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.
The second-to-last episode of WWE SmackDown before WrestleMania 33 aired live on March 21st from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.
– The broadcast kicks off with a look at the feud between Shane McMahon and AJ Styles, including Styles being fired by Daniel Bryan.
– Daniel Bryan is shown backstage when AJ Styles confronts him. AJ is all smiles and asks where Shane McMahon is. Bryan says he doesn’t want AJ there anymore, but is glad Shane will get AJ back for attacking him from behind. Bryan says Shane is on his way to the building, and AJ threatens to beat down Shane again upon his arrival.
– We’re told that Mauro Ranallo is out sick tonight, so we’ve got Tom Phillips, JBL, and David Otunga on commentary.
– AJ Styles comes out to the ring and cuts a promo about beating up Shane McMahon last week an putting him through the car window. AJ formally accepts Shane’s challenge for WrestleMania 33, and says he’ll also meet him in the parking lot tonight. He says if we thought last week was bad, tonight will be phenomenally worse. AJ drops the mic and heads backstage.
– The Miz and Maryse will apparently be delivering a never-before-seen episode of Total Bellas tonight.
– Daniel Bryan is backstage on the phone with Shane McMaahon. He tells Shane that AJ will be waiting for him in the parking lot, and it sounds like Shane has a plan for him. Baron Corbin interrupts and wants to know if Dean Ambrose accepted his challenge for a match at WrestleMania. Bryan says he hasn’t heard from Ambrose yet, but Corbin does have a match tonight against Randy Orton.
– New England Patriots player Rob Gronkowski is sitting in the front row tonight.
– The Usos (c) def. American Alpha: American Alpha’s Tag Team Titles are on the line in this one. Jordan and Gable get the upper hand early on off a double-team, but The Usos come back with a tag and double-team of their own. Jordan and Gable hit double dropkicks on The Usos and the challengers roll out to ringside. Back in the ring, The Usos start wearing down Gable and trying to keep him grounded. Jey pulls Jordan off the apron so Gable can’t get the hot tag. Jimmy takes Gable to the turnbuckle and hangs him in the tree of woe. Jimmy goes for a spear, but Gable pulls himself up to dodge it. Jordan and Jey get the takes. Jey goes for a cross-body off the top, but Jordan catches him with a belly to belly suplex. Jimmy runs in and gets a belly to belly suplex too. Jordan hits the Olympic Slam on Jey, then tags in Gable. Jey hits a superkick on Gable, then Jimmy hits a Samoan Splash off the top for a two count. Jey tags in and they set up for a double Samoan Splash, but Jordan makes the save. American Alpha hits the double-team bulldog off the top rope on Jey, but Jimmy breaks up the pin for the save. The action goes out to ringside and Gable hits a moonsault off the top rope onto Jey on the floor. Jimmy then throws Gable into the crowd. Jimmy crotches Jordan on the middle rope behind the ref’s back, then Jey hits a superkick on Gable for the win. The Usos are now the Tag Team Champs.
– We get a look at AJ Styles in the parking lot waiting for Shane McMahon to arrive.
– The Miz and Maryse show their parody of Total Bellas on the big screen. The parody features The Miz doing his best John Cena impression and mocking the “contract” he had Nikki sign to move in with him.
– Randy Orton def. Baron Corbin: Orton goes for the RKO early on, but Corbin blocks it and rolls outside. Corbin throws Orton into the ring post and the dominates the next few minutes of action. Corbin goes for a clothesline but Orton catches him with a spinning powerslam. Orton follows up with a full nelson slam for a two count. The action goes to ringside where Orton slams Corbin’s face into the ring steps a couple times, then sets him on the apron. Orton climbs in the ring and hits his patented DDT through the middle rope. Orton goes for an RKO but Corbin reverses it into the Deep Six for a two count. Dean Ambrose appears by the entrance area on a forklift. Ambrose has a mic and asks Corbin if he’s busy, and Corbin turns around to look at him. Orton hits the RKO off the distraction for the win.
– After the match, Intercontinental Champion comes down to the ring and accepts Corbin’s challenge for a WrestleMania match. Ambrose hits the Dirty Deeds on Corbin and leaves.
– AJ Styles is still in the loading area of the arena waiting for Shane McMahon to arrive.
– Randy Orton is doing an interview backstage with Renee Young when the lights start dimming and we hear some strange music. The camera pans down and the floor turns from concrete to hard wood (although the walls are still concrete blocks.) People in rabbit masks appear behind Orton and Orton starts fighting them off. They eventually hold back Orton and put him against the wall. Bray Wyatt walks in and appears to “bless” Orton with what looks like a badminton racquet with a cross on it. Wyatt tells him that Orton changed him, and shortly after he starts singing “he’s got the whole world in his hands” as the segment fades to black.
– John Cena def. Fandango: Tyler Breeze comes out dressed as Nikki Bella, and he’s in Fandango’s corner for this one. Fandango cuts a brief promo on Cena, and then Cena brings out the real Nikki Bella to be in his corner. Fandango issues Cena some Fashion Police tickets, then Cena starts beating him down. Cena hits the back suplex and the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Breeze runs in the ring next and Nikki spears him. Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment on Fandango, and Nikki does the same on Breeze. Cena puts Fandango in the STF, and Nikki does the same to Breeze. Fandango taps and Cena wins via submission, then celebrates with Nikki in the ring while Fandango holds Breeze at ringside.
– We get a look at AJ Styles still backstage waiting for the arrival of Shane.
– Becky Lynch vs. Carmella – No contest: James Ellsworth is in Carmella’s corner, and Natalya is on commentary. Ellsworth and Natalya both get involved in this one early on, and it gets ruled a no-contest very quickly. Mickie James and Alexa Bliss both run out and all four women start brawling. Carmella uses Ellsworth as a human shield to take a missile dropkick from Becky. Alexa ends up being the last woman standing, and she heads backstage first with her Women’s Championship belt.
– We see an anti-smoking PSA with Sheamus and Sasha Banks.
– The Miz airs another parody of Total Bellas, implying that they’re reading off cue cards on the show. The Miz says Cena and Bella have a before for TV, but in reality they sleep in separate rooms elsewhere in the house. The Miz cracks several more jokes about their dating contract and Cena not proposing to Bella.
– Cena, Nikki, and Daniel Bryan will be on Talking Smack after SmackDown.
– Next week on SmackDown: Luke Harper vs. Bray Wyatt
– A car pulls up backstage and AJ gets excited, but instead of Shane McMahon, out gets Rhyno and Heath Slater. They say “hi” to AJ and walk past him.
– Shane McMahon’s music hits inside the arena and Shane makes his way out to the ring. Shane gets on the mic and tells AJ he’s waiting for him. We cut backstage where Renee Young informs AJ that Shane is in the ring. Shane calls out AJ to the ring again, then we see AJ backstage walking in that direction. AJ arrives at the curtain and grabs a microphone before heading out. AJ comes out and apologizes for attacking him from behind last week. AJ tells Shane he’s not like the other McMahons and he wants to shake his hand and formally apologize. AJ steps into the ring, but Shane immediately starts throwing punches at AJ. They fall out to ringside and AJ drops Shane with a right hand then suplexes him into the fan barricade. AJ goes for another suplex on Shane, but Shane reverses it into a back body drop. Shane hits AJ with a piece of equipment from the announce table, then lays AJ on the table. Shane climbs in the ring and gets on the top rope, then hits a flying elbow drop on AJ through the table. Shane is the first one to get to his feet, and his music plays as SmackDown goes off the air.
Hot off the heels of their Chapter 45 show in Manchester; PROGRESS have announced the Main Event and undercard for their Chapter 46 Show ‘I Like to Chill Out Here and Shoot Some Dinosaurs’ (a phrase coined by Mark Haskin’s son in a recent PROGRESS documentary). The scheduled matches are as follows:
PROGRESS Championship Match: Pete Dunne (c) vs Mark Andrews – After his hellacious death match with Jimmy Havoc at Chapter 45 the PROGRESS Champion Pete Dunne is set to defend his title against one of the best high flyers in the game, Mark Andrews. Mandrews earned this shot by winning the Thunderb*stard match this year but with Dunne proving himself as an extremely creedal champion during his first run with the title it is unlikely that he loses it.
The Origin (Zack Gibson & Nathan Cruz) vs The Origin ‘Banter Edition’ (El Ligero & Dave Mastiff) – El Ligero has spent the last two chapter events taking on his former tag team partners in the Origin: Zack Gibson and Nathan Cruz. The ‘Banter Edition’ of the Origin – Mastiff & Ligero have been winning over the PROGRESS fans recently and Cruz/Gibson have not taken kindly to this, so it all finally comes to a head this Sunday at Chapter 46.
Japanese promotion DDT Pro have announced that they will be running a show at the world famous Tokyo Dome. This would make DDT the first non-New Japan promotion to run the Tokyo Dome since Pro Wrestling NOAH in 2005.
DDT Pro as a promotion have a flair for the ridiculous and whether this announcement is a rouse is yet to be confirmed. At this year’s Wrestle Kingdom event New Japan Pro Wrestling drew a crowd of around 26,000 fans so for the event to be viable for DDT they would be looking at a figure in that ballpark.
UK Superindie IPW:UK have announced that they will be returning to the Casino Rooms in Rochester, Kent on Easter Monday (April 17th) and that several Lucha Underground stars will be on the card.
Two matches have already been announced for the show; ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll will be taking on Angelico and Big Grizzly will be facing Jack Evans.
Also announced for the show are Rey Fenix, Pentagon, Jimmy Havoc, Zack Sabre Jr and The London Riots. Tickets for the event are available to purchase through the IPW:UK Website.
It has not been confirmed whether the show will be available to view through FloSlam but keep an eye on the UK section of the site as we will post any updates as and when IPW:UK confirms.
– WWE.com is running a poll asking fans, “Which Southpaw Regional Wrestling star would you most like to see show up on Raw or SmackDown LIVE?” Tex Ferguson is currently in the lead (18%) followed by Surf Dudes with Attitudes (14%) and The Sea Creature (13%).
– WWE announced on Tuesday that next weekend’s WrestleMania Axxess convention from Orlando, FL will feature not only Superstars from NXT and 205 Live but also UK independent promotions PROGRESS and Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW). Here’s the complete schedule:
Thursday, March 30
Matches featuring Superstars from 205 Live, including:
Rich Swann vs. The Brian Kendrick
TJ Perkins vs. Drew Gulak
Plus, returning NXT Superstar Hideo Itami and many others will be in action.
Friday, March 31
Matches featuring Superstars from the U.K. Championship Tournament, PROGRESS Wrestling and ICW, including:
WWE U.K. Champion Tyler Bate vs. Mark Haskins in a U.K. Championship Match
PROGRESS Champion Pete Dunne vs. Mark Andrews
Plus, PROGRESS and ICW Superstars such as Jimmy Havoc, TK Cooper, Travis Banks, Dahlia Black, Toni Storm and Jinny will compete in a WWE ring for the first time.
Saturday, April 1 (8 a.m. session)
Matches featuring Superstars from 205 Live, the U.K. Championship Tournament and PROGRESS Wrestling, including:
Akira Tozawa vs. Ariya Daivari
PROGRESS Champion Pete Dunne vs. Wolfgang
WWE U.K. Champion Tyler Bate vs. Joseph Conners in a U.K. Championship Match
WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate and PROGRESS Champion Pete Dunne are among the elite Superstars slated to compete at WrestleMania Axxess.
Saturday, April 1 (1 p.m. session)
Matches featuring NXT Superstars and former NXT Superstars, including:
Heavy Machinery vs. The Vaudevillians
Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss vs. The Ascension
Plus, matches featuring Liv Morgan, Daria Berenato and more Superstars.
Saturday, April 1 (6 p.m. session)
Matches featuring Superstars from NXT, 205 Live and the U.K. Championship Tournament, including:
Akira Tozawa vs. Steve Cutler
ICW Heavyweight Champion Trent Seven vs. Noam Dar
TJ Perkins & Mustafa Ali vs. Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
Sunday, April 2 (matches featuring Superstars from the U.K. Championship Tournament, PROGRESS Wrestling and ICW, including:
ICW Heavyweight Champion Trent Seven vs. Wolfgang
WWE U.K. Champion Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne in a U.K. Championship Match
Plus, PROGRESS and ICW Superstars such as Mark Haskins, Jimmy Havoc, TK Cooper, Travis Banks, Dahlia Black, Toni Storm and Jinny.
– 14-time WWE world heavyweight champion Triple H joined ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday to discuss Wrestlemania 33, his fight against Seth Rollins and his role as COO and EVP of Talent, Live Events and Creative for the company.
Ring of Honor TV airdate: March 20th 2017 (On Fite App)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VTqTXEcYkk
1. Will Ferrara & Cheeseburger vs. Silas Young and the Beer City Bruiser
Before the match they cut to a video of Young and the Bruiser talking about having a mystery partner and eventually challenging for the 6-man titles. Young and Bruiser pulled out the victory here after Bruiser pinned Ferrara with a rather painful looking frog splash. Winners: Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser (Bruiser pinned Ferrara)
2. 2017 Top Prospect Tournament 1st Round
Chris LeRusso vs. Josh Woods
Definitely a few LeRusso supporters in the audience tonight. Silas Young joined the commentary team and mentioned he might be scouting this match for a 3rd member of his team with the Beer City Bruiser.
We got the rare “win via referee’s stoppage” in this bout, after Woods hit a head kick and some ground and pound until the ref stepped in. Woods advances to the tournament semi-finals. Winner: Josh Woods via ref stoppage
3. Kenny King (Rebellion) w/Caprice Coleman vs. Lio Rush
Commentary played up the prior relationship between Lio Rush and the Rebellion. Chris Sabin joined on commentary, who is now aligned with Rush through his Search and Destroy faction.
King won clean with the Royal Flush after a back and forth match.
After the match Shane Taylor came to the ring and power bombed Rush. Taylor is now the newest member of the Rebellion. Winner: Kenny King
4. Jay White vs. Jay Briscoe
Mark Briscoe joined on commentary. This is a rematch from a time limit draw that occurred on ROH TV previously. The whole story is that the youngster, Jay White, took the veteran, Jay Briscoe, to the limit in the first match.
White, who is a loanee from NJPW, was made to look at or near Jay Briscoe’s level here, and commentary played it up as though he would be a future world title challenger. Finish of the match came when Briscoe, who had put White through a table moments earlier, hit a hard clothesline and pinned him. It was the old veteran gets the win but rookie earns respect and shows he’s for real type of match. Winner: Jay Briscoe
WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon was involved in a car accident this morning near WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT.
At this point it’s unknown what caused the accident, but luckily nobody was hurt and Vince was seen walking around afterwards. According to on-site reports, his black Bentley coupe was badly damaged.
The following images of the incident have been circulating on social media:
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff will induct Diamond Dallas Page into the WWE Hall of Fame next week.
Bischoff spoke with WWE.com about the news and said he’s honored. “It puts a smile on my face because I know how much it means to him. This is the Holy Grail for him.”
Page and Bischoff’s relationship dates to the late ‘80s, when the two worked together in the AWA, where Bischoff was an announcer and DDP was the manager of Badd Company. They’d work together in WCW during the Monday Night Wars, as Bischoff led the charge against WWE RAW and DDP rose to superstardom battling the nWo. One one fateful night back in 1998, they even competed against each other when Bischoff teamed with Hulk Hogan against DDP and late night talk show host Jay Leno.
DDP has talked about the WWE Hall of Fame induction being the crowning achievement of his pro wrestling career. It’s DDP’s big night, but Bischoff admits he’s nervous about the induction.
“It’s a little overwhelming, in some respects,” he said. “But I’ll save the reasons why for the ceremony itself, because they’re very personal and poignant.”
Congratulations to Eric Bischoff and DDP. Catch Eric Bischoff’s weekly Bischoff on Wrestling podcast on the MLW Radio Network.
During a recent installment of the Conversation With The Big Guy podcast, Ryback claimed that WWE brought back Goldberg to replace him. On the latest episode, Ryback takes credit for creating The Shield’s triple powerbomb.
According to Ryback, Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose were looking for a move that the three of them could perform together.
“They needed a move, I remember, to put me down early on. I think it was that first… the pay-per-view before in Indianapolis, the triple threat [match] with me, [John] Cena, and [CM] Punk. And I had been powerbombing a lot of guys up till that point in different variations of powerbombs. And I said to them, ‘why don’t you do a triple powerbomb?’ because they wanted a move they all three could could do.”
The triple powerbomb wound up being The Shield’s signature move, but Ryback regrets suggesting it because he wound up on the receiving end of the triple powerbomb on multiple occasions.
“Goddamnit did I regret ever f–king saying that because I received more triple powerbombs than anybody on the roster at that point. And they were all fine, but they triple powerbombed me through the table at the end of that one. And then, they did it in the match at TLC.”
Visit Audio Boom to check out Ryback’s podcast. Thanks to our friends at WrestlingINC for the transcribed quotes.
After Monday’s WWE RAW from Brooklyn went off the air, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came out to issue an open challenge. Believe it or not, Big Show accepted the challenge. Show entered the ring, got Lesnar up for a chokeslam but Lesnar broke free. He gave Big Show an F5 to end the show.
Lesnar and Heyman left the ring and three referees came down to check on Big Show. If you’ve been following our recent “what happened after RAW” reports involving Lesnar and Big Show, you know what happens next.
On Monday’s RAW, Nia Jax defeated Bayley in a no disqualification non-title match to earn a spot in the RAW Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania. Jax was rumored to be part of the match going back several months and WWE went back and forth on her involvement before settling on a fatal 4 way.
With those matches set, here’s the updated card for the Ultimate Thrill Ride:
– 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
– 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
When Finn Balor was forced to vacate the WWE Universal Championship the night after SummerSlam, he had just defeated Seth Rollins in the finals of a tournament to crown the inaugural champion. Balor suffered a shoulder injury in the match, but it would later be revealed he had significant wear and tear damage as well. Ultimately Balor’s shoulder would require surgery that has kept him out of action since August.
At the time Rollins was a “bad guy”, and would only turn “good guy” later after Triple H screwed him out of the Universal championship. If Balor and Rollins are to feud, one of them is most likely turning.
Balor drew a heart around a sign reading “Balor Not Far” and a squiggly line around Rollins, indicating he’s coming for Rollins, and soon. Could Balor make his return at WrestleMania? Is it possible Balor interferes in the Rollins vs. Triple H match?
There are a lot of unanswered questions regarding how and when Balor returns to WWE.
Ross was introduced to his wife by Ric Flair sometime in the early 90’s. She has made appearances with him at various pro-wrestling related events, such as his Hall of Fame induction, where he spoke at length about how important she has been to his life and career.
Please keep Jan Ross in your thoughts.
Just talked to JR, and this is VERY serious–please everyone keep Jan and Jim in your thoughts today. https://t.co/cxd9Q79xnC
Two weeks ago on Raw Chris Jericho put Tom Phillips on “the List” for, amongst other reasons, not knowing his own name. Jericho was confusing backstage interviewer Mike Rome for host/commentator Tom Phillips, and didn’t believe Rome when he tried to tell him so.
Recently Chris Jericho took to Instagram to illustrate his point about the two looking similar.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BR4jl2KFyXz/
In the picture Tom Phillips is the smaller one who has his phone in his hand.
Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens at WrestleMania
In 12 days at WrestleMania, Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens will bring an epic storyline to its conclusion. The two Canadian wrestlers started an alliance this spring which grew to be one of the most popular storylines in recent memory. Jericho has called this last year in WWE one of the most fun times he’s had in wrestling. He has also said he ranks this last year only behind his memorable rivalry with Shawn Michaels as his favourite program of his career.
Edge and Christian’s new podcast will hit iTunes this week, and recently Christian took to Twitter to announce their first guess will the WWE Universal champion, Bill Goldberg.
— Jay 'Christian' Reso (@Christian4Peeps) March 21, 2017
Edge and Christian Podcast
Edge and Christian previously had their own show on the WWE Network, though reviews were not overly positive. It looks as though the two best friends from Orangeville, ON Canada believe a podcast is better suited towards their humour.
They also announced they want their podcast to be interactive and are encouraging fans to leave questions in the form of audio voicemails. They released the number fans can call earlier this week.
We're making @EandCPod listener interactive. We wanna hear what you got to say. Call 929-367-8204 leave a vm and you may end up on the show
Edge and Christian grew up together in a town just outside of Toronto. They would both end up training with Ron Hutchinson in Toronto, and would later be groomed by Bret Hart. They would both make their WWE debuts in 1998.
Mick Foley kicked off this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw and was greeted with “Foley” chants from the Brooklyn crowd. Foley had index cards and began to read off of it. Foley personally thanked Triple H and Stephanie McMahon for giving him the oppurtunity to be Raw GM. Foley apologized for shoving Mr. Socko in Triple H’s mouth. Foley announced that he was taking a leave of absence for his personal sanity for the good of Wrestlemania. Foley then ripped the index up and said that Triple H handed them to him ten minutes before the show. Foley was about to go on a rant but his microphone cut out and Stephanie McMahon stormed down to the ring.
Stephanie scolded Foley about screwing up everything and never getting anything right. Stephanie then fired Mick Foley and told him to get out of the ring. Sami Zayn’s music then hit as Foley was standing on the ring apron about to leave. Zayn said that what Stephanie doing to Mick Foley was wrong. Zayn said that Stephanie has been wrong about a lot of things but nobody has the guts to say anything to her face. Foley pleaded with Zayn to go backstage because it wasn’t worth it. Zayn then got in Stephanie’s face and stated that Foley has shown more class in the nine months as GM than Stephanie has shown in her entire life. Stephanie stated that Sami Zayn wasn’t on the level to speak to her at all. Stephanie told Zayn to go backstage and think about how he is going to make it up to her.
Sami agreed that the smart thing for him to do would be for him to go backstage. Zayn stated that he is not about doing the smart thing, he is about doing the right thing. Samoa Joe then came down to the ring and Stephanie instructed him to stop on the entrance ramp. Stephanie told Foley to leave and announced that Sami Zayn will face Samoa Joe right now. Sami Zayn flipped over the top rope onto Joe and then sprung back in the ring and the crowd erupted.
Samoa Joe Submits Sami Zayn Via The Coquina Clutch
Samoa Joe dominated almost all of this match. Joe laid out Zayn outside the ring, but Sami made it back in the ring right before the referee counted to ten. Zayn fought back and hit a Crossbody off the top turnbuckle for a two count. The action spilled outside the ring again and Zayn connected with a Tornado DDT after leaping between the ropes. Back in the ring, Joe applied the Coquina Clutch and Sami Zayn had to submit.
After the match, Sami Zayn and Mick Foley had a conversation backstage. Foley thanked Zayn for what he did for him tonight. Foley told Zayn to continue to stand up to Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Cesaro and Sheamus then thanked Foley for believing in them when nobody else would. Several members of the Cruiserweight division then thanked Foley as well. Bayley and Foley then shared a hug and Triple H showed up behind Foley. Triple H had a massive grin on his face and told Foley to “have a nice day” and Foley exited the arena.
Reaction: Foley is done as the Raw General Manager. This means that Stephanie McMahon and Triple H are back in power. The Authority storyline got old in the past. One of the things I liked about Smackdown is that Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon have for the most part stayed out of the way. However, Shane McMahon is now in a storyline with AJ Styles. Daniel Bryan is constantly arguing with The Miz. It appears that authority figures are back in full force in the WWE and I’m not a fan of that at all. I am a fan of Sami Zayn being placed in a prominent storyline. The caveat is that he actually has to start winning matches. Zayn put up a bit of a fight tonight but once again came up short. Samoa Joe continues to look dominant and hopefully will be placed in a marquee match at Wrestlemania 33. As of now, Joe is not booked for a match at the biggest show of the year.
Seth Rollins Injury Update
Dr. Kevin Wilk stated that the knee brace saved Seth Rollins from a catastrophic injury last week. Wilk claimed that it will take Rollins several months before he is ready to compete, so the likelihood of him wrestling at Wrestlemania 33. Wilk said that if Rollins does indeed compete at Wrestlemania 33, he fears that Rollins will re-injure his knee again.
Last week on Raw, Dana Brooke lost a match to Sasha Banks. Charlotte was disgusted in Brooke and said that she didn’t need her anymore. Dana Brooke finally had enough and attacked Charlotte. Dana controlled the beginning of tonight’s match and Charlotte rolled out of the ring to catch a breather. Back in the ring, Dana leveled Charlotte with a Clothesline for a two count. A “we want Paige” broke out in the crowd as Charlotte connected with a kick to Dana’s face for a three count.
Reaction: Dana Brooke didn’t botch anything, so that was a pleasant surprise. The ending of this match fell flat. The Raw Women’s division is unbelievably thin right now. I’m honestly just hoping that Dana Brooke gains some popularity within the WWE Universe, just so there is another female Superstar to watch on Monday nights. I’m not sure how losing to a random kick in the face will help Dana Brooke being anything but irrelevant.
Stephanie McMahon approached Bayley backstage and mockingly asked Bayley if she needed a hug. Bayley said that she used to admire Stephanie growing up. Bayley stated that all Stephanie does is abuse her power. Stephanie interrupted her and made a match between Bayley and Nia Jax tonight in a no DQ match. If Nia Jax gets the victory, she will be added to the Raw Women’s Championship match at Wrestlemania 33.
Jericho started out this edition of the Highlight Reel by showing a picture of Kevin Owens wearing a Y2J shirt at 16 years old in his parent’s basement. Jericho then showed a DM message that Owens sent him on Twitter on July 5th, 2014. Owens asked Jericho for advice and in the message said that he was worried about pissing people off in the wrestling business. Jericho then showed footage of Owens’ reaction to Jericho showing up at WWE Fastlane during his Universal Championship match against Goldberg. Jericho claimed that Owens will revert back to that 16 year old nerd at Wrestlemania 33 when Jericho’s music hits. Jericho was about to add Kevin Owens to the list but Samoa Joe came down to the entrance ramp. Kevin Owens then attacked Jericho from behind. Owens then hit the Pop-Up Powerbomb and the crowd booed. The crowd then chanted “stupid idiot” as Owens ripped up the list.
Reaction: Chris Jericho is simply awesome. I’ve always enjoyed his work more as a heel, but he can pull of anything. I really enjoyed this promo and I am also looking forward to the match between Owens and Jericho at Wrestlemania 33. The only issue I have with the feud is how it has been booked. It was obvious several months ago that this match was going to take place. The finish at Fastlane a couple of weeks ago was incredibly predictable. However, Kevin Owens and Jericho are two of the best talents in the WWE and they can turn a pile of garbage into gold. They are well on their way to doing so and I think that they will have one of the best matches of the night in two weeks at Wrestlemania 33.
TJ Perkins Crumbles Via Sliced Bread & Kendrick Mumbles Through A Promo
TJ Perkins had a quick match with Brian Kendrick. Perkins was almost shoved into the referee but caught himself. This caused Perkins to be distracted for a moment and Kendrick hit the Sliced Bread No. 2 for the victory. Kendrick then proceeded to cut a ridiculous promo about how Akira Tozawa was trapped in Japan because Kendrick had his passport.
Stephanie McMahon Stacks The Odds Against Sheamus & Cesaro
Stephanie McMahon confronted Sheamus and Cesaro backstage. Stephanie placed Sheamus & Cesaro in a 2 vs 4 handicap match against Gallows & Anderson and Enzo & Cass. Sheamus and Cesaro are apparently being punished for saying nice things about former Raw GM Mick Foley. If Sheamus & Cesaro lose tonight, they will not be competing for the Raw Tag Team Championships at Wrestlemania 33.
Nia Jax faced Bayley in a No DQ match. Nia Jax pretty much dominated the entire match. Sasha Banks and Charlotte were shown backstage watching the match on separate monitors. They were both rooting for Bayley because they did not want Nia Jax to be added to the title match at Wrestlemania 33. Every time Bayley gained some momentum, Nia squashed it and launched Bayley across the ring. Bayley slapped Nia in the face and Nia immediately threw her out of the ring. Nia then swung Bayley into the barricade three times. The entire crowd started doing the wave as Nia grabbed a chair. The chair was never used and Nia Jax planted Bayley with a Samoan Drop for the victory. The Raw Women’s Championship match at Wrestlemania 33 is now a Fatal 4-Way between Bayley, Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Nia Jax.
Reaction: In my opinion, Nia Jax should have been in this match to begin with. I didn’t understand why she was left out in the first place. Once again, a champion loses on Monday Night Raw or Smackdown. I absolutely hate that champions are constantly losing on WWE television. It doesn’t make any sense at all. Also, what exactly has the Raw Women’s Championship done for Bayley? The WWE decided to put the title on her on an episode of Raw instead of waiting till Wrestlemania. Since winning the title, she has won matches because Sasha Banks helped her out and been absolutely demolished by Nia Jax every time she faces her.
Is there an actual plan here or is the WWE just throwing titles on people for shock value? If that is what they are doing, they are also failing at an all-time level at creating any sort of momentum for their talent. The women’s revolution in the WWE was needed and it was great that they main-evented a PPV. I think Charlotte, Bayley and Sasha Banks are some of the most talented Superstars in the WWE. Having said that, the Raw Women’s division is the same exact thing every week and has become a total bore. The matches feel unimportant because there is nobody that is dominant. Nia Jax lost to Sasha Banks at Fastlane and hasn’t even been featured on a bunch of episodes of Raw since the brand split.
The Raw Women’s Championship does not feel important because the title is constantly changing hands and the champion always loses non-title matches. That is not a slight against women’s wrestling, that is a criticism directed towards the WWE and how they are using their talent. The same could be said about the tag team divisions on both Raw and Smackdown. There is no emotion involved. Storylines and feuds are what make wrestling great. There really is nothing here. The WWE has dropped hints that Sasha Banks will turn on Bayley eventually. The only thing that can really be described as a feud right now in the Raw Women’s Division is Charlotte and Dana Brooke and Dana isn’t even a part of the match at Wrestlemania. The match at Wrestlemania 33 and the entire division has absolutely no momentum right now.
Triple H Blames You For Everything
Triple H had a sit down interview with Michael Cole in the middle of the ring. The crowd immediately started chanting “CM Punk!” while Triple H tried to talk. Triple H blamed the WWE Universe for Rollins being injured. Triple H stated that Rollins started to listen to the WWE Universe, rather than listen to him. Triple H boasted about beating the hell out of Seth Rollins last week and instructed Cole to role the footage of the beatdown. Triple H blamed the WWE Universe for cheering Rollins on when he dropped the crutch and got in the ring. Cole asked Triple H if he would have done anything different and Triple H made fun of Rollins and millennials.
Triple H stated that Rollins got knocked down and couldn’t pick himself back up. Triple H announced that he is “officially done” with Seth Rollins. Triple H then handed Michael Cole a couple of tickets to Wrestlemania 33 and told him to give them to Seth Rollins. Triple H then took the tickets back and said that maybe there is a way he could fight Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania 33. Triple H then said that he is going to draw up a contract for a non-sanctioned match and challenged Rollins to show up next week on Raw to sign the contract.
Reaction: It is still unclear what will happen between Triple H and Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania 33. I’m guessing that a match will take place but there will be a bunch of outside interference to make sure that Rollins gets through the match healthy. While it still may be entertaining, I envision this being more of a glorified brawl at Wrestlemania rather than an actual match.
Enzo and Cass fought with Gallows and Anderson right when the match started. Sheamus hit Karl Anderson with a Brogue Kick for the victory. After the match, Enzo and Cass beatdown the Raw Tag Team Champions some more.
The New Day cut a backstage promo. Big E asked if there was something that Xavier Woods wanted to tell them. Xavier Woods then discussed the match between Roman Reigns and The Undertaker. Big E, Kofi and Woods then talked about the rest of the matches that will be happening at Wrestlemania 33. It was probably a smart move by the WWE to not have Xavier Woods step out in front of the Brooklyn crowd. Personally, I would have loved to see what kind of chants Brooklyn would have come up with but it makes sense that they chose not to do so. I highly doubt that the chants will go away any time soon for Woods.
Aries Vows To Become The King Of The Cruiserweights
Austin Aries defeated Tony Nese in a decent match. Neville came out after the match and stated that Austin Aries was no threat to him. Aries said that Neville knows that he is above his level and that Neville was afraid. Aries mocked Neville’s accent and vowed to take the Cruiserweight Championship from Neville at Wrestlemania 33.
The main event was Braun Strowman versus Roman Reigns. Braun dominated this match early but Reigns continued to fight back. Strowman launched Reigns into the steel steps outside the ring as chants of “we want Taker!” echoed throughout the arena. Reigns hit the Superman Punch on Strowman in the ring and went for a second one but Braun caught him. Reigns wound up hitting another Superman Punch anyway and geared up for the Spear. The Undertaker’s gong went off and the lights went out in the arena. When the lights came back on, The Undertaker was in the middle of the ring between Reigns and Strowman. The Undertaker Chokeslammed Strowman and he rolled out of the ring. Reigns then hit a Spear on The Undertaker and the crowd booed. Roman’s music hit and Reigns exited towards the entrance ramp. The Undertaker then sat up and stared at Reigns. Raw went off the air with The Undertaker’s music playing as Reigns and The Undertaker stared at each other.
Reaction: It is always great to see The Undertaker on WWE television. I still feel like this match is missing something. I wish that Roman Reigns would turn heel. It would add so much to the match and I believe that it would be beneficial to Reigns in the long run. We still have no idea what Braun Strowman will be doing at Wrestlemania 33. He keeps showing up in segments with The Undertaker and Roman Reigns. I wonder if Strowman will demand to be added to the match at Wrestlemania 33 since The Undertaker Chokeslammed him tonight. If not, it feels like Strowman is being wasted. He was built up as a monster and currently still has nothing to do at Wrestlemania in 13 days.
Overall, this was an okay episode of Monday Night Raw. It doesn’t feel like Wrestlemania 33 is less than two weeks away. The WWE keeps describing Wrestlemania 33 as “the ultimate thrill ride”. Personally, I feel like I’ve been waiting in line for an hour to go on the Tilt-A-Whirl. It has been a common theme for the WWE over the past few Wrestlemanias. They do not feel as important as they should be. There was no Brock Lesnar or Goldberg on this show. Instead, there were a couple of vignettes shown to hype up the Universal Championship match at Wrestlemania 33. It comes off as underwhelming. It seems pretty clear that Lesnar will defeat Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33. I cannot come up with a reason to be excited about that match and the fact that Goldberg and Lesnar weren’t even at tonight’s show doesn’t help.
What did you think of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw? Let us know in the comments below.
The opening segment of Monday’s RAW saw RAW commissioner Stephanie McMahon fire General Manager Mick Foley. Foley’s to oust Stephanie last week came back to bite him and he’s now out of work after serving as RAW GM since the brand split last summer.
It’s been rumored for months that Mick Foley would be taking time off to undergo hip surgery and this appears to be the storyline explanation for his hiatus. With less than two weeks until WrestleMania 33, Monday Night RAW is without a General Manger.
Konnan, who was relieved from his booking duties with AAA Lucha Libre a little over a year ago, was asked on Twitter if he had any problems with Impact Wrestling working together with AAA despite the bad blood between he and the promotion. His answer seems to indicate he is not thrilled with the deal.
no but i have nothing to do with their business and i will not work for or with AAA
Konnan has had an on-again off-again relationship with AAA Lucha Libre ever since the beginning of his career. He became a huge star with the company in the 90s and help facilitate many luchadors from AAA going to ECW and WCW. Konnan had been the booker for the company up until early 2016, when he was relieved of such duties. Konnan has since had nothing but bad things to say about the company, especially as it concerns non-payment to some of their talent.
Konnan has been involved with the Crash promotion in Mexico this year, which also has a talent sharing relationship with Impact Wrestling. He has debuted an updated version of the LAX stable on last week’s episode of Impact Wrestling.
