, it’s a difficult spot. If you have backup like that, those groups, and time to get comfortable.. It’s a comfort level. You get inside your own head, you question what you know, what you don’t know, you star thinking instead of reacting and feeling. That’s what it all comes down to. ”
Who are some of the guys who seemingly became great naturally?
“I’ll tell you the guy who sticks out most to me is Kurt Angle. It probably sounds convenient because he’s going into the Hall of Fame this year, but I remember when they first started talking about Kurt and he came in and he was super green. He just started, he didn’t know what he was doing, but he picked up the physicality of it second nature. But the entertainment component of it, the personality component, being larger than life .. Amateur wrestlers, Olympic wrestlers like that, they don’t want to show emotion, pain or excitement. They want to keep it on even keel and just do what they do and keep their emotions in check because it burns energy. It’s a different vibe. To be able to come in and flip that switch and go the other way .. A couple years into his career and he was main eventing WrestleMania, it was amazing, having this unbelievable run of success that he had no right to be having that early into his career …
Another guy is Randy Orton. I told him from the beginning, the only one that could stop him from succeeding is Randy. He can be a little bit of a self destructor, but he has everything it takes. I don’t know if that’s because he’s just gifted or because he watched his dad who was great for so long. I don’t know what it is, but he just has it all. I still think Randy doesn’t take advantage of all the tools he has. He does what he needs to do. I just think he’s that good. I don’t know if that’s me believing in him more than he believes in him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s great, I just wonder how great he could be.”
Is there a chance we’ll see Kurt Angle wrestle in WWE again?
“Yeah. I’ve been clear with Kurt in every conversation we’ve had on this topic. It’s a proving ground. He did a lot of great things, then there was a lot of time under the table, there was a lot of baggage, all of those things. It just comes back down to, ‘Let’s get back together. Let’s see how it goes. If it goes well for you, if it goes well for us and everything is great, we’ll see where it goes from there.”
How wrestling is different from all other contact sports:
“The difference between our business and all other sports is that the idea in all other sports, like in football, is to hit the other guy as hard as you can. [With us], safety is the firs thing you should learn. If you cannot protect your opponent, do not do it. The intent in our [sport] is the exact opposite. We want to make it look as good as possible with the least amount of impact as possible.”
Other topics discussed include the rise of Braun Stroman, what he’s most excited for at WrestleMania, The Miz earning his respect, the unpredictability of Goldberg vs. Lesnar and WrestleMania becoming an entire week of festivities.
Former WWE Superstar Jack Swagger has made his first tweet since he was granted release from the company. A fan sent him a tribute video and Swagger thanked the fan and stated that his “reign has just begun”.
John Cena Interrupts Awkward Moment Between Nikki Bella & Tyler Breeze
Last night on Smackdown, John Cena had a match against Fandango. Tyler Breeze accompanied Fandango to the ring and was dressed as Nikki Bella. Cena and Bella wound up being up both Breeze and Fandango. Nikki Bella thought she was looking into a mirror when she bumped into Tyler Breeze backstage. John Cena then appeared and thought Breeze was Nikki Bella and walked away with him.
WWE announced today that Natalya will induct her best friend and former partner Beth Phoenix into the WWE Hall of Fame later this month in Orlando during WrestleMania 33 weekend.
“There’s nobody that I can think of that deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame more than Beth Phoenix,” Natalya told WWE.com. “She’s a pioneer for women in our division. Beth did extraordinary things for women in WWE.”
Phoenix followed in the footsteps of Chyna when she became the second woman in history to enter the Royal Rumble match back in 2010. “Beth broke down a lot of walls for women in the industry in the sense that she wasn’t a cookie-cutter-type female wrestler,” Natalya explained.
The 2017 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony airs live on the WWE Network next Friday, March 31 at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
The wrestling world is still reeling from the tragic news that Jim Ross’ wife Jan was badly injured Monday night when she was struck by a car while riding a Vespa scooter. At his latest blog at JRsBarBQ.com, JR provides an update on what transpired Monday night and thanks everybody for their support during this difficult time.
“Monday night at approximately 9:30 pm while I was recording the Ross Report about 30 miles from our home, my wife Jan was riding her Vespa home from the gym when when was struck from behind by an automobile driven by a 17 year old young man. Jan suffered a catastrophic brain injury including multiple skull fractures. My little Angel was unfortunately not wearing a helmet which arguably would have prevented the extreme nature of her injuries.
I will fully admit that there has been no experience in my life that could have prepared me for this life changing week. To see one’s life partner and love of one’s life being kept alive via life support equipment is tragically heartbreaking.”
Visit JRsBarBQ.com to read the full blog entry. JR speaks at length about his relationship with Jan over the past two decades plus and how she’s been at his side throughout his own highs and lows. She remains in critical condition and JR says, “We hope that the swelling of Jan’s brain will subside soon as it must for her to survive. It’s that simple. ”
WWE has extended new contract offers to Matt and Jeff Hardy, according to an exclusive report by Pro Wrestling Sheet. Matt and Jeff are currently working for Ring of Honor under short-term deals and are the reigning ROH tag team champions. The Hardy family is in the midst of a legal dispute with Impact Wrestling parent company Anthem over the rights to the “Broken Universe,” but that situation clearly hasn’t affected WWE’s interest in bring them back.
During our exclusive interview with Jeff Hardy last week, he spoke about his desire to bring the Broken Universe to WWE, become World Champion again and eventually be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
“I would love to introduce the Broken Universe to WWE eventually. I think it would be huge. As far as character driven or just a fresh vibe in in the pro wrestling world, yeah I think eventually I’m sure I’m going to jump back into the solo dimension and I’d love to be the world champion again. In my career in WWE, if it works out, the whole Hall of Fame and all that stuff. It started there and I’d like to end there.
For now, I’m just having a blast doing the indies and I love the Broken Universe stuff with Matt, I think it’s the best thing he’s ever done. It’s just hard to keep a straight face around him at times, but he can be serious and make sense in a weird way, it’s just so fun. I hope it lasts as long as it can.”
Matt and Jeff will be in Orlando during WrestleMania weekend for their ROH tag title defense against The Young Bucks. The gold will be up for grabs in a Ladder Match at ROH’s Supercard of Honor.
Matt Hardy has commented on the ongoing battle with Impact Wrestling parent company Anthem regarding ownership of his “Broken” character and the associated likenesses. Matt did not take as strong of a stance as his wife Reby, but he did call out Impact Wrestling president Ed Nordholm for being “condescending & disingenuous.”
As we’ve covered, Anthem has been fighting the Hardy family over the rights to the Broken Universe, sending cease & desist letters to Ring of Honor and the cable companies that carried their 15th Anniversary PPV featuring the Hardys.
Ed Nordholm’s tweets, while appearing genuine, seem to be an effort to set the precedent that Impact believes the Broken family is their creation. This is why Jeremy Borash, Dave Lagana and Billy Corgan are all thanked as being part of the creative process, even if some of them are no longer with the company.
Last week, Reby Hardy stated her case as to why Anthem has no case for ownership of the Broken Universe and blasted them for an “absolutely laughable” settlement offer. With Anthem looking to revitalize a badly damaged Impact Wrestling grand, their recent actions towards the Hardy family, Ring of Honor and cable companies are not a “good look” and will not endear them in the eyes of wrestling fans.
Mauro Ranallo was absent from Smackdown for the second consecutive week. After missing last week’s show due to travel issues related to the big snowstorm in the Northeast United States, WWE says that he was “out sick.”
Silent on Social Media
Ranallo, who is typically very active on social media, has not posted anything on Twitter since March 13th, the day before last week’s SmackDown. He was ridiculed for not making the show by JBL (in a since deleted tweet) as well asformer WWE announcers Taz and Josh Mathews.
With @OfficialTAZ in the car, I once drove us 2 days to Indianapolis to make a TAPED Smackdown show from NYC. #JustSayin'
Further speculation regarding Ranallo’s absence may have to do with his well-documented battles with bi-polar disorder. Ranallo has been quite open previously about his mental health battles, which have caused him to miss shows in other sports previously.
In addition to being the current Smackdown lead announcer, Ranallo has also called fights for Showtime Boxing, Pride FC, EliteXC and numerous other combat sport organizations. He got his start in wrestling working as a manager in Vancouver’s All-Star Wrestling promotion.
WWE, ESPN & Hot 97’s own Peter Rosenberg and RAW announcer Corey Graves took to Facebook on Tuesday to reveal new WWE-inspired footwear apparel from PUMA. The line of limited edition gear will launch in select Foot Locker stores to celebrate WrestleMania 33. The new collection has been exclusively curated by Rosenberg.
The new collection of Puma products is designed by Alexander John, featuring exclusive art of six WWE legends: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Ultimate Warrior, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Ric Flair, André the Giant and The Undertaker.
The collection includes 600 pairs of WWE-inspired white Puma Clydes (100 pairs per legend) in custom boxes. Additionally, 23 pairs of black Puma Clydes will be sold, touting Undertaker imagery and packaged in a collectible casket. The WWE legends will also be featured on exclusive Puma T-shirts.
“I’ve been a fan of WWE forever and am also an avid sneakerhead, so having the opportunity to curate this line exclusively for Foot Locker is incredibly special,” said Rosenberg. “WWE has an amazing following and sneaker culture just keeps growing; I know this product will get a crazy response from that community.”
The collection is slated to hit stores on Saturday, April 1, one day before WrestleMania.
Brand new UK promotion Lucha Forever have announced a big co-branded event with Fight Nation dubbed ‘Fight Forever’ on May 17th at a to be named location in London.
Several Lucha Underground stars have already been confirmed for the event including Pentagon, Fenix, Drago, Chavo Guerrero Jr and Angelico.
Tickets have recently been released for the event and they can be found here.
Revolution Pro have announced the final match for their sold out ‘Epic Encounter’ event that takes place on April 13th at the world famous York Hall in Bethnal Green, London.
New Japan Pro Wrestling star Hiromu Takahashi will be taking on one of the standout performers of the past year and Ring of Honor TV Champion Marty Scurll.
Other matches confirmed for the event are as follows:
– Zack Sabre Jr. Vs Kushida
– Hirooki Goto vs Zack Gibson
– Jay White vs Angelico
Plus: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) & Kenny Omega will be performing on the night
The event will be up on RPW’s On Demand streaming service within 48 hors of the event and it is certainly one not to miss out on: rpwondemand.com
Former cruiserweight champion, and winner of the cruiserweight classic, TJ Perkins’ stock is falling fast. He takes another loss this week. Tony Nese beats Perkins clean with a running knee (aka the Running Nese) after suplexing his opponent into an exposed turnbuckle. The last time Perkins won a televised singles match it was on January 24th, when he beat the guy he lost to here in Tony Nese. He’s lost 4 straight televised singles matches. Nese picks up a win after losing to Aries on Raw. Winner: Tony Nese
2. Akira Tozawa vs. Local Competitor
Tozawa ended this match in near record time, as he landed a bridging german suplex for the pin almost immediately after the bell sounded. He then got on the mic and called out Brian Kendrick, who had stolen his passport, preventing him from being on Raw last night. When Kendrick didn’t appear, Tozawa headed to the back to find him. Kendrick was dressed as a security guard however, and clobbered Tozawa from behind as he walked up the ramp.
This week’s lesson for Tozawa from Kendrick is that “appearances can be deceiving”. Winner: Akira Tozawa
Austin Aries interviews himself about his upcoming match at WrestleMania. Neville interrupts.
3. Mustapha Ali vs. Neville (non-title
With Aries at the commentary table, Neville looked to do the same thing to Ali that Aries did to Nese on Raw. Ali wasn’t going silently however, and landed plenty of big offence, including an impressive looking springboard Spanish fly from the top rope. In the end Neville made Ali tap to the rings of Saturn however. Immediately after the match Neville got right up in Aries’ face at commentary but things never did get physical between them. Winner: Neville
At this week’s SmackDown in Connecticut, WWE announced to the live crowd that their next show in the state will be the official return of their Bad Blood pay-per-view.
The first Bad Blood pay-per-view took place in 1997 and featured the first-ever Hell In A Cell match, between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. The event returned in 2003 for a Hell In A Cell match between Triple H and Kevin Nash, and again in 2004 for one between Triple H and Shawn Michaels. It was a RAW-exclusive show back in ’03 and ’04.
Bad Blood 2017 will take place on July 9th at the XL Center in Hartford, CT, and will be the first pay-per-view at the XL Center since No Way Out in 2000.
Smackdown kicked off with AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan backstage. Daniel Bryan stated that if it were up to him, Styles would still be fired. AJ was wearing a Wrestlemania 33 shirt and visor. Daniel Bryan informed Styles that Shane McMahon was not at the arena yet. Styles said that it felt like deja vu and headed to the ring to brag about beating up Shane McMahon.
Styles stated that it felt great to punch Shane McMahon in the face. AJ then accepted Shane’s challenge for a match at Wrestlemania 33. Styles claimed that he can do whatever he wants because he is untouchable and Smackdown would fail without him. AJ then said he was heading back to the parking lot to wait for Shane McMahon to arrive again.
Daniel Bryan was shown backstage on the phone with Shane McMahon. Bryan informed Shane that Styles was waiting for him in the parking lot. Daniel Bryan then laughed and said “that will work”. It appears Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan have a plan for AJ Styles tonight.
American Alpha and The Usos put on one hell of a match. It started out slow but the crowd started to chant “this is awesome!” towards the end of the match. It was looking like American Alpha was going to retain when the hit a double-team Bulldog off the top rope on Jey Uso but Jimmy Uso broke up the pinfall. The match ended with Jimmy pulling Jordan’s leg and he landed crotch first on the middle rope. The referee didn’t notice this and then Jey hit a Superkick on Jordan for the victory.
Reaction: What an underwhelming title run for American Alpha. They were barely on Smackdown when they had the titles. The Usos have barely been featured on Smackdown recently and now they are new Tag Team Champions. The match itself was very entertaining but I honestly wasn’t that invested in it. I think The Usos are a very talented team and their heel turn has worked for them. American Alpha is immensely talented but they have been underutilized on the main roster. The Usos are now the Smackdown Tag Team Champions. Hopefully they will be featured on Smackdown next week.
The Miz & Maryse Show Unveil Unseen Total Bellas Footage
Maryse played both Nikki Bella & Brie Bella. The Miz played John Cena.
Reaction: These segments were okay. Maryse was funny as both the Bella Twins. The Miz essentially portrayed John Cena as a moronic robot. I would have preferred another promo between Maryse, Nikki, Cena and The Miz.
Ambrose To Defend Intercontinental Championship Against Corbin At Wrestlemania
Baron Corbin was placed in a match against Randy Orton by Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan. Corbin controlled the majority of the match. The WWE Universe started to chant “lets go Randy!” as Corbin beat him down. Orton hit Corbin with a Powerslam and followed it up with a DDT while Corbin was hung up between the ropes. Orton went for the RKO but Corbin reversed it into the Deep Six. Dean Ambrose then showed up on top of a forklift and asked Corbin if he was busy. Corbin became distracted and Orton hit the RKO for the victory.
After the match, Dean Ambrose accepted Corbin’s challenge from last week for an Intercontinental Championship match at Wrestlemania 33. Ambrose then hit Corbin with the Dirty Deeds.
Reaction: I am looking forward to the match between Dean Ambrose and Corbin at Wrestlemania 33. Corbin is very talented and Dean Ambrose is already an established star. I don’t see any reason why Corbin shouldn’t win that match and be taken to the next level. The match between Corbin and Orton was very slow, deliberate and ultimately didn’t matter at all.
Renee Young interviewed Randy Orton backstage. Orton stated that he never expected Bray Wyatt to bathe himself in the ashes of Sister Abigail. The lights then went out and when they came back on, Orton was surrounded by people in sheep masks. They beat him down and Bray Wyatt showed up. Wyatt thanked Orton for destroying Sister Abigail because it was his one fatal flaw. Wyatt claimed that he was stronger than ever now and sang “he’s got the whole world in his hands”.
Reaction: I am a huge fan of Bray Wyatt. I think he is talented in the ring and is even better with a microphone in his hands. I believe that he deserves this title run and that the WWE has overlooked him for far too long. Having said that, I am not digging this storyline at all. I am still looking forward to this match at Wrestlemania 33, but I’ve lost interest in whatever they are trying to accomplish here. Bray Wyatt rubbed Sister Abigail’s ashes on his body and is now stronger than ever. Randy Orton is caught off guard by this and that is where we are at now. This feud doesn’t feel like it involves the WWE Championship anymore.
Cena Defeats Fandango, Tyler Breeze Is Made To Look Like A Joke
Fandango came down to the ring with Tyler Breeze dressed up as Nikki Bella. It was incredibly embarrassing for everyone involved. The real Nikki Bella then came down to the ring to hardly any reaction. Fandango then issued John Cena several fashion tickets. Cena then hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Nikki Bella then Speared Tyler Breeze. Cena hit the AA on Fandango while Nikki hit the Rack Attack on Tyler Breeze. Cena and Nikki then applied the STF to both Fandango and Tyler Breeze. Fandango tapped out and John Cena won the match.
Reaction: I absolutely hated this segment. Tyler Breeze dressed up like Nikki Bella and then got his ass kicked by Nikki Bella. Tyler Breeze is a great wrestler and he clearly will never be given the chance to do anything on Smackdown. Fandango is going nowhere either. This entire segment was just cringeworthy.
Becky Lynch and Carmella had a quick match that ended in a DQ. Natalya was on commentary and wound up interfering. Natalya attacked Carmella and hit her with a Clothesline. Alexa Bliss and Mickie James then came down to the ring. Becky Lynch tried to Dropkick Carmella but Carmella dragged Ellsworth in the way. The brawl ended with Alexa Bliss standing tall and raising her Smackdown Women’s Championship.
Reaction: Again, where are the storylines here? Everyone is just fighting for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. It is the same thing on Raw. There is nothing to get invested in. There is nobody to get behind and root for.
Shane McMahon came down to the ring while AJ Styles was still waiting for him in the parking lot. A limo pulled up and AJ Styles was ready to attack, but it was Rhyno and Heath Slater that emerged from the vehicle. Renee Young informed AJ Styles that Shane McMahon was waiting for him in the ring.
Shane then called AJ to the ring and Styles was shown walking backstage. Styles grabbed a microphone and claimed to make a mistake by attacking Shane McMahon last week. Styles then apologized for the attack and stated that he lost his mind because he wasn’t main-eventing Wrestlemania 33. AJ Styles then said that he wanted to come in the ring and shake Shane’s hand.
Shane attacked AJ right when he got in the ring. Styles knocked Shane out of the ring and Suplexed him into the barricade. Styles cleared off the announce table, but Shane got back up and connected with a Suplex onto Styles. Shane then propped Styles up on the announce table and climbed to the top turnbuckle. Shane then hit the Elbow Drop off the top rope and the crowd chanted “holy sh**!”. Smackdown went off the air with Shane McMahon standing over Styles and pointing at the Wrestlemania 33 sign.
Reaction: Styles was shown several times throughout the night waiting in the parking lot for Shane McMahon to show up. Daniel Bryan called Shane ahead of time and warned him that Styles was waiting for him. Thus, Shane avoided Styles and called him down to the ring. I like how Shane McMahon has just randomly started showing up to Smackdown incredibly late over the past two weeks. The brawl itself was entertaining. Shane missed a bit with his Elbow Drop but it was still the most exciting moment of the night.
Smackdown has been mediocre at best over the past two weeks. Tonight’s episode felt pretty uneventful for a show that is supposed to be hyping Wrestlemania 33. I will posting some more thoughts this week about this Wrestlemania build this week. I’m trying to think of a Wrestlemania build that has been less exciting than this one. I’m having a hard time coming up with one.
What did you think of this week’s Smackdown? What are your thoughts on this year’s build to Wrestlemania? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose returned to SmackDown on tonight’s episode to accept Baron Corbin’s challenge for WrestleMania 33 in Orlando.
Below is the updated WrestleMania line-up going into next week’s go-home TV tapings:
– Goldberg defends the WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar
– Bray Wyatt defends the WWE Championship against Randy Orton
– The Undertaker goes to war with Roman Reigns
– SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon battles AJ Styles
– John Cena teams with girlfriend Nikki Bella to face The Miz and wife Maryse
– Bayley defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax
– Alexa Bliss defends the SmackDown Women’s Championship against every available woman on the SmackDown roster
– Dean Ambrose defends the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Baron Corbin
– Chris Jericho defends the WWE United States Championship against Kevin Owens
– Gallows and Anderson defend the RAW Tag Team Championships against Enzo and Cass, Sheamus and Cesaro in a Triple Threat
– The 4th Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal with Mojo Rawley, Apollo Crews, Big Show and other Superstars to be announced
The Usos began their first reign with the SmackDown Tag Team Championships on tonight’s show in Uncasville, CT as they defeated American Alpha. The Usos will now go to WrestleMania 33 to defend the championships.
