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WWE SmackDown Results & Discussion (2/7)

Eric Lynch
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1,264

The February 7th edition of SmackDown was the go-home show before Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, and it aired live on the USA Network from Keyarena in Seattle, WA.

– Daniel Bryan comes out to open the show and he cuts a promo for his home state crowd in Washington. Bryan says he’s going to be a father soon, and on that note The Miz comes out to steal the spotlight. The Miz cuts a promo on Bryan for not being able to wrestle anymore, and tells him to go be a stay-at-home dad. Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose, and AJ Styles all interrupt, and they argue over who will leave Elimination Chamber with the WWE Championship. Daniel Bryan says he wants a preview tonight, and he sets up a Fatal Four Way may between them. “And by the way, that match starts now!”

– Baron Corbin def AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, The Miz: Maryse is at ringside for this one. Ambrose gets lots of offense in on everyone in the opening moments. Ambrose knocks Styles off the top rope during a Phenomenal Forearm attempt, then Corbin pulls Ambrose out to ringside and lays him out. Back in the ring, Corbin goes to work on both The Miz and AJ. AJ and The Miz set up for a double superplex on Ambrose, then Corbin comes up behind them and powerbombs them all off the turnbuckle. The Miz hits some kicks on Corbin, but Corbin quickly comes back with the Deep Six on Miz. Styles lays out Corbin with the Pele Kick, then attempts a Styles Clash on The Miz — but The Miz gets out and knees styles in the face. Ambrose gets his second wind and lays out Ambrose and The Miz, then hits a suicide dive onto Corbin at ringside. Ambrose throws his three opponents around ringside, then slams Corbin into the ring post before throwing him back in the ring. Ambrose hits an elbow off the top on Corbin and pins, but Styles breaks it up. Styles ducks a lariat from Ambrose and springboards off the middle rope for his patented moonsault into a reverse DDT. Styles pins but Miz breaks it up. Styles drops The Miz and hits the Phenomenal Forearm on him, but Maryse pulls The Miz out to ringside after so he can’t be pinned. Styles turns around into the End Of Days from Corbin, and Corbin pins for the win.

– Tom Phillips does an interview via satellite with Nikki Bella and Natalya. Natalya ends up saying Cena is going to leave Nikki for someone better, and Nikki storms off screen.

– Apollo Crews def. Dolph Ziggler: Ziggler gets lots of offense in early on and sets up for a superkick, but Crews ducks and rolls Ziggler up in a small package for the win after a very short match. Ziggler beats down Crews after the match then grabs a steel chair. Ziggler gives Crews two shots with the chair before Kalisto makes the save. Kalisto drops Ziggler with some kicks and attempts the Salida Del Sol, but Ziggler blocks it and crotches him on the top rope. Ziggler hits Kalisto with the chair while he’s on the rope, then hits Crews with the chair again before leaving.

– We see Dolph Ziggler backstage and then Daniel Bryan confronts him. Ziggler says he could beat Crews and Kalisto at the same time, so Bryan books them in a handicap match at Elimination Chamber and walks off.

– Mickie James & Alexa Bliss come out to the ring, followed by Becky Lynch & Naomi to sign the contracts for their match at Elimination Chamber. Mickie James cuts a promo on Becky and takes credit for what the Women’s Division is now. Mickie says she’s going to reinvent herself at Elimination Chamber and destroy Becky. Alexa talks some trash to Naomi, and Naomi’s had enough so she kicks Alexa in the head. Alexa and Mickie get thrown out to ringside, and Naomi hits a suicide dive on them. Naomi and Becky stand in the ring while Alexa and Mickie retreat up the ramp.

– Luke Harper is backstage in a room with a red light, and he cuts a promo on Randy Orton. He says Orton took his family from him, and he’s going to get revenge.

– The Vaudevillains, The Usos, & The Ascension def. American Alpha, Breezango, and Rhyno & Heath Slater: The heels control the majority of the match until Rhyno gets the hot tag and hits a spinebuster on Konnor of the Ascension. His teammates break up the pin, and the aprons clear into the ring and everyone starts brawling. When the dust settles it’s down to American Alpha and The Vaudevillains, with American Alpha hitting a couple belly to belly overhead suplexes on them. Gable then hits a suicide dive onto the heels at ringside. Back in the ring, Rhyno gores Konnor, but then Viktor comes off the top with a knee to the face of Rhyno for the win.

– John Cena def. Randy Orton: This is a non-title match, and Bray Wyatt is at ringside. It’s all Orton in the opening minutes as he beats down Cena around the ring. Cena starts getting some momentum when he dumps Orton out to ringside and slams him into the ring steps, but Orton comes back with a back suplex onto the announce table. Orton throws Cena back in the ring, where Cena starts fighting back with right hands. Cena hits a back suplex then the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena follows up with an Attitude Adjustment, but Orton kicks out at the two count. Cena goes up to the top rope, but as he reaches the top Orton grabs his head and DDTs him down to the mat. Orton hits an RKO but Cena kicks out at two. Cena and Orton both unsuccessfully attempt their finishers again, which leaders to the ref getting knocked out. Cena puts Orton in the STF and he taps, but the ref never sees it. Wyatt runs in and beats down Cena. Cena clotheslines Orton out of the ring, but then Wyatt drops Cena with the Sister Abigail. Wyatt is the last man in the ring, then Luke Harper runs out and confronts him. Harper hits a spinning lariat on Wyatt and he falls out of the ring. Orton sneaks back in the ring and goes for an RKO on Harper, but Harper pushes Orton away and Cena hits Orton with the Attitude Adjustment. Cena pins and gets the three count. Cena celebrates in the ring as Harper looks on from ringside.

Sami Zayn Hopes to Change Perceptions of Muslims

Chris Stephens
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55

Sami Zayn was born and raised in Montreal, QC Canada, but his family comes from Syria. His real name is Rami Sebei, his family is Muslim, and he speaks Arabic fluently. 

Here’s a fun task: 

– Using google translate have the words “Sami Zayn” translated from English to Arabic.
– Then reverse the words. Have the Arabic translation translated back to English and you get the words “El Generico”. Pretty creative.

While WWE is avoiding political talk at the moment, Sami Zayn hasn’t hesitated to comment on the US travel ban.

Sami Zayn ESPN Interview

Zayn recently spoke to ESPN about his Syrian heritage and Muslim upbringing, as well as his hopes to change perceptions of Muslims.

“It’s definitely a sensitive topic to discuss, but I have felt since I signed with the WWE I was in a unique position to reestablish how Arabs were perceived in the WWE and western media,” He told ESPN recently.

“Ever since I was a kid and growing up and watching things like the ‘Naked Gun’ movies, there was always this stereotype about how Arabs were perceived and portrayed. I’ve never watched those Arab villains in the movie and felt like that was me. They were nothing like me, and now I get to just be me — and hopefully being me strikes a chord with a lot of young Arabs and non-Arabs, honestly. We’re really not all that different.”

Zayn is a Canadian citizen, and even though he his family is from Syria, he will not be impacted by the US travel ban.

Quebec Mosque Shooting

On January 29th 2017 2 gunmen opened fire on a mosque in Quebec City. 6 people were killed while attending prayer. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are both from Quebec.

Both Owens and Zayn could be seen wearing black armbands with the Quebec fleur-de-lis, a symbol of French Canada.

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/825910261835968518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Title Match Added To Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber PPV

Scott Lazara
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36

Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James has been announced for Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber PPV.

The updated card is as follows:

– John Cena defends the WWE Championship against The Miz, AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Baron Corbin and Bray Wyatt inside the Elimination Chamber

– American Alpha defends the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The Ascension, Slater & Rhyno, Breezango, The Usos & The Vaudevillains in Tag Team Turmoil

– Alexa Bliss defends the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Naomi

– Nikki Bella and Natalya go to war in singles action

– Mickie James faces off against Becky Lynch in singles action

The Chamber PPV takes place on Sunday from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.

WWE RAW Viewership With Goldberg, Samoa Joe & More

Scott Lazara
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29

This week’s WWE RAW drew 3.115 million viewers, down from last week’s 3.615 million viewers.

The show featured Samoa Joe’s in-ring debut over Roman Reigns, Goldberg accepting Brock Lesnar’s Wrestlemania 33 challenge and more.

Here’s this week’s hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

  • Hour 1: 3.339 million
  • Hour 2: 3.165 million
  • Hour 3: 2.842 million

RAW was #3 in viewership and #2 in the 18-49 demographic on cable last night.

CHIKARA King of Trios Location Announced

Jake Skudder
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1

CHIKARA’s annual King of Trios tournament will be seeing a change of location. The company have announced that they are taking the event to the UK in September as opposed to the now traditional Pennsylvania shows.

The following trailer for the September 1st-3rd shows has been released:

NJPW: New Japan Cup Dates Set, Early Winner Projection

Jake Skudder
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0

New Japan have announced the dates of this year’s New Japan Cup:

  • The First round matches will be taking place on March 11th/12th.
  • The Second round matches will be split between 4 shows from March 13th through to March 17th
  • The Semi-Final bouts will be taking place on March 19th
  • The Final will take place March 20th

The winner of the annual tournament will then decide to challenge for either the IWGP Heavyweight, IWGP Intercontinental or NEVER Openweight title at the company’s April 9th show at the Ryogoku Kokugikan.

The tournament has a very prestigious history, previous winners include Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata, Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kota Ibushi and the 2016 winner Tetsuya Naito.

The winner of this year’s tournament is likely to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight title as the current champion Kazuchika Okada does not yet have a clear feud going forward. After his bout at New Beginning with Minoru Suzuki he hinted at Tiger Mask W as a possible challenger for his belt, this may lead to Tiger Mask finally being unmasked as Kota Ibushi and leading to a program for the title.

PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 Weekender Sells Out in 2 Hours

Jake Skudder
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0

Anyone looking to attend PROGRESS’ annual Super Strong Style 16 event may well now be out of luck. PROGRESS tend to always sell out on their Electric Ballroom tickets but in is likely a company record the 3 day event sold out in less than an hour.

Super Strong Style 16 is a tournament usually set over 2 days (this years is over 3) that features some of the best Independent talents from the UK and beyond. The 2016 iteration featured arguably the best match in company history when Mark Andrews took on Chris Hero in a thrilling bout.

The PROGRESS Pivotshare on demand service has a wealth of content and is certainly worth a look: demandprogress.pivotshare.com

https://twitter.com/jimsmallman/status/828885478027956226

Bullet Club’s Opponents Announced For 4/15 OTT Show

Jake Skudder
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4

We reported earlier in the week that Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks would be making their way to Ireland’s biggest Independent promotion this April. OTT have now announced their opponents for the Scrappermania event that takes place April 15th at the National Stadium in Dublin.

Omega and Bucks will taking on the team of Will Ospreay, Ryan Smile and Ricochet (being billed as the Uptown Funkers). The match announcement has been a huge hit among the OTT faithful and further shows the International reach that New Japan Pro Wrestling is garnering.

The Rock & WWE Studios Producing Movie On Paige’s Family

Scott Lazara
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32

The Rock announced today that his Seven Bucks production company is partnering with WWE Studios to release a movie based on WWE Superstar Paige and her legendary Knight wrestling family. The movie will be based on Film4’s “The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family” documentary, which you can view above.

“Fighting With My Family” is scheduled to begin filming later this month in Los Angeles and London, according to a report from Deadline. They confirmed that The Rock will have a role in the movie but no word yet on who he might be playing, if not himself in a cameo role. Paige will be played by actress Florence Pugh and her brother Zak will be played by actor Jack Lowden.

Seven Bucks’ Rock, Dany Garcia & Hiram Garcia are serving as executive producers while WWE Studios President Michael Luisi and Kevin Misher of Misher Films will produce. WWE Studios and Film4 are co-financing the movie.

Paige tweeted the following on the movie:

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/829036286463901696

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/829036639318073344

Paige will be portrayed by actress Florence Pugh, as seen below.

Finn Balor Shoulder Rehab Video, NXT Tapings After WrestleMania 33, Bellas

Scott Lazara
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4

– Tickets go on sale Friday, February 10 for the post-WrestleMania NXT TV tapings on Wednesday, April 5 from Full Sail University. Fans in Orlando for WrestleMania might want to stick around for NXT later in the week.

– Finn Balor continues to train and rehab his shoulder after undergoing surgery last year. Below is a new video of Balor working out at Champion Sports Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama. Balor is still hopeful for WrestleMania 33 but his return has not been confirmed.

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

– The Bella Twins discuss their new Birdiebee brand for women in this video from their Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuhXPx80J9I

Plans For Next Week’s RAW, Akira Tozawa’s Debut Gets Praised

Scott Lazara
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7

– WWE 205 Live cruiserweight Akira Tozawa debuted on RAW last night in Portland. He defeated Drew Gulak, as seen in the video above. WWE also aired this video package with Cesaro talking about how good Tozawa is in the ring:

– To celebrate their friendship and show the world the strength of their bond, WWE US Champion Chris Jericho and WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens will be hosting a “Festival of Friendship” on next week’s RAW from Las Vegas.

WWE has also announced that Charlotte will defend the RAW Women’s Championship against Bayley on next week’s show in Vegas.

WWE Championship At Patriots’ Super Bowl Victory Parade, More

Scott Lazara
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6

– “Watch This” by Will Roush continues to be the theme song for the WWE Fastlane pay-per-view. It is the official theme song for the March 5th pay-per-view, but the same song was used for the 2016 Fastlane show.

– Earlier this week, WWE sent the New England Patriots a replica WWE Championship belt to commemorate their Super Bowl LI victory. The Pats had the belt in tow for Tuesday’s championship parade in Boston.

https://twitter.com/mojorawleywwe/status/829016948193185794

– Below is the latest Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer with former WWE Champion Batista as Drax the Destroyer. The trailer premiered during the Super Bowl on Sunday:

Seth Rollins Injury Notes, Video Of Former NFL Player At The WWE PC, Braun Strowman

Scott Lazara
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10

– WWE confirmed on last night’s RAW that Seth Rollins suffered a torn MCL on last week’s show in the fight with Samoa Joe. WWE has not announced whether or not Rollins needs surgery but it was confirmed that his WrestleMania status is up in the air. Rollins was back in Alabama to see doctors over the past few days, which is not considered to be a good sign.

– Canadian Indie star Michael R. Blais, who trained under Tyson Kidd, was one of the quartet defeated by Braun Strowman in Monday night RAW’s 4-on-1 handicap match.

– Below is footage of former NFL player Isaiah Stanback at the recent WWE Performance Center tryouts:

John Cena Championship Celebration Scrapped, Joe vs. Reigns in Slow-Mo

Scott Lazara
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9

– WWE Champion John Cena will be on this Thursday’s “Off the Top Rope” ESPN SportsCenter segment with Jonathan Coachman.

Cena achieved a major milestone when he tied Ric Flair’s record for the most world championship reigns by defeating AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble, but WWE did not make a huge deal out of Cena tying Flair’s record. We’ve heard from multiple people that a more elaborate celebration was planned, but WWE wound up writing it out of the show. WWE did acknowledge Cena tying Ric Flair’s record and Flair was on hand to congratulate the champ, but what we saw was far from the original plan.

Cena defends the WWE Championship this Sunday inside the Elimination Chamber and a short-title reign could be the reason for the lack of recognition at the Rumble. 

– WWE posted this slow motion video from Samoa Joe’s RAW debut last night against Roman Reigns.

Speaking of Joe’s RAW debut, Triple H tweeted the following after Joe defeated Roman Reigns in the main event of the evening.

Nakamura Won’t Need Knee Surgery, Video Of WWE’s Newest Female Recruits

Scott Lazara
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14

– WWE announced on Tuesday that Shinsuke Nakamura will not require knee surgery after a recent injury scare. The former NXT Champion did not appear at the most recent NXT television tapings and he hasn’t wrestled since dropping the NXT title to Bobby Roode at Takeover: San Antonio. The next round of NXT tapings take place on 2/22 from the University of Central Florida. These are the last tapings before TakeOver in Orlando.

– The “Seth Rollins: Building the Architect” DVD from WWE is scheduled to be released in May. There will be no Blu-ray version of this release, as the company is cutting back on Blu-ray versions in the UK and North America.

– We’ve reported how new WWE recruits Dori Prange (Heidi Lovelace), Kimberly Frankele (Kimber Lee) and Mary Kate Duignan Glidewell (Andrea) recently reported to the WWE Performance Center. Below is footage of the ladies discussing what it means to finally make to the biggest pro wrestling promotion in the world:

Kevin Owens Mocks WWE For Photoshopping Goldberg’s Beard

Robert Lentini
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16

Kevin Owens knocked the WWE Fastlane graphic last night on Twitter. He has a match with Goldberg with the Universal Championship at the event, but Owens noticed something a little off with the picture of Goldberg and had no problem pointing it out on social media.

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/828830882790154241

Of course, Owens didn’t have to wait for the WWE to photoshop his beard. Many people on Twitter decided to take action themselves.

https://twitter.com/TheBestKyle/status/828832472821542912

Update On The Future Of The Stone Cold Podcast

Chris Stephens
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13

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

Don’t expect to see the Stone Cold Podcast return to the WWE Network any time soon.

The popular sit-down interview show hasn’t been since last summer, when then-WWE Champion Dean Ambrose was a guest. The overwhelming consensus is that Ambrose’s appearance did not go well, with Austin essentially telling him to ‘show more effort’ if he wants to carry the company on his back.

Dave Meltzer commented on the situation on the the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. In response to a fan question asking why the Stone Cold Podcast hasn’t returned, Meltzer said management wasn’t happy with how Austin approached the role and was too “real” for what they’re looking for.

“The Ambrose one… I didn’t think it was a disaster, but many did.”  Meltzer said. “Steve tries to be real and they don’t want real. They want their version of real.” Meltzer stated.

Ambrose also revealed that Brock didn’t really want to do much in their WrestleMania match last year. We learned later that Lesnar didn’t take a lot of risks at WrestleMania because he was already training for his UFC return later that summer.

Other previous guests include Vince McMahon, Triple H, Paul Heyman, Paige, Edge and Christian, Brock Lesnar, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Big Show, Mick Foley, AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose.

Austin was said to have gotten some backlash as a result of the interview he did with Lesnar in October 2015 as well. In that interview he teased a possible WrestleMania match with Brock. In fact he mentioned if they were to wrestle it should be in a “Texas Death Match.”Vince was apparently upset about this, thinking fans would believe the match would happen since they mentioned it on-air.

On another episode, Austin expressed to Triple H that Chyna deserves to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, which probably didn’t go over too well either.

Meltzer would continue to speculate that the “Legends With JBL” interviews have essentially replaced Austin’s show. “JBL at least knows the framework of what they want, and Steve tries to be real. JBL will do their version of real”

TNA Partnering With Japan’s Pro Wrestling NOAH Promotion

Staff
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10

TNA Impact Wrestling is entering into a partnership with Japan’s Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion.

NOAH president Masayuki Uchida announced the alliance on Tuesday at a press conference held at their Tokyo headquarters.

TNA has yet to issue a statement addressing the news.

Ted DiBiase Jr’s Returns To The Ring (Video), More WWE UK Matches On NXT, More

Scott Lazara
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8

– The WWE UK Championship will apparently be a big part of NXT this year. UK Champion Tyler Bate made his NXT debut last week in a non-title win over Oney Lorcan but he will be defending the championship against Trent Seven on the 2/15 NXT episode. UK competitors Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews will then compete on the 3/1 NXT episode. These matches were recently taped with full UK graphics on display inside Full Sail.

– Below is video of former WWE Superstar Ted DiBiase Jr’s return to the ring at a recent ProWrestling EGO event in Pearl, Mississippi. The event was held as a law enforcement fundraiser and marked Ted’s first match since late 2013. The event- which was to benefit Rankin and Hinds County Honor Guard- saw DiBiase take on Calvin Rose, Monty Warbucks, and Joey Abel in street clothes, sporting a walking boot, alongside Mike Carter and Fuego Del Sol. This video was just released a few days back but the event took place o 12/3.

– In the videos below, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T stars in new commercials for Hilton Furniture and Mattress of Houston, Texas:

More On the Rock ‘N’ Roll Express’ WWE HOF Induction, Reactions

Scott Lazara
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5

You can watch the official WWE Hall Of Fame video package for “The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express” Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson above.

The wrestling legends spoke with CBS Sports on Monday at this link and admitted that the call from WWE caught them off guard. Morton called it a dream come true and both expressed interest in wrestling for WWE again as they continue to work indy matches each week.

“It was a surprise,” Morton told CBS Sports. “I had a message on my phone [from WWE] to call the number back. I think they got ahold of Robert at the time. When they called, it was just like a suckerpunch. It just knocked us off our feet.”

“It’s an honor for Ricky and me to go into the hall of fame,” Gibson added.

Meanwhile, past and present WWE Superstars congratulated the guys on Twitter and spoke about the impact they had on the business:

https://twitter.com/ScottDawsonWWE/status/828673564681314304

Chris Jericho Adds Super Bowl 51 MVP Tom Brady To “The List”

Scott Lazara
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4

WWE had to be hoping for another mainstream media mention when they had Chris Jericho add Super Bowl 51 MVP Tom Brady to “The List” on last night’s RAW in Portland. Jericho also called the quarterback of the New England Patriots a stupid idiot and spent the first few minutes of his in-ring promo ripping on Brady.

Jericho continued the Brady jokes after RAW on social media. Jericho posted this meme on Instagram but as of this writing, the WWE United States Champion has received no response from Brady or The Patriots.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQMw70KjMu8/

Meanwhile, WWE sent the Patriots a custom replica WWE Championship belt to commemorate their historic comeback victory on Sunday night.

WWE Asia Championship Planned, Scott Steiner Indy Video, More

Scott Lazara
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14

– It looks like WWE is moving forward with plans to crown the first ever WWE Asia Champion. After the recent success of WWE’s United Kingdom Championship tournament, officials are now interested in holding similar events in other regions of the world. WWE officials have already begun scouting talent in Asia, with several wrestlers in talks with the company to iron out their eligibility and travel requirements. Any potential candidates would have to sign exclusive deals, and no outside bookings will be allowed if signed in the US, the UK, or Japan. Officials hope to avoid some of the confusion reported from the UK scene.

– We’ve reported how Samoa Joe vs. Triple H was one match discussed for Triple H at WrestleMania 33 now that Seth Rollins is injured. After this week’s RAW that match seems unlikely. PWInsider reports that one match that was at least discussed is Triple H vs. Shane McMahon. We also know that Shane vs. AJ Styles has been considered recently.

– The following Title Match Wrestling video from a recent Pro Wrestling Syndicate event in Sayreville, NJ features Scott Steiner facing indy wrestler Craig Steele. Steiner cuts a pre-match promo that is very NSFW and goes on to win the match when Steele taps out.

WWE SmackDown & 205 Live Previews For Tonight

Scott Lazara
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1

WWE has added a 12-man tag team match to tonight’s SmackDown from Seattle with The Usos, The Vaudevillains and The Ascension taking on Heath Slater & Rhyno, Breezango and SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Apollo Crews has also been announced for tonight’s SmackDown. As reported before, tonight’s main event will see Randy Orton renew his rivalry with WWE Champion John Cena in a non-title match.

Tonight’s WWE 205 Live on the WWE Network will see the winner of the main event go on to face WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville at Fastlane on 3/5. The Fatal 5 Way Elimination Match will feature Jack Gallagher, Tony Nese, TJ Perkins, Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar.

SmackDown and 205 Live will take place from the Key Arena in Seattle tonight, near the hometown of SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan. This the final SmackDown before Sunday’s Elimination Chamber PPV.

Fan Releases Rundown Sheet for RAW Online

Chris Stephens
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13

A fan has released a copy of the rundown sheet from last night’s RAW on Twitter:

Evidently James, who describes himself as rad, was cleaning up after RAW and stumbled upon the sheet, then decided to release it on Twitter.

Notable Items on RAW Rundown Sheet

Somewhat notable on this sheet is the list of which producers are working on which storylines and angles.

Looking it over it is clear that Michael Hayes is producing anything to do with Samoa Joe, and possibly Roman Reigns as well. It could be that Hayes produces the main event matches and segments for the show, as he also covered the Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show dark match.

Dean Malenko producing the Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn match is interesting as well, considering some of the great matches Jericho and Malenko had in WCW. Zayn sort of fits with their style as well.

D-Von Dudley working as a producer for the New Day vs. Shining Stars match makes sense as well, considering his experience in tag-team matches. Mike Rotunda, aka IRS/father to Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas, working as the producer for tag team championship match shows that he is probably the head producer for the division, whereas D-Von works the smaller matches.

Arn Anderson got the Rusev vs. Sin Cara match for Main Event, as well as the Braun Strowman handicap match. Jamie Knoble looks to cover all the cruiserweight matches.  The former Sarita from TNA was the producer for the lone women’s division match.

Also notable was that the Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho segment, which later involved Goldberg, did not have a producer. That means it was just those guys and Vince.

Jerry Lawler’s New BBQ Restaurant, 2K17 On PC, More

Scott Lazara
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5

– A new “Celebrating Black History” collection has been added to the WWE Network for the month of February. The 2017 version appears to be a re-upload of the 2016 collection with some new content. They also have a new Collection on The New Day for Black History Month.

– WWE 2K17 is now available on PC.

– Bryan Saxton recently interviewed NXT announcer Percy Watson for the WWE website at this link. Watson talked about how he received a phone call “out of the blue” to return to the company. He was released from the WWE a few years earlier and had returned to commodities trading.

“Well, this whole experience has been completely surreal to me. But now that I’ve got a second chance, my goal is to learn as much as possible,” Watson said. “I realize that it’ll take some time, but I have no problem with that. I want to bring as much energy and ‘Showtime’ to the announce team as I can.”

– Jerry “The King” Lawler’s new Memphis-based BBQ restaurant was profiled last week by @MemphisNews:

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