Brock Lesnar has retired once again from the world of professional mixed martial arts. The former UFC Heavyweight champion informed the UFC and USADA of his decision on Tuesday.
USADA will no longer be able to test Brock Lesnar for PEDs.
For more details on this story, visit our report over at MMANews.com.
Brock Lesnar and the Wellness Policy
Lesnar received a 1-year suspension from USADA as a result of failing two failed PED tests stemming from his UFC 200 bout with Mark Hunt. For Lesnar to return to MMA he would have to allow USADA to test him for a period of 1-year before he would be eligible to return to the sport. By retiring he is taking himself out of USADA testing pool. If he ever wanted to return he would have to allow USADA to test him for a period of 1 year beforehand.
Last summer a WWE spokesperson told TMZ that part-time performers, such as Lesnar, are not subject to the company’s wellness policy. This means Brock is free to take whatever he wants with no repercussions from either WWE or UFC.
The Easter Weekend Fight Club: Pro events were already looking like some of the most must see shows in the UK this year, and now they have announced that Will Ospreay will be appearing on Friday 14th April at the Fixxion in Wolverhampton and Sunday 16th April at the Bush Hall in London.
Other stars announced for these shows are:
Pentagon Jr
Sami Callihan
Moustache Mountain
Travis Banks
Zack Sabre Jr
Rey Fenix
Pete Dunne
Chris Brookes
Shane Strickland
Marty Scurll
FSU – Mark Andrews and Eddie Dennis
Kenny Omega
The Young Bucks
Mark Haskins
Dan Moloney
Guess you can't put on one of the best shows in the country without one of the best fighters in the country… pic.twitter.com/MmFWe0tVK6
This past weekend, What Culture Pro Wretling held a press conference in England for the first ever Pro Wrestling World Cup. Longtime friend of the site Michael Hogan was served as our live correspondent and sent int he following report:
WhatCulture Pro Wrestling.
Is there a more divisive brand in independent wrestling today? OK, aside from Raw. As someone who takes great pride in the amazing scene our small nation of tea and crumpets has cultivated over the last 5 years using home grown talent, it’s been interesting, to say the least, to see the reaction and impact WCPW has made on the scene in barely 6 months. Detractors will say it’s down to an over reliance on ex-WWE guys, fans will point to workers like Martin Kirby and Joe Hendry as an example of domestic stars they have built the company around.
I “love the graps” as they say over here, and you’ll often find me at PROGRESS or Fight Club: Pro, but up until Sunday’s True Destiny iPPV; I had never experienced a live WCPW show in person. Not to say their cards haven’t intrigued me, I think any promotion booking talent such as Will Ospreay, Ricochet, Zack Sabre Jr & Travis Banks, and putting it out there for free on the internet deserves everyone’s attention. I had heard their crowds could be a bad example of a wrestling crowd, there was an abundance of the YouTube channels on-air personalities during the shows, but when I received an invite to attend Milton Keynes’ Planet Ice Arena on Sunday, I wanted to keep an open mind.
But before the show, there was the press conference for WhatCulture’s Pro Wrestling World Cup. Tournaments are having a renaissance in professional wrestling, from WWE’s recent Cruiserweight Classic & UK Championship Tournament to the annual wXw 16 Carat Gold and PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles. It seems the best wrestling this year has been in this environment. And WCPW seem like they are aiming to not just meet the standard that has been set in the last 12 months, but surpass it.
64 men, with 8 qualifying tournaments (for 8 different regions), with the top 2 from each meeting in a live, 2 night finale in Newcastle on 25 & 26 August. None of it on iPPV, all free to view on YouTube. And not just content with 8 different tournaments, but WCPW have announced partnerships with Canada’s SMASH Wrestling for the Canadian qualifier and Germany’s GWF for the German qualifier. In addition to those 2 countries; England, Scotland, USA, Japan, Mexico and a Rest of the World bracket will make up the Pro Wrestling World Cup.
WCPW brought in the big hitters to add legitimacy to proceedings, with Jim Ross and Matt Striker leading the panel. Both men were commentating that night’s event, and will be calling the final in Manchester. As well as the voices of the tournament, Zack Sabre Jr and Alberto el Patron appeared briefly on the panel to hype this. It’s clear WCPW are putting a lot of eggs in this basket. It’s ambitious, with the first qualifying tournament coming next month. It’s a tough ask to keep fans engaged over something so long term, but listening to these men speak did ease some worries.
You’d be forgiven for thinking with a 64 man tournament there may be, for lack of a better term “cannon fodder” padding it out. We didn’t get the full list of entrants, but we did get confirmation of the English, Scottish, Mexican and German qualifiers. Surprises included Axel Dieter Jr and Bad Bones in the German qualifier, 2 guys more famous for their work in wXw, the biggest promotion in mainland Europe. Mixed in with bigger Scottish names (not only in WCPW but worldwide) such as Drew Galloway & Joe Coffey were Lewis Girvin & Kenny Williams.
The Mexican bracket did spring some surprises. In what is likely the closest thing the UK will get to a Lucha Underground show, with people such as Rey Mysterio, Penta del Zero M, Drago and Ray Fenix were Caristico and El Ligero, which got a good response from the crowd. Obviously, with over 1 million subscribers to their YouTube channel, WCPW have the financial backing to go and get these big names, and the ambition is there. From talking to some of the WhatCulture personalities myself, it seems like the passion is there too, but this could be an expensive failure if it doesn’t shoot off like it planned.
For me, the most surprising of all was the announcement Jimmy Havoc would be making his WCPW debut during this tournament. Some have described him as the most important British wrestler since Big Daddy in the 1980’s, for his hand in building PROGRESS Wrestling into where it is today, and I could see his announcement making some British wrestling fans changing their opinion on WCPW as a whole. Not to mention the other 7 competitors – Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll, Rampage, Zack Sabre Jr, Martin Kirby, Nick Aldis and Zack Gibson – and it’s looking like it will become harder to deny WCPW their seat at the table.
The main takeaway from this announcement, besides the sheer scope they are going for, was that this is designed to bring us all together. Both Matt Striker and Zack Sabre Jr made reference to this tournament being a way to unite wrestling fans, and promote positivity in a time where many things are dividing us. While some may argue that pro wrestling and politics should stay far away from each other, regardless of what world leader is in what hall of fame, the sentiment was nice. I think it also speaks for WCPW itself. It’s made by fans, who want to run their shows and be accepted by the masses, yet it doesn’t seem to be uniting everyone just yet.
I came away from the press conference surprised by it all. None of the tongue in cheek aspects of their YouTube videos, but I got a sense of their professionalism and vision for this tournament. They are taking the momentum of the last 6 months, going from 200 capacity venues to 2,000 and looking to build on that, to something I feel they want to be an annual, legitimate event on the pro wrestling calendar. First part of the day down, so far, so good. I still hadn’t seen any wrestling yet though. Or experienced that crowd…
Summary: Pro Wrestling World Cup ’17 Tournament Details
The entire 64-man tournament will available to view for free via the What Culture Pro Wrestling Youtube channel.
There will be 8 nations represented in the Tournament: England, Scotland, Germany, Canada, USA, Mexico, Japan and the ‘Rest of The World’.
There will be 8 Qualifying Legs, one for each nation. These will feature single elimination matches.
The finals will feature 16 performers and will be held over 4 days (August 23rd – August 26th). The final two nights will take place at the Newcastle Sport Centre.
PROGRESS’ last Chapter event saw the stunning return of ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster and former PROGRESS Champion Mark Haskins from injury. Their return during the British Strong Style beatdown of Jimmy Havoc was a huge hit with the PROGRESS faithful and it has lead to the main event for Chapter 44 – Old Man Yells at Cloud. Here is the press release for the event:
After the events at the end of Chapter 43, we have an enormous main event for Chapter 44 on 26th February in store.
British Strong Style (World Champion Pete Dunne and Tag Champions Trent Seven and Tyler Bate) will face the team of Jimmy Havoc, Mark Haskins and Flash Morgan Webster in a 6 man tag match that will, whatever happens, have implications for the coming months.
If Havoc, Haskins or Webster score a pin or submission on any member of British Strong Style, they’ll earn a title opportunity.
But, if any of those three get pinned or submit, they’ll be barred from any further title matches for 6 months.
High stakes. One man leaves Chapter 44 with a title shot, or heartbroken. Will the alliance of Havoc, Haskins and Webster be able to work together even though only one of them can potentially benefit? Or will the pack mentality of British Strong Style prevail, and eliminate one of the title contenders for the foreseeable future?
BRITISH STRONG STYLE vs HAVOC, HASKINS and WEBSTER headlines Chapter 44!
Monday night while RAW was in Las Vegas, the Smackdown crew was in Oakland. A rental car being used by Heath Slater and the Ascension was broken into. Each member of the Ascension had their bags stolen.
It is not currently known if the thieves were aware of how many kids Heath Slater has.
He’s Got Kids!!
Slater announced on Twitter that the car had been broken into:
Vader announced back in November that he’s been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and multiple have given him two years to live. The revelation sent shockwaves throughout the industry, with many calling for WWE to induct him into the Hall of Fame while he is still around to receive the honor.
Vader followed up a month later, writing that he got good news about his health and the “doom and gloom” from the three previous doctors he had seen maybe have been premature This latest message from the former WCW Champion sounds less optimistic. Keep Vader in your thoughts.
Charlotte Flair: October 30, 2016 – November 28, 2016
Sasha Banks: November 28, 2016 – December 18, 2016
Charlotte Flair December 18, 2016 – February 13, 2017
Bayley: February 13, 2017 – Present
Charlotte has held the Raw Women’s Championship four times. If she wins it back at WWE Fastlane, that will make 5 Raw Women’s Championship reigns in under a calendar year. Sasha Banks would have also had 3 Raw Women’s Championship reigns in that same period of time.
United States Championship
Rusev: May 22, 2016 – September 25, 2016
Roman Reigns: September 25, 2016- January 9, 2016
Chris Jericho: January 9, 2017 – Present
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
Heath Slater & Rhyno: September 11, 2016 – December 4, 2016
Wyatt Family: December 4, 2016 – December 27, 2016
American Alpha: December 27 – Present
Raw Tag Team Championship
The New Day: August 23, 2015 – December 18, 2016
Cesaro & Sheamus: December 18, 2016 – January 29, 2017
Gallows & Anderson: January 29, 2017 – Present
Intercontinental Championship
The Miz: April 4, 2016 – October 9, 2016
Dolph Ziggler: October 9, 2016 – November 15, 2016
The Miz: November 16, 2016 – January 3, 2017
Dean Ambrose: January 3, 2017 – Present
Cruiserweight Championship
TJ Perkins: September 14, 2016 – October 30, 2016
Brian Kendrick: October 30, 2016 – November 29, 2016
Rich Swann: November 29, 2016 – January 29, 2017
Neville: January 29 – Present
Smackdown Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch: September 11, 2016 – December 4, 2016
Alexa Bliss: December 4, 2016 – February 12, 2017
Naomi: February 12, 2017 – Present
Universal Championship
Finn Balor: August 21,2016 – August 22, 2016
Kevin Owens: August 29, 2016 – Present
WWE Championship:
Dean Ambrose: June 19, 2016 – September 11, 2016
AJ Styles: September 11, 2016 – January 29, 2017
John Cena: January 29, 2017 – February 12, 2017
Bray Wyatt: February 12, 2017 – Present
There have been 25 times a title in the WWE has changed hands since the brand split. Charlotte and Sasha Banks have accounted for 6 of them. There have been several short title reigns. Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss both held the Smackdown Women’s Championship for around two months. The Wyatt Family held the Smackdown Tag Team Championship for under a month. John Cena held the WWE Championship for two weeks. Sheamus and Cesaro held the Raw Tag Team Championships for a little over a month.
25 title changes in a 8 months may not sound like a lot, but how many Superstars has it helped? Rusev has been in throwaway storylines ever since he lost the United States Championship. Heath Slater and Rhyno have been completely lost in the shuffle on Smackdown ever since they lost the belts. The Raw Tag Team Championship did pretty much nothing for Cesaro and Sheamus as a team.
Discussion: Does the surprise of a title change mean more to you than a long title reign? Would you have enjoyed Bayley or Naomi winning their titles more if that moment came at Wrestlemania? Do you believe the days of a 435 day title reign like CM Punk are done, or that there is nobody on the current WWE roster that deserves a title reign of that stature? Share your thoughts below.
ICW have announced that the newly crowned ICW World Heavyweight Champion Trent Seven will be defending his title this Sunday against Wolfgang Young.
Seven dethroned Wolfgang and this big rematch is set to headline the ICW Fight Club event in Manchester.
Both men were recently featured in the WWE UK Championship tournament and while rumours of ICW being brought over to the WWE Network are still unsubstantiated the company has seen a huge boost in popularity recently.
If you have never had the opportunity to watch an ICW show then check out their Pivotshare page here: icwondemand.pivotshare.com
Last night’s WWE SmackDown ended with Randy Orton pledging allegiance to WWE Champion Bray Wyatt and refusing his WrestleMania 33 championship shot against Wyatt that he earned by winning the Royal Rumble. Video from the segment can be seen above.
It was later announced on Talking Smack by SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan that next week’s SmackDown will feature a battle royal with the winner facing Wyatt at WrestleMania. The first confirmed name for the battle royal is AJ Styles.
– Naomi announced on tonight’s SmackDown that she suffered an injury during her SmackDown Women’s Championship win over Alexa Bliss at Sunday’s Elimination Chamber PPV. Naomi did not give many details on the injury but she indicated that it is minor. She didn’t realize she suffered an injury until returning to her hotel room later that night.
Bliss and Naomi did an angle tonight that set up a potential rematch for next Tuesday night, depending on Naomi’s status. We will keep you updated on Naomi’s status when WWE announces any details.
– Coming off their Double Countout at Elimination Chamber on Sunday, Natalya and Nikki Bella will look to finish their feud on next Tuesday’s SmackDown from Ontario, CA. SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan announced tonight that Nikki vs. Natalya will take place next week in a Falls Count Anywhere Match.
WWE announced the following on the match:
After months of verbal assaults, blindside attacks and raucous brawls, Nikki Bella and Natalya will finally settle the score when they face off in a Falls Count Anywhere Match next week on SmackDown LIVE.
The match announcement was spurred on by SmackDown LIVE General Manager Daniel Bryan after the two Superstars got into another scrap, this time in Bryan’s office. Realizing that this issue could not continue much longer without some serious and dangerous repercussions, Bryan scheduled for the two to compete in a Falls Count Anywhere Match next week on Team Blue.
Who will come out the winner in one of WWE’s most unpredictable contests? Find out next week on SmackDown LIVE!
Bray Wyatt kicked off Smackdown. The audience chanted “you deserve it!” as Wyatt stood in the ring. Bray Wyatt said that he can finally say that he has the whole damn world in his hand and raised the WWE Championship above his head. John Cena interrupted and called the crowd brainwashed for chanting “you deserve it!” at Bray Wyatt. Cena said that nothing is deserved in the WWE and you have to earn everything you get. AJ Styles interrupted and said that he was owed a rematch for when he lost the WWE Championship. Styles complained about Cena being given a rematch for the title before him. Daniel Bryan then came out and added AJ Styles to the main event tonight. It will now be Bray Wyatt vs John Cena vs AJ Styles for the WWE Championship.
Viktor and Gable started off the match. Gable controlled the match early and Viktor and Konnor regrouped in the corner. Both Jordan and Gable Clotheslined Konnor and Viktor out of the ring as Smackdown went to a commercial break. When Smackdown returned, Viktor had Gable trapped in a Chinlock. Konnor was then tagged in and he put Gable in another Chinlock. Gable battled to his feet but Konnor clubbed him back down to the mat. Viktor was tagged back in but Gable was able to finally tag Jason Jordan in the match. Jordan connected with several Suplexes to both Viktor and Konnor. Gable was then tagged in and The Ascension recaptured the momentum in the match. Jordan and Gable fought back and hit the Grand Amplitude onto Viktor for the victory.
Dean Ambrose ran into James Ellsworth and Carmella backstage while still searching for Baron Corbin. Ambrose gave Ellsworth some advice and told him that Carmella was using him. Ambrose suggested Ellsworth try online dating and Carmella looked disgusted. Daniel Bryan then randomly appeared and Ambrose told him that he wanted to beat the hell out of Baron Corbin. Ambrose then asked Daniel Bryan if it would be alright if he beat the crap out James Ellsworth. Daniel thought about it for a moment and then said that the two did have unresolved issues. Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan then made a match between James Ellsworth and Dean Ambrose.
Ellsworth and Carmella were already in the ring. Ambrose’s music hit but he came crawling out from backstage. Baron Corbin followed him and continued to beat him down. Corbin launched Ambrose into the production area with a Deep Six and sparks flew everywhere. The impact was so severe that the technical equipment exploded before Ambrose even hit it.
Renee Young interviewed Dolph Ziggler backstage. Ziggler said that he will do what he did to Apollo Crews and Kalisto to anyone that crosses him. Ziggler stated that he will wipe out an entire generation to get his point across. Ziggler claimed that no one steals the show besides him and that nobody will ever steal his place on Smackdown.
Mickie James vs Becky Lynch
The match started out back and forth but Becky got the upper hand and knocked Mickie out of the ring. Becky continued to control the match once Mickie got back into the ring. Becky applied an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring. Mickie got out of it but Becky connected with a kick that sent Mickie outside the ring. Becky followed her and they both hit a Clothesline on each other at the same time as Smackdown went to a commercial break. When Smackdown returned, Becky connected with a kick and hit a Suplex for a two count. Mickie hit a Flapjack and leaped to her feet. Mickie then climbed to the top rope but Becky got out of the way. Becky once again knocked Mickie out of the ring and Mickie pretended to injure her shoulder. Back in the ring, the referee prevented Becky from attacking Mickie as she rolled around in pain. Mickie James used this distraction to hit the Mick Kick for the victory.
Naomi was interviewed by Renee Young in the ring. Renee congratulated Naomi on her victory as the crowd chanted “you deserve it!”. Naomi revealed that she suffered an injury during her match with Alexa Bliss at Elimination Chamber. Naomi said that she will fight through it and bring the Smackdown Women’s Championship to Wrestlemania. Alexa Bliss interrupted and mocked Naomi’s injury. Alexa stated that Naomi lucked out that in her victory on Sunday. Alexa claimed that Naomi is faking the injury in order to avoid a rematch. Naomi called Alexa a flee. Alexa said that she will give Naomi one week to either forfeit the Smackdown Women’s Championship of face her in a rematch. Alexa vowed to take her title back when she faces Naomi again.
Bray Wyatt blew out his lantern and when the lights turned back on, Luke Harper was there. Luke Harper attacked Bray Wyatt before the match and launched Bray into the barricade. Harper then hit a Superkick and walked to the backstage as Smackdown went to a commercial break. When Smackdown returned, Cena and Styles were battling in the ring. Bray Wyatt was still laying outside the ring. Cena went for the Five Knuckle Shuffle but Wyatt dragged him out of the ring and launched him into the steel steps. Styles then leaped out of the ring and hit Wyatt with a forearm. Styles kicked Wyatt and he laughed.
Back in the ring, Styles attacked Wyatt in the corner. Styles hit another forearm for a two count. Wyatt connected with a shoulder tackle that sent Styles to the mat. Wyatt threw Styles out of the ring. Cena planted Wyatt and hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena went for the Attitude Adjustment but Wyatt blocked it. Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm on Bray and then Cena hit the AA on Styles for a two count. Wyatt hit the Sister Abigail but AJ broke up the pinfall and Smackdown went to another commercial break.
When Smackdown returned, Styles hit a Splash onto Wyatt on the announce table but it didn’t break. The crowd chanted “one more time!” and Styles climbed back on the barricade. Styles hit a Leg Drop this time and Bray Wyatt went crashing through the table. Cena hit an AA onto Styles and went for a second one but Styles reversed it into a Calf Crusher. Cena then reversed that into an STF. Bray Wyatt got back into the ring and hit a Senton. Cena hit Wyatt with an AA but Styles ran in and broke up the pinfall. Styles then hit the Styles Clash on Cena for a two count. Styles then got knocked out of the ring and Bray Wyatt hit the Sister Abigail on Cena for the victory.
After the match, Randy Orton came down to the ring. Orton said that even though he won the Royal Rumble, he refuses to fight Bray Wyatt. Orton referred to Wyatt as the master and to himself as a servant. Wyatt said that Orton now had the keys to the kingdom. Smackdown went off the air with Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton posing in the ring.
Reaction: Tonight’s episode of Smackdown was very good. While in a losing effort, The Ascension were not embarrassed like they were two days ago at the Elimination Chamber PPV. I like the idea of Baron Corbin going after Dean Ambrose and the Intercontinental Championship. Corbin is definitely a future WWE Champion but he would make a great Intercontinental Champion today. The main event was a great match. I never thought I’d see the day where Bray Wyatt pinned John Cena clean two matches in a row. Bray Wyatt actually overcame the odds in this match as Luke Harper attacked him before it started. Randy Orton is either playing mind games or has become completely brainwashed by Bray Wyatt. I’m curious to see how Luke Harper factors into all of this in the future.
There really isn’t a storyline on Smackdown that I’m not at least mildly interested in. Sure, Natalya and Nikki Bella had a terrible promo last week but I’m still entertained by their feud. I think the weakest part of Smackdown is their Tag Team division. They have plenty of talent on the show but most of the teams are not featured. I’d like to see more teams on Smackdown appear on the show and have actual matches. Teams like Breezango and The Ascension have been either off TV completely or squashed in a two minute match. I enjoyed tonight’s match with The Ascension and American Alpha because at least The Ascension put up a fight. I’d like to see that trend continue in order to build up more teams besides American Alpha and the already established Usos.
What did you think of tonight’s episode of Smackdown? Let us know in the comments below.
The February 14th edition of WWE SmackDown aired live from the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.
– Bray Wyatt comes out to welcome us all to the “Era of Wyatt.” Wyatt says now that he’s champion, he has more power than before and anyone who stands in his way will burn. Wyatt holds his WWE Championship belt in air, and then John Cena interrupts. Cena questions why the fans were chanting “you deserve it” for Wyatt, and says Wyatt is going to have to earn the right to keep the title tonight in their match. AJ Styles interrupts next, and says he should be the first one to get a shot at Wyatt’s WWE Title. Daniel Bryan comes out to settle this, and he decides that Bray Wyatt’s WWE Title defense tonight will be a triple threat match against both John Cena and AJ Styles.
– Dean Ambrose is shown arriving at the arena with his Intercontinental Championship belt around his waist.
– American Alpha def. The Ascension: After some back an forth action early on, the aprons clear and The Ascension throws both members of American Alpha out of the ring down to the floor. This leads to American Alpha climbing to the top turnbuckle and hitting missile dropkicks on both Ascension members. The Ascension tries to come back, but American Alpha shuts them down after hitting the Grand Amplitude on Viktor for the win after a short but competitive match. After the match, The Usos appear on the big screen and tell American Alpha to watch their backs.
– Carmella and James Ellsworth come out to the ring to say a few words, but they’re quickly interrupted by Dean Ambrose. Before Ambrose can make it to the ring, Baron Corbin attacks Ambrose from behind and throws him into some electric equipment.
– Backstage, Daniel Bryan mediates an argument between Nikki Bella and Natalya. Nikki and Natalya get into it and have to be pulled apart, so Bryan sets up another match between them.
– Dolph Ziggler does an interview backstage where he says he’s going to shut down everyone from the younger generation who is trying to take his spot on the WWE roster.
– Mickie James def. Becky Lynch: Becky appears to be working on softening up Mickie’s arm early on, and she rolls her up for more than one near-fall. Mickie gets frustrated and rolls to the outside. Back in the ring, Mickie briefly mounts a comeback, but Becky goes right back to working on her left arm. Becky throws Mickie over the top rope out to the apron, then kicks her off down to the floor at ringside. Becky follows her down to the floor and they brawl around ringside. Mickie mounts another brief comeback, but Becky comes back with a series of kicks and a back suplex for a two count. Becky goes for a t-bone suplex, but Mickie gets out and slams Becky. Mickie goes to the top rope but misses, and Becky hits a t-bone suplex for a two count. Becky blocks a hurricanrana attempt and throws Mickie out to ringside, where Mickie begins selling a shoulder injury. The referee separates them and checks on Mickie. Mickie was faking it and she kicks Becky in the head for the win.
– Women’s Champion Naomi is in the ring for an interview with Renee Young. She says she suffered an injury during her match on Sunday, but that won’t stop her. Alexa Bliss interrupts and cuts a promo on Naomi saying she’s going to win back the Women’s Title next week.
– Bray Wyatt (c) def. AJ Styles & John Cena: Bray Wyatt makes his entrance, and when the lights come back on Luke Harper is standing in front of Bray. Harper beats down Wyatt around ringside and superkicks him. Referees pull Harper back and he heads backstage. The match starts with Cena and Styles going at it. Cena back suplexes AJ and goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Bray pulls Cena out to ringside and slams him into the ring steps. AJ Styles comes flying out of the ring with a forearm shot to Wyatt on the floor at ringside. Back in the ring, Styles controls the next few moments of the match and continues to work on Wyatt and Cena. Wyatt throws Styles to the outside, and Cena starts going to work on Wyatt. Cena back suplexes him and hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena attempts an AA, but Bray gets out and attempts the Sister Abigail. Styles breaks up the Sister Abigail with a flying forearm on Wyatt, then Cena hits the AA on Styles for a two count. Wyatt hits the Sister Abigail on Cena and pins, but AJ breaks up the pin. AJ brings Bray outside and slams him on the announce table. AJ climbs up on the fan barricade and jumps off with a splash on Bray on the table, but the table doesn’t break. AJ goes back up to the fan barricade and this time he hits a flying leg drop on Bray and they go through the table. Back in the ring, AJ puts Cena in the Calf Crusher, but Cena escapes and locks AJ in the STF. Bray breaks it up and lays out both Cena and AJ. Cena comes back with an AA on Wyatt, then Styles hits the Styles Clash on Cena. AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm on Cena, but Cena pushes him off the top rope down to the floor at ringside. Cena turns around and walks right into the Sister Abigail from Wyatt. Wyatt pins and gets the three count to retain the WWE Championship. After the match, Randy Orton’s music hits and he comes out to the ring with a mic. Orton stands in front of Wyatt and says even though he won the right to a title shot against Wyatt at WrestleMania, he won’t take it. Orton says he has undying allegiance to Wyatt and he drops to his knees. Wyatt says Orton has the keys to the kingdom, and he holds up the WWE Title as SmackDown goes off the air.
This week’s WWE RAW drew 3.087 million viewers, down from last week’s 3.115 million viewers.
The show featured Charlotte vs. Bayley for the RAW Women’s Championship, Kevin Owens turning on Chris Jericho during their friendship celebration and more.
Here’s the hourly breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
Hour 1: 3.199 million viewers
Hour 2: 3.153 million viewers
Hour 3: 2.909 million viewers
Like last week, RAW was #3 in viewership and #2 in the 18-49 demographic for the night on cable.
– Linda McMahon was confirmed as the Small Business Administration head today by the Senate. The vote was 81-19. It’s worth noting that the two Connecticut Democrats, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, that previously defeated Linda in Senate bids did vote for her today.
According to the AP, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said McMahon will “prioritize growing jobs over growing government bureaucracy” and calls that a welcome change from Washington.
Mick Foley appeared on Lillian Garcia’s podcast yesterday. During the course of his interview he revealed that he doesn’t believe Holy Foley will be returning for a second season the WWE Network.
Notes from the show:
Foley claims he is the first person to ever be put on Chris Jericho’s “list”. According to Foley, Jericho was annoyed with him back in catering and Jericho grabbed a notebook away from someone and made Foley the inaugural person on his list. Foley would also say that he told everyone Jericho would get that over in 3 weeks.
Foley would also say that he is given creative control with his character, and that WWE has been very good in that regards.
He mentioned that he pushed for James Ellesworth to be signed, saying he would be perfect for television. He also noted that Ellesworth bought him a tie.
Additionally he said that he makes less money working for WWE than he would if he was doing his one-man shows or taking other bookings. He believes it is an important job however, and is given a chance to have his creative input into the direction of the show.
On Holy Foley: “Personally I don’t think there will be a season 2”. Foley noted the show is expensive to make.
– AJ Styles and Shane McMahon have been added to WWE’s upcoming live event from Madison SQuare Garden on March 13th. The two are rumored to be facing each other at WrestleMania 33.
– Lei’D Tapa was among the new recruits trying to make it in WWE at the recent Performance Center tryouts. What sets the former Gut Check winner apart? WWE released the following video looking at the former TNA Knockout:
– As reported before, Triple H and NXT Superstars surprised Make-A-Wish Kids wish WrestleMania 33 tickets at the WWE Performance Center recently. Below is video from the surprise event:
The social media trash talk between Kevin Owens and Bill Godlberg is heating up ahead of their upcoming showdown at WWE Fastlane. Owens threw shade in Goldberg’s direction last week when he pointed out WWE’s production crew had been digitally darkening Goldberg’s goatee.
Goldberg was not in attendance for Monday’s RAW from Las Vegas, but he took notice of Chris Jericho bringing out Gillberg during the Festival of Friendship.
Did Triple H Encourage Kevin Owens to Turn on Chris Jericho?
In a backstage segment leading up to the “Festival of Friendship” Triple H asked to speak with Owens in private, as in without Chris Jericho present. A second quick shot of Owens and HHH was shown later in the show, though no audio was present. It seems likely that Triple H relayed the message to Owens that he should turn on Jericho.
Jericho, who was taken away in an ambulance last night, has been silent since. Considering Jericho had promised to help Owens retain his Universal Championship at Fastlane, one now has to wonder if Triple H (or Samoa Joe) will now play a role in the match.
Naturally this means an Owens vs. Jericho match at WrestleMania is upcoming. If Owens retains (with the help of HHH) at Fastlane, then the Universal title will be on the line in that match. If Goldberg defeats Owens however (most likely with Jericho fending off Triple H) then Goldberg vs. Lesnar would have the Universal Championship on the line. Rumours are out there regarding who is most likely to come away the winner, but such rumours are often proved false.
Former WWE Superstar Kelly Kelly was backstage at Monday’s RAW from Las Vegas and teased that she might be returning to the company.
Kelly appeared on RAW Fallout, said she’s considering one more run with WWE and revealed there is “definitely a chance” we’ll see her at WrestleMania 33. It’s been reported in recent weeks that WWE has been reaching out to former female Superstars about a role on the show and Kelly’s statement appears to corroborate that.
Kelly Kelly Returning?
Kelly Kelly (Barbie Blank-Souray), featured on the E! reality show WAGS, made her debut for WWE back in 2006 as part of the relaunched ECW brand. Over time Kelly Kelly transitioned from stage dancer to manager and eventually captured the WWE Divas Championship in 2011. She left WWE in 2012 while dealing with a neck injury. She is married to NHL player Sheldon Souray.
– Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn is expected for the 3/5 WWE Fastlane PPV after Joe attacked Sami on RAW this week. Joe vs. Seth Rollins was originally booked for Fastlane until Rollins injured his knee.
– NXT Champion Bobby Roode recently spoke with Philly.com and commented on his 12-year journey to WWE. Roode says he has no regrets on how he made it to WWE as he got to work with some of the best wrestlers around the world. Roode commented:
“I firmly believe not just in business but in life that everything happens for a reason. Not getting hired back in those days fueled the fire a little bit to go out there and get over and go different places and work harder. I have no regrets. I got to work with some great people over the last 12 years.
The experience that I gained and the people that I met and the travels that I did, I wouldn’t change that for the world. I think it’s made me a better worker. It’s made me a better wrestler. It’s made me a better person. I think in sports entertainment timing is everything. It was a learning experience for me back in those days. I obviously wasn’t ready and I got to go to a different spot and for over 12 years kind of work on my brand and become somewhat of a household name and get better and get older.”
– R-Truth is busy working on his hip-hop career during downtime from WWE. He posted the following video from a recent studio session working on his “I Got It” single, and a photo from Monday’s music video shoot for his “Back Against The Wall” single:
– The final episode of Legends With JBL hits the WWE Network today at 3pm EDT. His guest will be WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart. The description of the episode is as follows:
“JBL and the legendary Jimmy Hart discuss his Hall of Fame career, the controversy surrounding Hulk Hogan, and working with Andy Kaufman.”
Thanks to all who enjoyed #LegendswithJBL. I loved it, wish I could do more-but not to be, maybe one day @WWE will bring it back.
– The “WWE Hall of Fame: Class of 2017” Collection has been added to the WWE Network. Included in the collection are matches featuring Kurt Angle and The Rock & Roll Express. Watch for new additions as inductees are announced, including Teddy Long who was just announced on Monday.
– No update has been provided regarding Eva Marie’s return to the WWE stage. She may not be ready to return to the ring, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t working. Eva Marie posted the following this week as she continues to expand her brand outside of WWE:
At WrestleMania 32 last year WWE changed the “Divas Championship” to the “WWE Women’s Championship”. It has since been re-dubbed the “RAW Women’s Championship”. This title has swapped hands at a pace only Vince Russo could make sense of.
In the 10 months the championship has been in existence, it has changed hands 7 times. Charlotte is already a 4x champion. At this rate it will take her less than 4 years to equal John Cena and Ric Flair’s record of being a 16x champion.
Breakdown of RAW Women’s Championship Title Changes
Last night Bayley defeated Charlotte for the RAW Women’s Championship, with a little help from Sasha Banks. It was the fourth time in 10 months that Charlotte has lost the title on RAW. The other 3x she lost the title were against Banks.
Title Changes:
WrestleMania 32 April 3rd 2016
Charlotte defeated Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks in a 3-way match
* Charlotte was the Divas Champion heading into the match and won the inaugural women’s championship (well not inaugural…)
RAW July 25th 2016
Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte
* Banks’ first title win
SummerSlam August 21st 2016
Charlotte defeated Sasha Banks
*title re-named the “Raw Women’s Championship”
RAW October 3rd 2016
Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte
Hell in a Cell October 30th 2016
Charlotte defeated Sasha Banks
*inside a Hell in a Cell
RAW November 28th 2016
Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte
*Falls Count Anywhere Match
Roadblock: End of the Line December 18th 2016
Charlotte defeated Sasha Banks
* 30min Ironman Match
RAW February 13th 2017
Bayley defeated Charlotte
* Bayley’s first title win
Perhaps only the Hardcore title has ever changed hands more frequently…
The road to WrestleMania continues as SmackDown Live rolls into Anaheim, California. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s show from the Honda Center:
– New WWE Champion Bray Wyatt will defend against John Cena
– Naomi is the new SmackDown Women’s Champion, but for how long?
– Who will rise out of the Turmoil to challenge American Alpha?
– Is Baron Corbin destined to become Intercontinental Champion?
– Will Ziggler’s aggression cost him or give him exactly what he wants?
Join us here later for our weekly SmackDown Live Results & Discussion.
– As seen above, The Revival’s Scott Dawson recently spoke to potential new recruits at the WWE Performance Center tryouts. Wearing a Sasha Banks t-shirt, the NXT superstar promoted hard work, advising the recruits to work as hard as possible and to respect themselves. He told the recruits that they should strive to be as good as he is, but added that it would never happen. After leaving the recruits, he speaks directly to the camera declaring that whether it be in the ring, on the mic, or in the weight room, no one could beat him.
– It will be interesting to see if Rich Swann returns to the ring on 205 Live tonight. He returned to the ring this weekend at WWE house shows after suffering a foot injury a few weeks back.
– JBL took quite the spill during the pre-show for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on Sunday. See him tumble in the Gif below:
Bayley defeated Charlotte in the main event of Monday’s RAW from Las Vegas to capture the RAW Women’s Championship. This marks her first main roster title reign and the 8th title reign for the RAW Women’s Championship, which was introduced last year at WrestleMania.
Bayley is a former NXT Wonen’s Champion and made her main roster debut last summer. Based on this victory, it appears she’s going to have a big role at WrestleMania 33. You can be sure that Charlotte will expect a rematch sooner than later, with Sasha Banks and Nia Jax also in the title picture.
Discussion: Do you think it was the right time for Bayley to win the RAW Women’s Championship, or should WWE have built this up longer, with her coming up short many times before finally reaching the top of the mountain?
Charlotte is already focused on getting her title back. Charlotte tweeted this message after losing the championship:
I've succeeded and failed throughout my life based on one person and one person only. ME. This isn't done. #Raw#RoadTo5x
– As previously announced, Trent Seven vs. WWE UK Champion Tyler Bate is on the lineup for this week’s NXT. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce vs. Liv Morgan and a mystery partner has been added to the show.
– WWE.com recently did a storyline interview with WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville. Due to an injury, Neville was unable to perform at WrestleMania 32 but he’s looking forward to WrestleMania 33 and the opportunity to showcase his abilities. He commented on going into the biggest show of the year as champion:
“Well, I’m finally where I deserve to be and where I should always have been: on a platform to showcase my abilities. I’m not sitting back and watching it unfold. I am right on the forefront. I am proud of what I’ve done. I’m not at all regretful for how I’ve behaved and I will continue to do what is best for me, my family, and what has my best interests in mind.”
– Daniel Bryan noted on Twitter that he’s back in the gym training after taking some time off. He wrote, “Got back to some cleans after months off. Don’t try this at home, at least not the way I do it because my form is horrible @RehabPlusPHX” Below is video of Bryan in action:
Got back to some cleans after months off. Don't try this at home, at least not the way I do it because my form is horrible @RehabPlusPHXpic.twitter.com/ZqamwaGoCm
